More died when the Carl D. Bradley sank. 33 perished there. 2 survived. The survivors’ tale is amazing.
It was the last major commercial shipwreck on the Great Lakes, so once it became famous, because of the song, it stayed famous.
I’ve seen a couple interviews with family members - you know, “the wives and the sons and the daughters” - I distinctly remember that they said they feared their loved ones would be forgotten, and appreciate the song because it keeps alive the memory of those they lost. After all, the crew were largely working-class guys, the sort that society easily forgets as they weren’t wealthy or famous or anything like that.
As long as it isn’t done as a farce or a joke sure, I could see a commemorative brew being in good taste and approved. Especially if the men being honored liked drinking beer.
As long as the families are OK with it I’m OK with it.
True, but we remember the 1998 sinking of the Linda E. around here too. “Only” 3 lives lost, but they were commercial fishermen, making their living on the Great Lakes.
I think Lightfoot’s song clearly is a contributing factor for the shipwreck (and the ship and the men) being remembered. The song reached #2 on the pop charts when it was released - if the song was bad and then tanked I doubt I today would know about the ship.
As for GLBC (the brewing company) getting the families’ approval for the beer, if that is what happened then I am more okay with it. My “oh that’s in poor taste” was my initial reaction to seeing the bottle when I clicked on the link above in this thread. Later as I dug into it a little more I saw they got approval, and that is better. But what does that mean, ‘I got approval’? Is there a consortium of the families that is authorized to speak for all of them and gave its approval? Was it several families that GLBC got approval from? A majority of them?
I’m probably overthinking this approval thing. The important thing is that we remember, and Lightfoot’s haunting ballad helps us to remember.
Bullitt: I’ll pm the name of the museum if you promise to keep the location a secret. Deal?
PM sent. Please check. Yes I will keep the location a secret.
The ship was the pride of the American side.
I start remembering every October… and the November gales come early as October sometimes… and then I play the song and get chills.
I think of all who have perished in a similar way.
The sea don’t play around.
I read a mystery called Bonnie and the Haunted Farm (by Barbara Van Tuyl) when I was in junior high. The “haunted farm” has a horse named November Witch. Only this year, did I find out that a “November Witch” was a storm.
That fact doesn’t turn out to be a clue or anything, though.
What is the point of keeping the location of a museum secret? 
So do I, but I make an exception for this song. It’s one of the most tedious, monotonous songs to ever get serious airplay.
Nah, the fireball was from being zapped by a 1920s-style death ray.
Keep the location of a museum secret? What purpose does that serve?
He (she?) shared why, and I respect that. So guys let’s leave it be, okay?
Back on point, the story of the 1995 retrieval of the bell and of its restoration is pretty interesting. I’d like to visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point lighthouse on Michigan’s upper peninsula.
Am I blind, or am I not seeing a post?
I assume it was shared in the PM.
Yes it was. I could’ve been more clear about that.
I completely agree with this when I first heard the song.
After 40 years it’s grown on me though. 
I grew up in Michigan, near Lake Huron. My Gr Grandfather was a commercial fisherman on the lakes. I was 14 when the Fitzgerald went down, maybe at an age where these things make a big impression. I never forget Nov 10th.
StG
It’s a dirge. It’s not supposed to be peppy, hooky, or upbeat. :smack:
[Quote=Gordon Lightfoot]
I went and bought all of the old newspapers, got everything in chronological order, and went ahead and did it because I already had a melody in my mind and it was from an old Irish dirge that I heard when I was about 31/2 years old. I think it was one of the first pieces of music that registered to me as being a piece of music.
[/quote]
Death is a part of life, and mourning is a part of death. Sorry it harshed your buzz, but it was appropriate.