Ships and Boats, lake freighter Edmund Fitzgerald

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Lake freighter Edmund Fitzgerald. NOAA undated image of SS Edmund Fitzgerald. Please credit “NOAA.”) or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce, unless otherwise instructed to give credit to the photographer or other source.

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NOAA SCIENTISTS RE-ANALYZE WEATHER CONDITIONS DURING WRECK OF THE EDMUND FITZGERALD

May 18, 2006 — A re-analysis of the weather conditions on Lake Superior during the November 1975 gale when the lake freighter Edmund Fitzgerald went down, killing all 29 aboard, shows a period when the winds and waves were the most extreme, say the NOAA scientists who conducted the review.

"Modern observation and forecast systems have substantially improved forecasts for the Great Lakes over the past 30 years, allowing for greater advance notice of storms, which allows most ships to avoid such severe conditions," the authors wrote. "But the tragic events of 10 November 1975 should continue to serve as a reminder of the hazards one can encounter when traveling on the Great Lakes."

The findings are the cover article in the May issue of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, or BAMS.

"During the late afternoon and early evening of Nov. 10, conditions deteriorated rapidly with winds in excess of 69 miles per hour, hurricane-force gusts and waves more than 25 feet high," said Thomas Hultquist, science and operations officer at the NOAA National Weather Service forecast office in Negaunee, Mich., and lead author.

The loss of the 729-foot-long ship and all aboard is immortalized in the Gordon Lightfoot song, "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald." The songwriter mentions the weather in the lines "the skies of November turn gloomy," "the gales of November come early," and "face of a hurricane west wind."

Edited by sookietex



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