November 10, 1975. The day the EDMUND FITZGERALD was lost along with her captain and crew. One of those historic moments where you will always remember what you were doing when you heard the news.
The EDMUND FITZGERALD was built by the Great Lakes Engineering Works at River Rouge, Michigan, and launched on June 7, 1958. The “Big Fitz” was christened by Elizabeth Bacon Fitzgerald, wife of the ships namesake. Over 10,000 people were there for the launching and over 900 workers were involved with the construction which cost $8.4 million. The FITZ was the largest ship ever to be launched sideways.
If you ever wondered how the ship’s name was chosen and about the man himself, Edmund’s son, Edmund Beacon Fitzgerald, summed it up in his book Edmund Fitzgerald, the ship and the man. “In 1957, the Northwestern Mutual was about to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding, and in March, the Cosmopolitan Club of Milwaukee awarded my father its distinguished service award. In an editorial that day, headlined “For Being So Useful a Citizen,” the Milwaukee Journal described my father as “a one man army, who over the years has managed to find sufficient spare time to do more good things than we have spare space to print. Being so useful a citizen, beyond the call of duty, is his hobby.”
“With the confluence of these events and my father’s upcoming retirement in early 1960, the Northwestern Mutual’s trustees began to consider a suitable method by which to recognize her service. That opportunity presented itself in the form of a financing the company was about to undertake with Oglebay Norton Company of Cleveland, Ohio for the construction of a large new Great Lakes ore carrier. The actual financing took the form of the Northwestern Mutual owning the carrier, but leasing it on a long term basis to the Columbia Transportation Division of Oglebay Norton. Thus, Hull #301, resting on the ways of the Great Lakes Engineering Works shipyard on the Detroit River, was designated to be christened the SS EDMUND FITZGERALD.”
When the naming was proposed, Edmund was against it being named after him and he had suggested the names CENTENNIAL, SEAWAY, MILWAUKEE and NORTHWESTERN. The board insisted and 36 members voted to name her the SS EDMUND FITZGERALD. Edmund abstained from voting. In the end, he said having the ship named after him was the proudest day of his life.
Mr. Fitzgerald sailed as a guest on the FITZ with family and friends through the mid-1960s when she was under the command of Captain N. C. Larson. Edmund’s son also mentioned that the summer months spent as a guest on these trips helped to avoid the severe weather of the November gales but did recall one of his father’s friends remarking on a rough day on Lake Superior that there were white caps in his martini.
It is said Mrs. Fitzgerald enjoyed ocean voyages but did not care for the summer trips that her husband so loved and usually declined the invitation to go along.
Command of the FITZ passed to Captain Peter Pulcer in 1966 and who proudly would use the ship’s loudspeaker to entertain the visitors at the Soo locks with information on the ship and her cargo. He would also play classical music from his record collection over the ships p.a. system while sailing down the St. Mary’s River.
Captain Ernest McSorley took over command in 1972. The FITZ was still the flagship of the Columbia’s fleet and her crew had great pride in her.
The Great Lakes Marine Collection located in Milwaukee’s Central Library has much on display including the model of the EDMUND FITZGERALD that was made for and given to its namesake upon his retirement from Northwestern Mutual Insurance Co. This model was to be given to the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society upon Mr. Fitzgerald’s death but his son treasured it as well and kept it in his office and home until his death. Edmund B. Fitzgerald had his son Greer promise to deliver it to the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society upon his death, and his son did. On April 12, 2014, there was an unveiling of the model in a newly built case at the entrance of the Humanities Room of the Central Library. A ceremony was held and a large crowd filled the room. Many in attendance were relatives of Edmund Fitzgerald, some had traveled from as far away as Australia.
On the east wall of the Humanities Room is a painting of the FITZGERALD by Milwaukee’s Edmund Lewandowski. It is one of three he painted of the FITZGERALD in different stages of her build. The others are at Northwestern Mutual and in a private collection. Lewandowski was also known for his mosaic murals one of which is of St. Luke and stands proudly on the side of St. Luke’s Hospital on Oklahoma Avenue.
Outside the Humanities Room, the large display contains the life ring from the FITZGERALD as well as the bottle used to christen her in 1958.
And of course, there is the EDMUND FITZGERALD file which is housed in two 6 inch wide boxes and contains an assortment of photos, newspaper clippings, correspondence, drawings, and/or articles. There are many artist prints and plans that do not fit in these boxes. Also the reference collection is home to numerous books that have been written over the years.
I like to think that Capt. McSorley and the crew of the FITZGERALD would be proud that we have preserved the beauty of their ship as well as her history above water. She was the pride of the fleet.
Suzette Lopez
PHOTOS:
EDMUND FITZGERALD summer of 1975. Photo by Bob Campbell.
Edmund Fitzgerald with the model when presented to him at his retirement party
Entrance to the Humanities Room of Milwaukee’s Central Library
EDMUND FITZGERALD model at the entrance to the Humanities Room
EDMUND FITZGERALD model sitting in its shipping case
EDMUND FITZGERALD model sitting in its shipping case
Edmund Lewandowski painting of the EDMUND FITZGERALD
Main Street Display outside of Humanities featuring the life ring and christening bottle
PHOTO CREDIT: Great Lakes Marine Collection of the Milwaukee Public Library and Wisconsin Marine Historical Society
