Gales of November: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald

by Robert J. Hemming

Immortalized in song by Canadian balladeer Gordon Lightfoot and still argued over by Great Lakes experts, the fate of the Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew has attracted more widespread attention than other thousands of shipwrecks recorded on the Great Lakes. The 729-foot ore freighter and its entire crew mysteriously and suddenly disappeared during a violent November storm on Lake Superior in 1975. The reader is taken through a "you are there" experience, including the increasing foreboding of the crew members. A haunting and informative book for anyone fascinated by the lore of sea and ships.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Maritime, Historical, Adult

248 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1981

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounding up to 4 stars.
The book does a remarkable job introducing and humanizing the men who went down with the Edmund Fitzgerald, and all without bogging the story down too much. It keeps up a pretty fast pace since it mostly covers one night but it also touches on the history of the Great Lakes and some of the ships that sunk in them. I did not love the speculation about the "conversations" that happened the night of the sinking. The author manages to convey lots of information without turning it into imagined conversations so I'm not sure why he persists in doing so near the end. There is also this entire after story of conspiracy and legend that has built up around the sinking that doesn't really get as much focus--but perhaps that is because the book was written in 1981.
Overall a pretty fascinating introduction to the story (and still shorter than the ballad! ;) )

[Abbie Meissner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! As a young girl, my Dad every November would take my brother and I to Lake Michigan and play Gordon Lightfoot’s “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”. Now at age 25, living by and sailing on the Great Lakes, I felt I had to read this book to pay homage to the lives lost and eerie song of my youth. This book turned me from interested in the Edmund Fitzgerald to hooked. The author brings out the humanity of the 29 lives in a story telling way. Like others who wrote a review, I wish there were more pictures! I also wished that the author would have either stuck with the speculative “fictitious”story and not included the controversies regarding its sinking or vice versa. Overall, the book is engaging and left me excited to visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum!

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for Goodreads 2018 Summer Reading Challenge, Expert Level.
Ocean Blue: Read a book that takes place on the water

My husband started in a few weeks ago going on and on about some ship that sank in one of the Great Lakes years ago. I had no idea what he was talking about, but he knew all this stuff about it, and was clearly interested, so, like a good wife, I figured I should at least try to learn something about this shipwreck. And them comes this challenge. It tells me I have to read something that takes place on the water. Perfect! I checked my library catalog, and this book came up. I requested it. When I got it, the book was clearly dated (older than my husband!), but I determined to give it a go. And you know what? I liked it!

It's mainly non-fiction, but with a good bit of creative speculation thrown in, so it reads more like fiction. It was actually very well-written, and I was totally sucked in. Stayed up WAY too late finishing it. (Don't tell my husband!)

So now I know all about the Edmund Fitzgerald and the tragedy that befell it. Gonna be dinner conversation tonight!

[Mary Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Far too much speculation for me to enjoy.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

n November 10th, 1975 the 729 foot ore freighter, The Edmund Fitzgerald, sank during a violent storm on Lake Superior. I was 19 years old at the time and vividly remember the news reports on this tragedy. The crew of 29 men were all lost.

Just a short primer for those who do not know the Great Lakes well. Lake Superior is the largest fresh water lake in the world. It is the 3rd largest lake in volume. If you grow up around the Great Lakes, you are taught at an early age to respect these waters. I spent every summer touring all of the lakes and I know first hand how fast violent storms can erupt on them. They may not be the ocean, but believe me they are not the local swimming whole either.

On November 9th, 1975 a storm came down out of the Rocky mountains. As it moved across the Great Plains it began picking up moisture, from as far away as the Gulf of Mexico. As it blew across Kansas the barometric pressure dropped from 29.53 to 29.40 and it began to turn towards the Midwest. At the same time a large storm front was forming and coming down from Canada. The result of the two storm fronts meeting over the Great Lakes produced a gigantic storm. The waves on on Lake Superior were reported at 35 feet and the winds at near hurricane force. The Fitzgerald was traveling from Duluth Minnesota with a full load of ore pellets to be delivered in Toledo, Ohio.

Why the Fitzgerald, a relatively young ship at only 17 years old, sunk is still debated today. The most logical theory is that she hit a shoal (a shallow area) and ripped a hole in the cargo hold. The storm was so violent, the experienced crew would not have heard the noise over the raging storm. Their instruments told them something was wrong, but experienced Great Lake sailors agree: there was nothing the captain could have done different. He set his sites on making Whitefish Bay, where the inland cover of the bay area would protect the ship and his crew. Sadly 15 miles before the bay, the ship went down.

This was a very personal story for me, as I grew up watching the freighters slip by down the Detroit River on their journey around Michigan. You can sit there on the river and watch the boats close up. I had seen this massive ship numerous times. There is a Mariners Church on the river and every November 10th they toll the church bells 29 times for each lost sailor.

There was a lot of science information, regarding weather. There as a lot of technical information on the ship and the shipping industry. However, the author interviewed many family and friends of the lost sailors. He told their story beautifully. All things considered, it was a decent expose on a terrible tragedy.

[Sue Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

After listening to the Gordon Lightfoot song about the Edmund Fitzgerald, I realized that I really didn't know what happened in the shipwreck. I still don't know exactly what happened because no one really does but it was nice to get a deeper understanding and perspective.

The author did a good job of telling us about the members of the crew and their families. He also gave some incite about how a sailer views their job on the water. The book makes the Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald seem more personal and not just another ship sinking.

I also enjoyed reading about other ships that had met a similar demise. Oddly enough, I've never really given it much thought even though I live in Michigan. Ships move around the Great Lakes all the time and have for centuries yet I had never even thought about the dangers especially in the winter. Gales of November is a good name to describe this.

Although parts of this book were speculations, I think the author tried to balance the facts with a story that would make life on the ship real. He also added some technical elements about ships and shipwrecks that were hard for me to follow. Overall I enjoyed reading this book (even if I found myself humming the song) and it broadened my knowledge of this 1975 shipwreck.

[Chris Meads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read several books on the Edmund Fitzgerald and this is by far the best one yet. The author has put together the facts of what happened to the boat as well as the history of each of the 29 that died aboard her. Some is conjecture since we really can't say what was going through each of the sailors' minds. Did the boat really hit a shoal. According to the ship that was with the Fitzgerald, it did but the Coast Guard and others say they didn't. Who really knows what happened that night?

I actually visited Whitefish Point where it said in the book the lighthouse light malfunction. The gentleman that I talked to said that it actually did happen. The ship might have faired better if the light would have worked. So.....

The legend lives on......

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shipwrecks seem antiquated and anachronistic today. Sure, schooners and wooden sailboats sank in storms routinely, and warships are sunk deliberately, but could a modern freighter sink in Lake Superior? Not too long ago, in 1975, that happened. We still don't know exactly what caused the ship to sink, partly due to the fact that all 29 crew members perished. But we do know that (1) you really shouldn't attempt to sail the Superior once November brings annual hurricane-force winds and storms, and (2) if you do try, you should make sure your ship is well stocked and your crew well trained. We find out in the inquests at the end of the book that the ship's last voyage was a fool's errand capping off a 20 year history of incredibly poor training.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why I never read this book before, I don't know, except when it was written, I was living on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, had a before and after school day care center and a new baby (also a older child, husband and basset). At staff development day, Nov 10, we had a guest speaker talking about the Edmund Fitzgerald that called Toledo its port. Tom Walton of WGTE fame, talked about the tragedy as he had been a porter on the "Fitz" in 1963.

Imagine my surprise when I got back to work and talked with one of my colleagues, Ann Heming, and even though I knew her husband had been a writer, I'd not known he was the author.

Well, I checked it out on Saturday and returned it today after being engrossed with this story. Good read, sad story.

[Jacquelin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was ready for a 5 star review but the fictionalized last moments for the crew were too much. He fictionalized some conversations prior to the boat being in peril, which was weird but okay. But the last moments, using the names and speculation of their thoughts and feelings felt disrespectful to them and their families. He could have very well explained the last moments in detail simply about the logistics of the final minutes, the water entry and movement through the Fitzgerald, the structural fails, etc. Even possible speculation about where crew may have been. But final conversations, how they moved and feelings was unnecessary.

Also wish I could have had a ship detail naming various decks and room positions.

[Clint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always wanted to know the story behind the Gordon Lightfoot song about the lost freighter, and this offers a fair summary, though now 44 years old. Occasionally bogged down in marine jargon, and too heavily weighed down with board conclusions at the end, it nevertheless offers a good mixture of information on the boat, the crew, the storm/wreck (where nonrecorded dialogue is imagined) and the aftermath.

[Jeffrey Brubaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read of the terrible fates that the ‘Fitz’ suffered.

[Carla JFCL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent treatment of this event that has fascinated me for decades. More pictures would have been nice.

[Kristi Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished a while ago and never updated my status (duh). I see there is another book available Now called”The Gales of November “ by John U. Bacon that I will be reading as soon as possible!

[Brenda Grandahl]

excellent book. appears to have been well researched by the author.

[Roy]

The mystery- tinged loss of the 729 - foot ore freighter Edmund Fitzgerald WITH ITS CREW OF 29 DURING A VIOLENT November STORM ON lake superior in 1975 has become an American folk tragedy . Still argued over by Great Lakes experts , the fate of the freighter and its crew has attracted more widespread attention than any of the others thousand of shipwrecks recorded for these 'INLAND SEAS. " In Gales of November , author Robert J. Hemming tales the reader dramatically through a total ' YOU ARE THERE ", EXPERIENCE AS THE GREAT ORE BOAT AND ITS CREW battle the treacherous elements and plunge wildly and disastrously to the depths . The reader shares the increasing foreboding of the crew members as more and more ' LITTLE THINGS GO WRONG aboard and literally aches to forearm Captain McSorley - whose last recorded words on the ships radio are ' going ALONG like an old shoe. No problem at all : .Hemming builds up to his definitive account of the lake , the storm , and the tragedy by examining the lives of each of the crew members , their families immediate immme

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't help humming the Gordon Lightfoot (The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald) song while reading this book. We know what happened to the ship, but what we didn't know was the stories of the 29 men that were lost when she went down during that 'Gale of November'. Hemming respectfully memorialized the men by telling their family stories with extreme passion and integrity. On November 10, 1975 we the Edmund and we lost a lifeline for the wives, sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and friends of these men whose lives were forever changed. Perhaps Hemming's interviews were a type of closure or a way for their loved ones' legend to live on. Regardless, the book portrays them as heroes -- which I agree, they are. After learning about the men, Hemmings embodies them and gives us a glimpse of what 'might' have happened that fateful night and we're right there amidst the hope. He also shares the transcripts of the U.S. Coast Guard Board of Inquiry which was rather interesting. This is one of those books that will forever be part of my library.

[Reet Champion · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1975 the SS Edmund Fitzgerald steamed across Lake Superior carrying a load of iron ore. During the evening of November 10 she went missing in the middle of a horrible storm. The missing ship spawned a search party by the Coast Guard and provided artist Gordon Lightfoot with the inspiration for a song that continues in its popularity and helps to keep the memory of the Fitzgerald alive.

This book read like a novel. I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. It was difficult to tell what was fact and what was fiction, as the author attempted to reconstruct the conversations and actions of the crew of the Edmund Firzgerald. Since all of the men were lost in the sinking no witnesses of the Fitzgerald's last moments were left behind.

[Chriss · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Edmund Fitzgerald sinking strikes a chord with me because of it's connection with a particiular crew member, Thomas Bentsen, who happened to hail from my hometown of St. Joseph, Michigan and perished on board. I was so grateful to read an excerpt in the book from Thomas's mother regarding the last time she saw him and the feeling she had about it. I felt this was the type of book I wanted to read because it wasn't just about the wreck but about the people. They became more human and more identifiable when you learn about them and their families. It still remains probably the most famous Great Lakes shipwreck and I hope we can continue to honor their memories with books like this!

[David Vanness · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quality read for those of us who are history and lovers of facts. I didn't know that 6,000 ships had 'bottomed up', the first commercial vessel was lost with it's first chargo, and that there are 95,000 square miles of the Great Lakes. But I did recognize the 'EGO' involved with not giving the distress call & being made fun of if your ship made the port successfully. It was written as if you were there. [I do know the lakes are fun swims.]

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Revisited this because of a magazine article about Edmund Fitzgerald and his ties to where I live. The book is painstakingly researched and very even-handed, but it's not a smooth read. That said, it is still a sad, moving and detailed account of a tragic event which took 29 lives. Worth reading if you have an interest in the topic.

[Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this one a long time ago , a sad story about loss of life that should have been prevented and looking back could have been . But like most sea stories one thing leads to another and finally it is too late for the right thind to be done . Sad , Sad , SAD .

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! I have long been haunted by the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Having been a child in Michigan when it disappeared, I was instantly drawn into this book! Well written and insightful to the magnitude of hoe ferocious the Great Lakes can be.

[Russ Frye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I served on the Edmund Fitzgerald a few summers before it sank. A poignant book for me!

[Ray Rickert · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite all-time books.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

The classic on "Big Fitz". If you have any interest in these beautiful boats and the lakes, read it.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this a number of times. Disasters are fascinating, and people my age who live in the Great Lakes remember this one.

[Bea Lathrop · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting read...the writer puts you there on the ship with the men. What a tragedy!

[Wendy Goerl · Rating 3 out of 5]

In some ways, it's a very good book, in some ways, it's a very frustrating book. If you just want to read a story, he's got a nice narrative. If you want to know what happened to the Fitzgerald, there's some obvious facts, some obvious info-dumping passed off as dialogue (he's got the crew talking about a lot of things that I think would fall under "goes without saying" for a crew as seasoned as Fitz's), and an awful lot of gray area where you're not sure if he's got a source for the information or is just inventing something to make the narrative flow.