Gales of November: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald [Paperback]

Robert J. Hemming (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 1997

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert J. Hemming has been a life-long resident of the Great Lakes region and a recreational sailor of its waters. A reporter and newspaper editor himself, he makes his home in Toledo.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Thunder Bay Press (March 24, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882376331
• ISBN-13: 978-1882376339
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,050,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Lakes & Ponds

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good first book for this subject, September 5, 2001

By 

Michael Schoene (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gales of November: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Paperback)

This is a great book about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. If you have never read a book on the Fitz this is a great start. The author does a great job of introducing you to the crew and what life is like sailing on the Great Lakes. He takes several of the crew and introduces you to their personality and their history. This helps you to develope feelings for the crew member as they sail on the Lakes. Hemming also does a good job of presenting the facts of the sinking and helps you to understand what the last several hours were like on the Fitzgerald. The book is very inclusive when it comes to describing the factors that lead to the Fitz's eventual demise. The only complaint that I have about the book is that Hemming described vividly the crews last actions immediately prior to the sinking when no further contact was made with any other ships. Since nobody knows exactly what happen during this period of time the author may have created a scinario to keep the book real. He accomplishes this but it may compromise the facts. All in all I learned a lot about the story and I think most readers will too.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Exciting Tale of the Great Lakes, October 28, 2003

By 

Jeffrey T. Munson (Dixon, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gales of November: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Paperback)

The Edmund Fitzgerald, immortalized in song by Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot, was, at the time, the largest vessel to sail on the Great Lakes. At over 750 feet long, it was nearly as large as a World War II era battleship. The thing that made the "Fitz" so special was her large cargo capacity; she could carry well over twenty thousand tons of cargo in her massive holds. However, these holds might have ultimately led to her demise on a stormy night in November, 1975.

The Great lakes are famous for their storms and gales, but in early November, 1975, a storm of immense strength bore down on Lake Superior and unleased its vengance on the ships that dared sail on the lake. The storm was born in the southwestern United States, and as it moved slowly northward, it gathered tremendous amounts of moisture. Its warm winds, when coupled with the north's cooler air, made a cauldron of swirling winds, sleet, and snow. The winds whipped as much as one hundred miles per hour and made waves as high as thirty feet.

While this storm was intensifying, the "Fitz" set out on its trip across Superior. Another ship, the Arthur Anderson, was travelling in the same direction as the Fitzgerald and they kept in contact by radio. Soon, the rolling seas were slamming into the Fitz, and she began to take on water. Some water managed to leak in around the hatch covers, but, without radar to assist them, the Fitz was forced to rely upon charts from the U.S. and Canada to map a course across Superior. Unfortunately, the charts weren't completely accurate, and the Fitz's course sent her directly over a submurged shoal, which punched holes in the hull, allowing more water to enter the ship.

The ship began to list and the pumps were unable to keep up with the amount of water pouring in. Finally, a huge wave hit the side of the ship, driving the bow deep into the lake, and instead of popping back up, the bow kept on going down, taking the rest of the ship along. Twenty nine men died in the span of a few minutes as the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald came to rest in 530 feet of water at the bottom of Lake Superior.

This book gives an excellent narrative about the loss of the Fitzgerald and life on the Great Lakes in general. The reader also gets a glimpse into the lives of each crewman aboard, as well as some other memorable shipwrecks that occurred earlier on the Great Lakes. I recommend this book very highly. Maritime readers and adventure fans alike will surely enjoy it.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superior never gives up her dead..., March 22, 2000

By 

Jana Windemuth (Woodstock, Illinois) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gales of November: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Paperback)

I've been fascinated with the Edmund Fitzgerald sinking for many years, partially because I've lived around the great lakes most of my life. This book answered many of the haunting questions about the ship and what happened to her. The examination of the incident by Hemming is excellent and his proposed explanation of the cause is far better than the Coast Guard's excuses. I highly recommend this book on several levels, especially for its writing and research. Thanks to Gordon Lightfoot for bringing this to our attention.