The year 2000 marks the 25th Anniversary of one of Lake Superior's unsolved mysteries. On November 10, 1975, a "mega-storm" over Lake Superior sank the ore carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald at the east end of Lake Superior. Although many theories have been expressed on the cause of this catastrophe, one widely held but rarely spoken reason has never been published -- until now. As the last living captain of an ore boat that also sailed through the worst of that storm, Captain Dudley Paquette relates his harrowing memoir of those hours leading up to the Fitzgerald wreck and of the dangerous search afterward. In the process, the reader gains deep insight into the mind of Great Lakes captains and what might have been the situation in the wheelhouse of the Fitzgerald as the big lake crashed across the decks. The real cause of the wreck might finally be known.
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From the Publisher
An extremely popular book, we went back to press within days of receiving the first printing. Sure to add significantly to the literature on the Fitzgerald. Noted Great Lakes historian Dr. Julius F. Wolff Jr. says about the book's revelations, "I think you hit the nail right on the head."
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The night the Fitz went down,
By "nitronewt" (Englewood, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Night the Fitz Went Down (Paperback)
Overall, the book was not too bad. I do nearly agree with the theory presented regarding the reason the ship sank, as it is certainley more believable than the Coast Guard's reasoning. The one thing I did not care for is the "arrogance" I felt was displayed by Capt. Parquette. Although I did not mind reading about his experiences, he talked (wrote?) like he was all knowing, and could never do wrong. I sailed on the Great Lakes for a bit as an engineer, and I still get up there once a year to do work in March, so I have met some Captains here and there, and most seem pretty reasonable. However, I do not think much of this guy. Nonetheless, a good book regarding the ship itself, and it does present some interesting facts. So, in closing, I would recommend it if you are into the history of this ship, and would like to know as I why it went down.
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
"Sink" this one -- get a better book on Fitz,
By
This review is from: Night the Fitz Went Down (Paperback)
I did not even finish this book because I got so tired of Capt. Paquett's life story. I bought this book with the thought in mind that it was about the Fitz, not Capt. Paquett and his history. I am sure he was/is a great Capt. and I glad that he did as well as he did, but I wanted to read about the Fitz. Skip this book and get one of the other books on the Fitz offered by Amazon.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Captain with a ego so large no lake boat could carry!!!,
By
This review is from: Night the Fitz Went Down (Paperback)
I have read this book and found it very informative. The book is mostly about a ego driven Captain who has never made a mistake. Once you get to page 80 or so, the book is very well written and actually talks about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Up until this part of the book the Captain tell endless storys about how great he was as a Captain. He does have great evidence on what happened to the Edmund Fitzgerald.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Comfortably seated in front of a large bank of windows overlooking the shoreline of his summer home on Lake Vermilion in northeastern Minnesota, Captain Dudley Paquette (retired, 1980, Inland Steel Company fleet) looks back on the events of those fateful two or three days surrounding the 1975 sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald and scoffs at the U.S. Coast Guard's Marine Board of Investigation conclusion that "ineffective hatch closures" was the primary cause of flooding that led to the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Coast Guard, Captain Paquette, Lake Superior, Marine Board, Edmund Fitzgerald, Indiana Harbor, Thunder Bay, Great Lakes, Inland Steel, Isle Royale, Wilfred Sykes, Whitefish Bay, Captain Fisher, Captain Cooper, Caribou Island, Weather Service, Whitefish Point, Lake Michigan, Passage Island, Captain Dudley Paquette, Fraser Shipyards, Oglebay Norton, Bethlehem Steel, Captain Ward, Six-Fathom Shoal New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Comfortably seated in front of a large bank of windows overlooking the shoreline of his summer home on Lake Vermilion in northeastern Minnesota, Captain Dudley Paquette (retired, 1980, Inland Steel Company fleet) looks back on the events of those fateful two or three days surrounding the 1975 sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald and scoffs at the U.S. Coast Guard's Marine Board of Investigation conclusion that "ineffective hatch closures" was the primary cause of flooding that led to the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Coast Guard, Captain Paquette, Lake Superior, Marine Board, Edmund Fitzgerald, Indiana Harbor, Thunder Bay, Great Lakes, Inland Steel, Isle Royale, Wilfred Sykes, Whitefish Bay, Captain Fisher, Captain Cooper, Caribou Island, Weather Service, Whitefish Point, Lake Michigan, Passage Island, Captain Dudley Paquette, Fraser Shipyards, Oglebay Norton, Bethlehem Steel, Captain Ward, Six-Fathom Shoal New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
6
books
cite this book:
See all 6 books citing this book
- Mighty Fitz: The Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Michael Schumacher in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas by Jerry Dennis in Back Matter
- So Cold A Sky, Upper Michigan Weather Stories by Karl Bohnak in Back Matter
- The History Puzzle: How We Know What We Know about the Past (Exceptional Social Studies Titles for Upper Grades) by Susan Provost Beller in Back Matter
- Lake Rhymes: Folk Songs of the Great Lakes Region by Lee Murdock on page 64
See all 6 books citing this book
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