In 1994 many of the questions were answered by former police officer, Frederick J Shannon. He took an expedition down to the Fitz. It was the first American Manned Submersible dive ever. He set records for the longest time spent at the wreck site. He mapped the entire wreck site using GPS technology. The bow section is in United States Waters, while the inverted stern section is in Canadian waters. It was determined at that time, the General Alarm was triggered, therefore, the crew knew they were going down. The Chadburn reads "all stop" and is tipped over on the floor of the pilot house. shutting down propulsion is the first step in abandoning ship. One would not want to be hit by a rotating 19.5 foot wide propeller. Not that you would ever try to launch a heavy, metal, lifeboat in 30 foot waves anyway. Inflatable life rafts were useless as well with 100 MPH wind gusts, which leaves only one thing left...life jackets. The port side pilot house door is open and locked in the open position. Giving more evidence the crew tried to abandon ship at some point. The body found outside the Fitzgerald is still wearing his cork panel life vest with the circa 1970s "D" ring clearly visible in the photos and videos Fred provided me. Evidence also proves the Fitzgerald broke apart on the surface, the stern section sinking first coming to rest on the bottom inverted. There are two huge piles of taconite pellets which also is evidence that the Fitzgerald was not underway when she broke apart. If it was underway (nose dive theory) the Taconite would be spread out over a larger area...not in the two huge mountains that are well documented. The Fitz did not hit a shoal. In fact, according to the Anderson's log book, the Anderson was closer to the shoals than the Fitzgerald ever was. We know this because the only course we know the Fitz was actually on was that of 141degrees. In other words, right where she needed to be to make it into Whitefish Bay. The Anderson's log book places the Fitzgerald more than 3 miles off Caribou Island well away from the shoals. This is not conjecture, this is fact. Furthermore, the Fitzgerald did not have the ability to pump water from the cargo hold. When Mcsorley reported back to the Anderson that they had both of their pumps running, and yet were not making any headway on the starboard list.... we are talking about ballast tank water, not water in the cargo hold. The Fitz's pumps could evacuate 7000-7500 gallons per minute through 16 inch pipes exiting out of the stern yet the Fitz was unable to correct the list. He was pumping Lake Superior in through a stress-fracture of the hull that spanned two ballast tanks (vents missing and topside damage reported). 7500 gallons per minute but not making any headway on the list is probably why McSorley replied "We're Holding our own." In other words, not getting better on the list, but not getting any worse. The rogue wave theory has some merit when placed in conjunction with the stress-fracture. The Fitz having already been compromised with a stress-fracture, having taken on a starboard list, riding low in the water with the two waves, in close succession, Capt. Cooper spoke about finished off the Fitz. Let there be no mistake. There were only two investigations into the sinking of the Fitzgerald. The first was conducted in 1976 by the United States Coast Guard, and is a complete whitewash. The Coast Guard determined "the cause could not be determined." The second and final investigation was conducted in 1994 by Frederick J Shannon (retired police officer). Fred found 5 lost crewmen after reviewing his high definition underwater footage and still photos. Having lost a family member on the Fitzgerald, I am eternally grateful to you Fred Shannon, for your hard work and determination in solving this case once and for all. The crew can finally rest in peace. I would also like to thank you for being the first person ever to recognize the Fitzgerald as a grave site by placing the memorial plaque on the Fitzgerald in 1994. It means a lot to all of the surviving family members of the lost crew.

What you’re hearing is called COURAGE. The men knew the weather conditions were potentially deadly and they still went back out to search for their friends. I have nothing but the upmost respect for those men.

Cooper is a hero. He said if it were his ship that needed help, he would want someone to turn around and come back for them, so he did it. Absolutely an honorable and courageous man and every one of his crew voted to go back as well. All of them are absolute angels!!!

My father Wendell E. Routhier was the Chief Lock Master at the Sault Locks, he waited to here from the Fitgerald and had talked to the Anderson. Dad new both Capts. My dad passed on Aug 5 2009. RIP from your loving daughter he loved and hated Gitchagumee

The guts it took to go back out looking for them. Captain Cooper and crew you have my utmost respect.

Captain Cooper has my total respect.He was willling to turn his ship around and to go back to those rough and dangerous waters to search for the Fitz.Talk about bravery!! May he RIP.

Captain Cooper was scared out of his mind and with good reason. He had a fully loaded vessel and still went back into the teeth of the monster to look for survivors. This man and his crew should have gotten medals.

Almost 50 years and am sooo grateful the Fitzgerald crew is still remembered! This is a GREAT video - THANKS!

✋ salute to the guys that went back out.

I have immense respect for captain cooper, he didnt have to go back out but he did. He was a very brave, honorable and courgeous man.

This is weird to hear. My grandfather was the wheelsman for the Anderson and was the one guiding that ship the night they went out to look for them. My grandma got a phone call after the fact from him (which thank god at the time) and was in a near panic after hearing a ship went down. It's crazy to hear this, after having heard the stories from all of my relatives that knew about it in some way. Unfortunately I never actually got to meet my grandfather as he passed from cancer I believe in 1985.

Nothing but absolute respect for the brave captain and crew of the Anderson to go back to search for the Fitzgerald and possible survivors.

Tremendous respect for Captain Bernie Cooper, Captain Don Erickson and every brave man that was sailing on the Arthur M. Anderson and William Clay Ford that night.

"Do you realize what the conditions are out there?!"

Hearing those recordings brings a person back to that time. Also movie makers spent 200 million plus making the Titanic. I would like to see a big budget for an Edmund Fitzgerald movie Oh and I am a Michigan native.

People just don't understand what its like to be in the freezing cold, blowing snow at night, waves of 30 plus feet from 2 directions at once, winds blowing at 60-90 "miles per hour" and all of this happening at the same time on deep dark water!! The ship Anderson, Capt. Cooper, his Crew & Other Ships were hero's going back out to look for survivors in this ultra violent super storm! Even the coast guard said later it was as bad or worst than a North Atlantic super storm.

I'm from Michigan and was in high-school I can still remember the fitzgerald going down I'm glad Gordon Lightfoot song keeps there memories alive

My dad was Lightkeeper at the Slate Islands, in October of '77 he found a life ring from the Fitzgerald on a beach close to the lighthouse. It is on display at Neys Provincal Park.

My best friend, neighbor, fellow Fenian, Captain Joseph M. Decker, knew everyone on the Fitz, and Capt. MCSorley , was his best friend since their merchant marine days. Bloody sad all around to be sure

Rest in peace men. May the LORD be with you. Thank You for your service!

Some of the most haunting radio traffic ever.

Bless Captain. Cooper and crew for going back out to look for the Edmund Fitzgerald. Such bravery should never be forgotten.

Those damn bagpipes... Gets me every time knowing they are memorializing lost lives

I can remember my Dad singing the song by Gordon Lightfoot when I was 10 or 11 years old, must have been not long after it was released and he had learnt the words! My dad passed away last year. He grew up on the water and was fascinated by the lakes and the oceans, and the fact they can be both beautiful and treacherous. He would have loved this video. Well done. RIP crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald. RIP Dad

When I was a kid, my parents and I went on vacation, to the UP (Upper peninsula) We went through the Soo Locks, and the Edmund Fitzgerald was right behind us! When it sank, my dad remembered that we had seen it! We eventually found we had taken a photo of it from the back of our boat!! The pic is long gone, now, but it was cool, but very eery that just a year or 2 before it sank, it had been right behind us. I am, to this day intrigued about the wreck, and, love the song by Gordon Lightfoot. I read/watch everything I can about the Fitzgerald. I feel connected, somehow, to the incident. Freighters, 🚢 in general, seem so cool 😎, but there is such an eeriness about them!! I am so sorry for the people who lost their loved ones when the Fitzgerald wrecked.😥😭❤❤❤

i sailed a couple of years , saw the 'fitz' a few times. she was big and beautiful, truly sad she and her crew are gone. it really makes me think. all the great lakes can get very mean but the superior can very easily. god bless the crew and their families.

You can tell in the voice of the captain he didn't want to go.Man that must have been bad.The fact they did go back speaks volumes of their bravery...........This is the best video of events surrounding the sinking of the Fitz.Well done

Rip to the brave crew of the big fitz

We now know that the crew of the Edmund Fitz was NOT at fault. Science has proven without a doubt. Rest in Peace, you brave men.

"Only seen the "Fitz" once, God rest the souls on her last journey, bless their families always"!!! 😇😇✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝✝", 29 crosses for each man lost"!💖💖💖💖

The courage the crew of the AMA showed is beyond words. Thank you so very much for demonstrating the best of humanity.

to me this story is more fascinating by far than titanic the rescue attempt by the Arther M Anderson is heroic just every day guys working for a living risking it all to save fellow mariners a work horse vessel fighting a hurricane loosing to the water just 17 miles from shelter good men all doing noble work and the storm still won

This is painful to watch and listen to. Having lost my father to mysterious circumstances at sea, I feel the pain of every family member of the crew lost on the Edmund Fitzgerald. This especially hits home because I live so close to Lake Superior and spend quite a bit of time in the summer boating on her waters.

These men we are listening to are true heros to try and rescue the crew of the Fitzgerald. Brought tears to my eyes listening to the transmission. God rest the Fitzgerald crew souls.

great work absolutly brought tears to me eyes....the fear in the voice of the captain of the Anderson when they asked him to come about but he still did it what a brave man knowing that he could end up going down just a great peice of work

That capt had balls to even make the attempt.

I just saw the Arthur M Anderson today going through the locks at Sault Ste. Marie still in service after all these years

Those radio transmissions give me the chills...

captian bernie cooper!what a brave man!

This gave me chills down my spin

RIP to all who perished. Cannot imagine what they must have gone through in those final moments. Very emotive video. Kudos for keeping their memory alive.

2:50 That's spray going over the aft house. The night the Fitzgerald went down, they were taking green water over the aft house---that means solid water! 12-16 feet of solid water was washing over the weather deck where the hatches are located! Picture the waves in this video about three times larger, and you've got an idea of what those boats faced that night!

this is so interesting! Only just heard about the fitz and it is so fascinating Crew members: Michael Armagost Fred Beetcher Thomas Bentsen Edward Bindon Thomas Borgeson Oliver Champeau Nolan Church Ransom Cundy Thomas Edwards Russel Haskel George Holl Bruce Hudson Allen Kallman Gordon MacLallen Joseph Mazes John McHarthy Ernest McSorly Eugene O'Brien Karl Pekoll Joseph Poviach James Pratt Robert Rafferty Paul Riipa John Simmons William Spengler Mark Thomas Ralph Walton David Weiss Blane Willhelm

All that darkness & cold, alone down there forever.

OUTSTANDING video production! My God Bless the Captain & Crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Give that Captain of the Arthur M. Anderson a medal for turing around to look for the Fitzgerald and her crew!!!! That man is the bravest sailor ever!!!! Wow what a man!!!! I hope he is remembered for his bravery!!!!!

Wow you REALLY did some intense work cleaning up the original radio recordings. They are incredibly noisy, yet hear they are quite intelligible. Nice work.

God bless those men for going back to try and find out what happened. What a horrible tragedy this was. RIP all.

"The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee Superior, they said, never gives up her dead When the gales of November come early."

I was a kid in the 60s an into the 70s an one of thebest songs was gordon lightfoot....it was till i was older and fully understood the words he was singing an the tribute he made in a beautiful way....Respect to the familys....of hard working folks

Great radio tapes of the Anderson, Capt. Cooper, and History...(thanks for posting)!!

When I was in grade 5 we took a class trip to Toronto where we went on a ship that was going across Lake Ontario, and the captain of that ship picked one of the kids to "captain" the ship (under his help and guidance, of course). He chose me, and I remember holding the wheel and the first thing he ever said in regards to it all was "you have respect the lake." Years on, I heard of the Edmund Fitzgerald on Superior, and recalled my time on the lake and realized that he wasn't lying. Unbelievable

Nothing But Absolute Respect For The Men That Died, but Also The Men That Risked Their Lives To Go Back and Search For Their Sea Breathren.

38 years ago tomorrow the Edmund Fitzgerald sunk I was 10 years old and didn't understand what was happening. Now I do. I have had a quick dip in Lake Superior and it is damn cold. I would not wish this tragedy on any family.

45 years today, if you are aGreat Lakes sailor you know what they went through that evening! Doc.

Remembering the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald on this 43rd anniversary

46 Years ago today. RIP to the 29 souls of the Edmund Fitzgerald. RIP as well to Captain Bernie Cooper of the Arthur Anderson and his crew, who took their vessel back out of safe harbor into the teeth of that storm to search for survivors. The actions of Captain Cooper and his crew were nothing short of heroic.

Omg..........Amazing Grace on the bagpipes..........😞😞😢😢😔😪😪😪

July 4th, 1995 was when this ships bell was recovered......I was born on March 21st, 1995....I was only a couple of months old when that bell was recovered....for some reason I feel honored to be born on that year now....R.I.P the Edmond Fitzgerald and R.I.P the 29 crew members who lost their lives.....😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

No words for this... none at all... :-(

THANK YOU for posting this, GLSS! I hope you keep this video up as a memorial to the EDMUND FITZGERALD...

I've always respected Bernie. We'd bought our home (my home now) off Bernie and Sue Cooper 9 years before this happened. My dad was a USS captain as well, and I often sit and think of the legacy in my home.

I heard these tapes existed way back when, and never could find them. I'm glad they "surfaced" to tell a vital part of the epic story of the Big Fitz.

Friend or no Friend, this guy was willing to go back into that dangerous sea waves and risking his life and his ship to see if any survivors could have been floating on water or to see if maybe a part of the Fitz. was above water and could be seen. I would love to find a friend like this guy who went back to look, imagine what kind of a person he could be in our world in this society we are living in.

this was amazing. i still cant believe it was 36 yrs ago today. I wasn't born when it happend but i always have and always will honor the 29 men who lost their lives. I listen to the song every year on nov 10th. and i will always have a moment of silence. if i had a bell it would ring 29 times

Grew up in Michigan and my Aunt and Uncle lived in Paradise which is on whitefish point. Months after the sinking when the water warmed some boxes of things floated up, no bodies but cargo of some sort. That lake is dangerous, we went fishing on it and a storm blew up from no where. I thought we were gonna die. Never went back on that lake and that was probably 1976

I think the comment "holding our own" was just for the benefit of the crew. I am pretty sure that the Capt. knew that they were in very serious trouble!

"You have to respect the lake". Wow!. With those words, that Captain let you look into the window of all his knowledge and experience, what a man!.

11 years. Published 11 years ago and now the algorithm speaks. You can’t look for what you don’t know is there.

As A LONGTIME Edmund Fitzgerald researcher this is possibly the best and most touching video I have ever watched about it.

poor bastards. Not much I can think of that would be scarier

Eerie...you can really hear the distress in Capt Cooper's voice. I wouldn't judge any man who was in his position that night. It had to scare the bejeebus out of him to think of returning to those tempestuous waters.

Wow - this is incredible. Forty-seven years on now. I was 12 in Windsor and lived near the Detroit River, when this happened. I could see the big Freighters out my bedroom window and at night you would hear the ships calling to each other as they passed by each other on the river . This all seems like it was just yesterday.

"Do you realize what the conditions are out there don't ya"

That must have been gut renching when Captain Cooper found that debris.

Fitz here checking in. Rip sailors ⚓

ill tell you whats scary. i worked briefly at the Bay Shipbuilding yards in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin where several ships the size of the Fitzgerald dock for the winter for maintenance. i would look at them and try to imagine the incredible and inconceivable power it would take to break up a ship like that

Thanks for taking the time to share these photos

It took a lot of brass to go back out there knowing that they too could go to the bottom, great men in those days

Brave men! The William Clay Ford went back out to look too loyal brave men!

"The Titanic Of The Great Lakes"

Thank you for this haunting audio w/ slides. What a night that must have been.

thanks for the documentary on this ship, i was a kid when it went down, of course knew the song, but didnt know the history. now generations to come can know about this famous ship

Rest in peace you brave 29 men i wish i was in minnesota earlier

A tear and warm hearted salute to the skipper of the Arthur M. Anderson......and the Men of The Edmund Fitzgerald....May they all rest in wonderful peace.

I was a junior in high school when she went down. this was a tragedy of more than epic proportions, made even more tragic by seeing the documentaries made, and hearing the stories. thank god for the Arthur m Anderson!!!!!

Sad very sad but the fact that captain Cooper went Back out there to search for his friends makes him a hero no doubt it takes a lot of guts to head into harms way like that God bless him and all the lost crew on the Fitzgerald

Yes they did!! Cooper, his Great Crew, and others that night were Hero's to head back out looking for survivors. Plus they were very very lucky the rouge waves didn't kill them....sending them to the bottom! People don't understand the power of that storm.

i live an hour away and have seen first hand the power of the storms on Superior. she's a mean viscious lake with a temper. when a storm starts picking up open the throttle and head for the nearest land or you WILL die. waters freezing cold even in summer and by november when the Fitz sank it's about 34 degrees. the ship broke in halk these poor guys had no chance. god rest their souls

Thanks for uploading this.

I cant imagine what was going through those men's minds that night knowing that they might not make it. I salute those men.

I never understood this?. A very experience Captain and Vessel not that old. Sounds like the perfect storm! Just very sad to listen. Even in 2019

What a sad story! Remember it well, everyone was shocked that a huge ship like this could have just disappeared with no trace.

Just watched a interview with the captain of the Anderson very sobering

Well done gentlemen. Thank You. My Dad retired from the P&C Docks on Conneaut, OH and had loaded and unloaded "The Fitz" many times. I was in Marine Basic at Parris Is. on this day which coincides with the Marine Corps Birthday. I used to be an Advanced Trimix diver and dove the Morrell after meeting the late Dennis Hale; the sole survivor of the wreck and many other in Lake Erie, Ontario and the St Lawrence. They are truly God's Cathedrals. The spookiest wreck I ever dove was the Marsh off Kingston, ON

Much respect and God rest the ones lost

The fact that really makes this sad is the Fitz was so close to making it home. About an hour or so from the safety of Whitefish Bay!

I appreciate this video thanks for posting

my dad had me listen to this with my eyes closed. And I felt the emotions of them, I could hear them all screaming in terror.

Thanks for sharing this information...