Night the Fitz Went Down

by Hugh E. Bishop

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0942235371
• ISBN13: 9780942235371
• Release Date: July 2000
• Publisher: Lake Superior Port Cities
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Here's the real reason

To all the folks who talked about the ego effect of Paquette I have to say this. He was out there that night and made all the right decisions. He loaded along side of the Fitz, watched her clear the harbour, listened to her radio broadcasts and knew they were going to get into trouble. In my estimation he also has the real reason she sank. I have read and reread this book at least 6 times and belive it is the best read ever on the subject. If you want to know why the Fitz sank, get this book. As for Captain Paquette, my hat is off to him. On this night in particular, it wasn't him who had the ego problem. He brought the Sykes into safe harbour.

Not what everyone would like to hear

Sure to create controversy, Paquette gives us a new insight into the tragedy. With all due respect for the victims of the tragedy,from his candid assessment of the actions taken by McSorley in his choice of routes on the final voyage to his assertion that McSorley should have demanded investigation of the "wiggling thing" are interesting,at the least. Possibly the authors place more confidence in Burgner than may be warranted, but at any rate it is a real departure from the usual depictions which portray the event as 100% freak accident. I hope he is wrong in his insinuations, but again, a much different perspective for good or for ill.

Blends history with human tragedy

The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior some twenty-five years ago has been celebrated in song, story, and film. Now Hugh Bishop examines the main theories about what caused the loss of the "Big Fitz" and for the first time, cites the voice of the last captain alive who piloted a freighter on Lake Superior during that 1957 "storm of the century" that brought about the demise of that great ship and her crew. Blending history with human tragedy, The Night The Fitz Went Down gives the reader an informative, documented analysis of the event, revealing for the first time what may well have caused the tragedy. The Night The Fitz Went Down is "must" reading for anyone with an interest in the fate of the Edmund Fitzgerald and her gallant crew.

The Best Theory on the Fitz

Bishop's book hits the nail on the head with tremendous impact, most definitely due to the candor, expertise, and knowledge of Captain Dudley Paquett. Through Bishop's prose, Paquett pulls out all the stops in detailing his years on the seas, the November storm, criticizing the shipping industry and Captain McSorley (I thoroughly applaud and believe in Paquett's cracked hull theory), while paying his respects to those men lost at sea on the Fitz and others. I couldn't put this book down. It is a tremendous and easy read, while allowing the novice sailor to learn more about life on the lakes. It'll sweep you under like a rogue wave!

The Night the Fitz Went Down

An excellent book on the Fitz. I found it to be a very feasable look at a possible theory of what went wrong on the Fitz that November day. The book gives a theory on the disaster from the viewpoint of a very experienced Captain that loaded beside the Fitz in Superior and followed it out to sea 2 hours later. He was on the lake at the same time and assisted in the search with his ship. An extremely knowledgable and thought provoking look into the tragedy. The reasoning and ideas put forth are well documented and the writing style very captivating. I would call this a must read for anyone interested in Great Lakes shipping or the Fitzgerald tragedy.