Edmund Fitzgerald Off Limits

[Gord H]

There was a short piece in the Brantford Expositor that the Ontario provincial gov't will be putting the Fitzgerald plus a couple of other ships off limits to divers.

[mnmouse]

The film we viewed about the wreck at Split Rock lighthouse on November 10 made it pretty clear that the Fitz was pretty much already off limits...you cannot go down there without jumping through a LOT of hoops. I think their desire is to let the ship and her crew rest in peace.

[charlene]

http://www.cdnn.info/news/industry/i050317.html

and

http://www.lakesuperior.com/online/225/225fitz.html

[godzuki]

I disagree with the idea of the Fitz being off limits. There are thousands of shipwrecks on the Great Lakes that are dived upon all the time. Why do those three ships deserve special treatment. Besides, how can we solve the mystery without interest in other expeditions?

[mnmouse]

godzuki....from what I have learned, there was a film and camera crew that went down to the wreck at one tme and captured images of remains of some of the men who were lost. They then proceeded to publicly air them for a brief perios, which caused much heartache to the families involved, followed by anger at their lack of empathy and respect. This led to requests that the Fitz be protected from what they considered to be exploitation by divers. To these family members, it is as if they are digging around in the graves of their fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons.

Really, they have tons of photos and film showing how she is resting at the bottom, where she broke up, and they have several good theories as to how/why she went down. Experts have concluded we will probably never know the exact reason the Fitz and her crew were lost. I think they feel it's time to let her rest in peace.

Mouse

[Colete]

I quite agree that the photos are not in good taste. I live where the Maritime Cathedral exists and we ring the bells on that day in November at the memorial service for each man who died on the Fitz. The families of those lost souls come to the service to honor their loved ones. They all should rest in peace.

[godzuki]

My concern is fairness. Why only protect 3 ships, while allowing diving on the others? Besides, few have seen the ship up close. Now, they never will. Videos are fine, but nothing beats an up close encounter. As far as the bodies concern, what's with giving them a proper burial. They did that a few weeks after a far worse tragedy: the Titanic. On Discovery Channel documentary on the fitz, a family member actually said he want to bring one the victims. One last thing, there was a new bell that replaced the one that was recovered, as you well know. How can you see it if you can't get close to it. I have a few more arguements, but I'll leave it at that.

[louisemnnpls]

Originally posted by Colete:
I quite agree that the photos are not in good taste. I live where the Maritime Cathedral exists and we ring the bells on that day in November at the memorial service for each man who died on the Fitz. The families of those lost souls come to the service to honor their loved ones. They all should rest in peace. That has to be an extremely moving service. Just thinking of it gives me chills. We saw the Fitz
once or twice at the Ore Docks in Marquette, MI.