Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #294234 in Books
• Published on: 2000-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

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."

Customer Reviews

The night the Fitz went down
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.

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.

"Sink" this one -- get a better book on Fitz
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.