When the SS Edmund Fitzgerald was commissioned in 1957, she was designed with size in mind: upon her launch in 1958 she was the largest freighter on the Great Lakes and immediately became the flagship of Oglebay Norton, the company that sailed her. They put her to work hauling iron ore from Minnesota to be processed at various ports along the Great Lakes.
The Fitz was a familiar sight at the Soo Locks over her 17-year career. One day in 1970, photographer Lucy Gridley snapped this shot of the massive laker at the locks. Captain Peter Pulcer, ever the showman, was likely engaging in his regular running commentary over the intercom on the way through. He was in command from 1966 until Captain McSorley took the helm in 1972.
Something I didn’t know about the Fitz was that, in 1969 and 1970, she was involved in 3 separate incidents that caused significant damage inside and out.
In September 1969, she hit ground near the Soo Locks. Less than 8 months later, she collided with SS Hochelaga, and 7 months after that she hit a wall while passing through one of the locks.
If you’re curious, you can find a timeline of SS Edmund Fitzgerald‘s life and death at ssedmundfitzgerald.org.
I can’t imagine she would have been easy to navigate, especially with over 26,000 tons of taconite on board.
Today’s postcard is from my personal collection. I’m very interested in ships and shipwrecks, so I tend to stash away most of my ship postcards—however, if you’d like to get your hands on a postcard like this one, eBay usually has some listed.
I recommend starting your collecting journey there. Most postcard resellers are as passionate about these pieces as you and I, and if you’re not sure about something, you’re welcome to reach out to me.
Until next time, friends.
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