Launch of the Great Lakes Carrier S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald June 7 (1958)

Synopsis

This never-seen-before silent, color 8mm home movie film was shot of the launch of the doomed S.S.EDMUND FITZGERALD on June 7, 1958. The film shows the crowds of spectators at Great Lakes Engineering Works. More than 15,000 people attended Fitzgerald's christening and launch ceremony on June 7, 1958. But the event was plagued by misfortunes: When Elizabeth Fitzgerald, wife of Edmund Fitzgerald, tried to christen the ship by smashing a champagne bottle over the bow, it took her three attempts to break it. Upon sideways launch, the ship created a large wave that "doused" the spectators and then crashed into a pier before righting herself. One man watching the launching had a heart attack and later died. Other witnesses later said they swore the ship was "trying to climb right out of the water". SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that sank in a Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29. When launched on June 7, 1958, she was the largest ship on North America's Great Lakes, and she remains the largest to have sunk there. See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: "

Uploader's description on archive.org

Details

Running time

2 minutes

Language

English

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage