I always thought of those shipwrecks as 19th century happenings as a child so the realization that the Edmund Fitzgerald happened two years before I was born was stunning - this could still happen.
As I sit here within 15 miles of the St Joseph lighthouse, I would love to find out more about the Ocean.
Hopefully modern forecasting, navigation, and information transmissions have made Great Lakes shipping worlds safer than it was even in the 1970s. But I don't think it means that a big-ship sinking will never happen again - just that it's much, much less frequent. And I agree - more about the Ocean would be interesting! Who were the other crew? What was its usual route and cargo? How often did Henry Quiner crew it, and did he crew other ships?
Yes! Wave period (or frequency, or the time/distance between wave crests) tends to be shorter on the Great Lakes. It's why wave heights that are lower than, say, a hurricane can still sink large ships.
Great post as usual, and bonus for me — recommendation for my partner who loves shipwreck stories and needs his next book!
I haven't read "White Hurricane" by David G Brown yet, but I hear it's also a good one.
I always thought of those shipwrecks as 19th century happenings as a child so the realization that the Edmund Fitzgerald happened two years before I was born was stunning - this could still happen.
As I sit here within 15 miles of the St Joseph lighthouse, I would love to find out more about the Ocean.
Hopefully modern forecasting, navigation, and information transmissions have made Great Lakes shipping worlds safer than it was even in the 1970s. But I don't think it means that a big-ship sinking will never happen again - just that it's much, much less frequent. And I agree - more about the Ocean would be interesting! Who were the other crew? What was its usual route and cargo? How often did Henry Quiner crew it, and did he crew other ships?
Yes! Wave period (or frequency, or the time/distance between wave crests) tends to be shorter on the Great Lakes. It's why wave heights that are lower than, say, a hurricane can still sink large ships.