Tom Farnquist then gave us some background on the Fitzgerald and mentioned "there is growing evidence that there was a problem with the ship" as the reason for the shipwreck. Do any of you readers have more information on this?
The Us Coast Guard commander from Sector Sault was scheduled to speak but had to be replaced at the last minute by a deputy commander. Commander Padle (I think that was his name) read the names and position of each of the 29 sailors from the Fitzgerald. After each name was read a person came forward to ring the ship's bell in their honor. This video will show you a short clip from the bell ringing ceremony.
The bell was rung a 30th time in honor of all sailors lost of the Great Lakes. This time Mary Mahsem-Seymour rang the bell for her father and others.
This was an impressive and solemn ceremony. The numbers of sailors lost over the past couple of hundred years is unbelievable.
Carl Behrend then sang 'Amazing Grace' during which the audience spontaneously joined in for the final verse.
The Benediction by given by Bucko Teeple, a Native American spiritual leader. Bucko prayed eloquently combining Native & Christian traditions.
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S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald 38 Year Anniversary
November 10, 2013
RIVER ROUGE — A memorial service is planned for Sunday November 10, 2013 to remember the 29 men who died when the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975.
The ceremony is set for 6 to 8 p.m. and the heated tent open at 4:30 p.m. for viewing Edmund Fitzgerald artifacts, near the Mariners Memorial Lighthouse at Belanger Park, off Belanger Park Drive and Marion.
The event is held in River Rouge because that’s the city where the vessel was built in 1957 and ’58.
Several speakers will give their memories of the ship, including people who helped construct it and relatives of some of the deceased crewmen.
Artifacts, photographs and videos also will be on display and you can talk to the Fitz Ship Builders, past Crew Members and Fitz Family Members.
At 7:10 p.m. — the time the ship sank — a wreath will be tossed into the Detroit River. A bell will be rung 29 times in memory of each person who died.
A plaque presentation and lantern lighting is planned. Food and Refreshments will be provided free of charge.
Event organizer Roscoe Clark has a Web site devoted to the vessel, which contains several video clips and photos of the ship.
Earlier in the day, an Edmund Fitzgerald open house will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. at the River Rouge Historical Museum, 10750 W. Jefferson Ave.
This year, the service will be web cast free of charge for those viewers all across the US and Canada.
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