Changes

==The last voyage==

==The last voyage==

''Fitzgerald'' began Sunday, November 9, 1975, loading 26,116 tons of taconite at the Burlington Northern Railroad Dock #1 in Superior, Wisconsin. On this 40th voyage in her 17th season, ''Fitzgerald's'' destination was a steel plant on Zug Island in the Detroit River. The weather that morning was cloudy and cool with a light northeast wind. However, a deepening storm system was already taking shape in the central Plains.

''Fitzgerald'' began Sunday, November 9, 1975, loading 26,116 tons of taconite at the Burlington Northern Railroad Dock #1 in Superior, Wisconsin. On this 40th voyage in her 17th season, ''Fitzgerald's'' destination was a steel plant on Zug Island in the Detroit River, and from there to Cleveland to berth for the winter. The weather that morning was cloudy and cool with a light northeast wind. However, a deepening storm system was already taking shape in the central Plains.

 

====Deteriorating weather====

====Deteriorating weather====

By early afternoon, she was loaded and ready to depart. At 2:19 PM, ''Fitzgerald'' left Superior and soon entered the open waters of western Lake Superior. The [[National Weather Service]] forecast at that time called for east to northeast winds increasing to 25 to 37 knots during the night, then shifting to north or northwest 24 to 40 knots on the afternoon of the 10th. Soon after she left, the National Weather Service issued a [[gale]] warning for Lake Superior, forecasting sustained east winds between 34 and 48 knots beginning that night ahead of the intensifying storm in the central Plains then moving into Iowa. Captain McSorley acknowledged receipt of the warning in a radio communication with Captain Bernie Cooper of the ''Arthur M. Anderson'' (named for the director of U.S. Steel, and no relation to the failed accounting firm at the heart of the Enron scandal), another ore carrier that had steamed out of Two Harbors, Minnesota at almost the same time the ''Fitzgerald'' had left Superior. After reading the updated weather forecast, the two captains decided to travel closely together across northern Lake Superior and then southeast along the east shore of the Lake to the Soo Locks. By doing so, they could monitor each other and possibly avoid the higher waves that would be generated over southern Lake Superior on the 10th by the expected north to northwest winds.

By early afternoon, she was loaded and ready to depart. At 2:19 PM, ''Fitzgerald'' left Superior and soon entered the open waters of western Lake Superior. The [[National Weather Service]] forecast at that time called for east to northeast winds increasing to 25 to 37 knots during the night, then shifting to north or northwest 24 to 40 knots on the afternoon of the 10th. Soon after she left, the National Weather Service issued a [[gale]] warning for Lake Superior, forecasting sustained east winds between 34 and 48 knots beginning that night ahead of the intensifying storm in the central Plains then moving into Iowa. Captain McSorley acknowledged receipt of the warning in a radio communication with Captain Bernie Cooper of the ''Arthur M. Anderson'' (named for the director of U.S. Steel, and no relation to the failed accounting firm at the heart of the Enron scandal), another ore carrier that had steamed out of Two Harbors, Minnesota at almost the same time the ''Fitzgerald'' had left Superior. After reading the updated weather forecast, the two captains decided to travel closely together across northern Lake Superior and then southeast along the east shore of the Lake to the Soo Locks. By doing so, they could monitor each other and possibly avoid the higher waves that would be generated over southern Lake Superior on the 10th by the expected north to northwest winds.