EDMUND FITZGERALD: PAST AND PRESENT, Southport Video, $39.95.
This video program offers suspense and drama as it examines one of the biggest mysteries in modern-day maritime history–the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior in 1975. Launched in the summer of 1958, the 792-foot ship hauled millions of tons of cargo and was reputed to be one of the most reliable ships on the Great Lakes during her 17 years of service. On November 10, 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald sank during a deadly storm without sending a distress signal. All 29 crew members aboard died, including Captain Ernest McSorley, one of the most experienced and respected commanders on the Lakes. The video tells the ship’s story through archival news clippings, paintings and photographs, computer graphics, and underwater footage taken during three separate dives to the wreck. Interviews with marine historians and United States Coast Guard personnel complete this look at the mysterious circumstances surrounding the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
More reviews from the March 1998 issue of American History:
THE THUNDERBIRDS: THUNDER OVER THE PACIFICENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA PROFILES BLACK HISTORYPRESIDENT RONALD W. REAGAN: WELL…THERE YOU GO AGAIN! THE HUMOR THAT SHAPED AMERICANORMANDY: THE GREAT CRUSADE
