Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2015 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== (note: while some formatting changes were necessary to transcribe this document the content remains entirely as written in the official report.) From: Marine Board of Investigation To: Commandant (G-MMI) Subj: S. S. EDMUND FITZGERALD, O. N. 277437; sinking in Lake Superior on 10 November 1975, with loss of life FINDINGS OF FACT (continued) ---------------- 9. Underwater Search and Survey ---------------------------- An extensive sequence of underwater search and survey activities was undertaken to locate and identify the wreckage of FITZGERALD. The first of these was a side-scan sonar search conducted using equipment and personnel from the U. S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center during the period 14 November through 16 November 1975. The equipment used was an Egerton, Germershansen and Greer (E.G.&G.) Model 250 side-scan- ning sonar deployed from the Coast Guard Cutter WOODRUSH. Wreckage, which was later proven to be FITZGERALD, was located within the first half day of the sonar search. Using a Coast Guard owned Mini-Ranger Navigation System, the center of the wreckage was shown to be located at a position 46°59.8'N, 85°06.7'W. Continuing search activity disclosed two large objects lying close together on the lake floor in approximately 530 feet of water. Although bad weather in the area resulted in poor sonar trace quality, preliminary calculations showed that each of the objects was approximately 300 feet in length. In addition, a "sonically rough" area near these objects was observed and this was tentatively identified as spilled cargo. Because the first side-scan sonar search was conducted under conditions of adverse weather and because the equipment used was not fully adapted to operations at the depth at which the wreckage of FITZGERALD was found, the Marine Board recommended that a second, more detailed side-scan sonar search be conducted. 48 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The second side-scanning sonar search was conducted by a commercial contractor, Seaward, Inc., of Falls Church, VA, during the period from 22 November through 25 November. This survey was performed from the USCGC WOODRUSH, using equipment similar to that used in the first survey. During this survey, horizontal surface positioning was maintained by the use of the same Coast Guard Motorola Mini-Ranger Navigational System used in the first survey. Sonar operations were conducted almost continuously during the three-day period under severe wind and sea conditions. A total of 80 sonar traces were made, each of which recorded a transit of several hundred yards of continuous sonar searching. In connection with these 80 runs, nearly 300 navigational fixes were obtained. The purpose of the numerous runs was to obtain the maximum amount of data from as many different sonar aspects as possible. Initial interpretation of the sonar traces indicated that the wreckage found was probably that of FITZGERALD. The side- scan sonar traces were taken to Seaward's facility and subjected to an intensive analysis, including the construction of a small model of the wreckage which was used to verify the interpretation of the side-scan results. Based on this analysis, the Marine Board determined that the wreckage was very probably that of FITZGERALD but that positive identification was necessary, and that the configuration and arrangement of the wreckage and the bottom conditions were such that a detailed visual survey was both feasible and necessary. 49 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- During the period 12-16 May, a third side-scan sonar survey was made. The survey was conducted to reestablish the accurate position of the wreckage for the photographic survey and to define the planned mooring radius for anchor placement clear of the wreck. This survey, like the second one, was conducted by Seaward, Inc., using Seaward equipment, from the USCGC WOODRUSH. This survey resulted in good quality traces which were interpreted to contain information which, for all practical purposes, was identical to that obtained at the second survey, in November. Immediately following the third side-scan sonar survey, a visual survey of the wreckage was conducted using the U. S. Navy CURV III system contracted for by the Coast Guard. The CURV III system is composed of an unmanned underwater vehicle, an umbilical control and power cable, and surface equipment operated from any suitable support ship. The vehicle is capable of making visual observations, recovering small objects, and performing other light work tasks at depths to 7,000 feet. The vehicle consists of a frame, approximately 6 feet by 6 feet by 15 feet, which supports two horizontal propul- sion motors, one vertical propulsion motor, one 35 mm still camera, two black and white TV cameras, lights, a manipulator arm, and other machinery. The vehicle operates on electric power supplied from special generators placed on the support vessel and is operated from a control van also placed on the support vessel. In addition to the remote control mechanism and sonar presentation, the control van contains video tape record- ing equipment. From 12 to 19 May 1976, while the third side-scan sonar survey was being conducted, the CURV III was being trans- ported to Sault Ste. Marie, MI. The CURV III system and 50 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- operating and observation personnel were loaded on board WOODRUSH on 18 and 19 May 1976, and underwater operations began on 20 May 1976. Between 20 and 28 May 1976, CURV III made twelve dives, logging a total of 56 hours, 5 minutes of "bottom time" and recording 43,255 feet of video tape and 895 color photographs. The results of the three side-scan sonar surveys and of the CURV III visual (television and photographic) survey were assembled and reviewed by an independent research contractor. Based upon all the information available, this contractor prepared sketches of a plan of the wreckage, Fig. (6) (p. 56), and artists' conceptions of the wreckage from several different views, Fig. (7)-(11) (pp. 57-61). The wreckage of FITZGERALD lies at 46°59.9'N, 85°06.6'W, in 530 feet of water in eastern Lake Superior, approximately 17 miles northwest of Whitefish Point, MI, and just north of the International Boundary, in Canadian waters. The wreckage con- sists of an upright bow section, approximately 276 feet long, lying on a heading of 125°T, an inverted stern section approxi- mately 253 feet long, lying on a heading of 075°T, and debris in between. At its closest point, the stern section is approxi- mately 170 feet from the bow section, and the overall distance from the rudder post, at the end of the stern section, to the stem, at the opposite end of the bow section, is approximately 540 feet. An area of distorted metal lies between the two pieces and to both sides over a distance of some 200 feet. Both the bow and the stern sections and all of the wreckage appear to be settled into the bottom mud, and a great deal of mud covers the portion of the Spar deck attached to the bow section. The bottom mud in the area of the wreckage shows extensive disrup- tion and, in some locations, the bottom mud is in large mounds. The mud appears to be plowed up both at the bow and stern sections. The mud which is against the hull shows no regular 51 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- pattern. The presence of the mud hampered the visible survey considerably, both because it obscured the details of the wreckage and because the passage of the CURV III vehicle caused the mud to swirl up, reducing the visibility. The name of the vessel was clearly visible, both on the stern section and on the bow section, and the identity of this wreckage as that of the SS EDMUND FITZGERALD was thus positively confirmed. During the survey, no bodies were found, nor were any items seen which could be identified as personal effects of the crew. The bow section is sitting nearly upright on the bottom, inclined approximately 15°. The Spar Deck of the bow section extends to a location between hatch No. 8 and No. 9. At the separation, the starboard side of the hull is bent in toward the centerline and is folded under the deck, while the deck is bent upward from a point approximately two hatches forward of the separation. Mud is spread and piled all over the Spar Deck area, and the deck edge on the port side is completely covered with mud. At some locations it is possible to distinguish taconite pellets, or the mud-covered outline of them. The hatch covers are missing from No. 1 and No. 2 hatches. The forward coaming of No. 1 hatch is severely damaged. The after coaming of No. 1, and the forward and after coamings of No. 2 hatch show less damage. No. 3 and No. 4 hatches are covered with mud. The hatch covers for hatches Nos. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are missing. The forward coaming of No. 5 hatch is laid down and damaged. The degree of damage to the deck and hatch coamings increases from No. 1 to the separation. The access hatch, located between cargo hatches Nos. 7 and 8, is present, with the cover on and dogged. No fence rail stanchions are present. The sockets into which the portable stanchions were fitted are undamaged. The 28-foot draft mark is visible just above the 52 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- mud line, and the hull beneath that is buried in the mud. The bow above the mud is damaged on both sides immediately adjacent to the stem. On the starboard side, slightly aft of the stem, the hull immediately below the Spar Deck level is holed and badly distorted. The shell plating between the Spar Deck and Forecastle Deck is badly damaged and distorted, and aft on the starboard side this plating is badly bent and laid in towards the centerline. Throughout this area the plating is heavily wrinkled, and the white paint which had been on the hull is this area has broken away and the plating beneath it has rusted. The steering jib is bent completely back and the end of it lies up against the forward section of the Texas Deck bulwark. The plating of the bulkhead on the forward house between the Forecastle Deck and the Texas Deck is badly damaged. The forward section of the pilothouse is damaged on both the port and starboard sides and the forward section of the sunshade above the pilothouse windows is damaged on the port side. Most of the pilothouse windows are missing. The radar and r.d.f. antennas and the ship's bell, which had been installed on top of the pilothouse, are also missing. Foundations for the radar antennas are visible but no antennas can be seen. The stern section is upside down, inclined approximately 10°. All of the bottom plating and the side shell plating which is visible above the mud line is intact. The separation is esti- mated to be at frame 155, which would correspond to the after end of hatch No. 18. At the separation, approximately 12 to 15 feet of the hull extends above the mud. At the after end, the overhead of the Spar Deck, i.e., the underside of the Poop Deck, is lying approximately even with the mud level. The aft super- structure is buried in the mud. The rudder and propeller are clearly visible and undamaged. The rudder appears to be at the midships position. There is no hole or rupture in the exposed stern section of the hull other than at the separation. 53 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- One dent was found slightly to port of centerline, approximately 50 feet forward of the rudder post. A large inward dent, which appears to be a buckle, was found on the starboard side of the stern section at a position approximately 20 feet from the separation, extending vertically from the mud line to the turn of the bilge and across the hull for 10 or 15 feet. There was no breach of the hull at either dent. At the separation on the starboard side, the plating is twisted outward from the hull, while on the port side, the plating is, in general, twisted inward. Extending outward from the separation at the bow section and at the stern section is an extensive area of debris. For the most part, this debris cannot be identified as coming from a particular part of the vessel, although much of it appears to be pieces of interior structure. This debris is covered with mud and, in some cases, taconite pellets are visible within or on top of the mud. A set of three damaged but regularly spaced hatch coamings and a hatch cover are located adjacent to the inverted port side of the stern section. One of these coamings has the numeral "11" on it. Although a systematic survey of this debris was attempted, no regular order to it could be determined by visual examination. All of the areas of the separations, which were examined in detail, show curving, twisted edges such as is associated with ductile failure. No separations were seen which appeared to be the sort of straight or flat separations common to brittle fracture. All of the hatch coamings found have hatch clamps attached, and the great majority of the hatch clamps observed appear to be undamaged. One coaming, which could not be identi- fied by number, has a line of clamps, with one distorted and several completely undamaged clamps on either side. One 54 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- distorted piece of structure, which was identified as a badly damaged corner of a hatch coaming, was observed to have undam- aged hatch clamps attached to it. This general pattern, i.e., that nearly all of the hatch clamps found appeared to be undam- aged and only a few were distorted, was seen at every location where a hatch coaming was found. A few pieces of debris were found which were identified as hatch covers. One of these was folded to a right angle and another was protruding from the No. 6 hatch opening. There was no sign of scrape mark or other damage at the button on which the hatch clamps land on these covers. A few deck vents were observed, primarily on the starboard side of the bow section. It was not possible to determine whether the vent covers were in the open or closed position. One vent was observed torn away from the deck, and an opening in the deck at the base of the vent pipe could be seen. 55 ===========================================================================