Frederick Stonehouse has authored eleven books on Great Lakes history, with a twelfth due out in the summer of 1997. He is a frequent lecturer on diving, shipwreck exploration and maritime research, with major presentations given at “Our World Underwater” in Chicago and “Underwater Canada” in Toronto.
Among many other accomplishments, he has served as project director for a shipwreck survey of Isle Royale National Park, participated in the 1989 Edmund Fitzgerald ROV survey, served as special consultant for the 1980 Cousteau Great Lakes expedition, and is a licensed Coast Guard vessel operator, 50 tons, for all of the waters of the Great Lakes. He has received many awards related to diving and maritime history.
THE EDMUND FITZGERALD
On November 10, 1975, the largest of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior, claimed her largest and most famous victim. Christened in 1958, at 729′ long, 75′ wide and 39′ deep, she was considered a proud flagship of the Lakes. Twenty-nine crew members perished, along with the loss of the ship and its cargo, and to this date mystery surrounds her sinking.
Many mariners dismiss the official findings (unsecured hatches) and believe one of several other scenarios. Frederick Stonehouse, author of The Wreck of the Fitzgerald, will document her history, events surrounding her loss and subsequent investigations.
