A Visit to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

Next up was a stop to Whitefish Point.  Normally when I reach there, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is not open but not on this day.  I've been meaning to stop here for a long time and this was my chance.

 Given its proximity to the wreckage, the Edmund Fitzgerald features prominantly in the displays.  She sank on November 10, 1975 and was immortalized in the song by Gordon Lightfoot.  She sank about 17 miles from Whitefish Point and she took 29 men down with her.  She sank with no distress signals.  It is still cloaked in mystery exactly why she sank but some of the investigations led to changes on Great Lakes ships.  I've mentioned the ship that was out with her several times but I'll mention the Arthur Anderson again.

 In 1995, an expedition was led to recover the bell from the Fitzgerald and replace it with a memorial bell which had the named of the men who were lost with her inscribed on it.  I've heard it said before that a ship's bell is the soul of the ship, so I can only imagine the stories this bell would tell.

 I would have loved to get my own pictures of the Edmund Fitzgerald but this will have to do.

 The hardsuit that was used in the recovery of the bell.  It is known as a newtsuit.

 I loved some of the ship models around the museum.

 Some pretty nice details.

 Gauges from one of the shipwrecks.

 In case you've never seen a fresnel lens before.

 A statue depicting a lighthouse keeper.  Since most lights are automated now, this is a job that has vanished.

 A pair of sculptures of Native Americans.

A closeup of one of those models.

 This is a model of the Niagara which was the first shipwreck on the Great Lakes.

 Another fresnel lens.

 While the museum proper was pretty cool.  I was more impressed by the boathouse on the site.  They restored the old boathouse to the way it would have looked in the day.  This is a reproduction of a surfboat.  This would have been used to go out to rescue people on a sinking ship.  It has a lightweight design and is filled with cork so it floats.

 A shot of the axe.

 This is a Lyle Cannon.  It was used to fire a projectile which was connected to a line.  This would be shot over the ship and the line would be used to pull a larger line to the ship so that men could be carried off.  This would have been used when the waves were too rough to take even the surfboat out.

 A similar style cannon.

 This was a cart that had all the equipment when a Lyle cannon was used.

 Sailors would be carried out in this.  This style cart was last used in the 50's.

A horn used to issue commands.  This type of horn was also used by firemen.  The symbology carries on in the the firefighters helmet.