The Edmund Fitzgerald Investigations

Ric Mixter is a Great Lakes shipwreck researcher, and in "The Edmund Fitzgerald Investigations" has produced an excellent documentary on the history of the "Fitzgerald" from design, through construction, operation, and ultimately, of course, her sinking. To me the amazing thing about this DVD is the amount of motion picture film that Mixter uncovered of the "Fitzgerald". I was especially interested in her modular construction, and found the details of the boiler installations fascinating in particular. There is no doubt that the "Fitzgerald" was an impressive freighter, and the DVD really brings her to life, although footage of the bridge would have been welcomed.Mixter details the multiple investigations into the accident and their varying conclusions, interviewing people on all sides of the issue with fairness and respect. Although Mixter doesn't offer a definitive conclusion about the cause of the sinking, he does allow the chief proponents of each to clearly state their case. The interviews with Great Lakes sailors, and especially former "Fitzgerald" crewmembers are very enlightening, as are the interviews with shipyard workers who built and launched the "Fitzgerald".The documentary reports on all the expeditions to the "Fitzgerald", with some truly amazing underwater photography of the wreck. Mixter also details the memorials and museum displays dedicated to the lives of the 29 men who died in one of the worst storms in Great Lakes history, while setting it in the context of the crew being 29 of an estimated 30,000 sailors to have perished on the Great Lakes.This is a special "50th Anniversary Edition" (so designated because it was updated for the 50th anniversary of the "Fitzgerald" being launched), that has loads of additional footage and extras. These are particularly strong, showing details about all the expeditions to the "Fitzgerald" and the submersibles involved, the bell recovery and preservation effort, the memorials, a five minute piece filmed on a modern Great Lakes freighter showing what onboard life is like (and interviewing the freighter's Captain, whose first Third Mate job was on the "Fitzgerald"), and previews from other Mixter documentaries.This is a great DVD for anyone interested in the "Edmund Fitzgerald", Great Lakes shipwrecks, or maritime engineering and failures. This documentary does what it set out to do, it both educates and entertains: I learned a lot about the "Fitzgerald" and Great Lakes freighters in general, and I was captivated by the footage that Ric Mixter uncovered and edited together so skillfully: I certainly look forward to future Mixter efforts.

If a person is into the " Fitzgerald " sinking I believe this DVD documentary will be a worthwhile investment. Not so much as a minute by minute record of the " Fitz " sinking slowly from approx 15:00 hrs onward but there is worthwhile knowledge of the boat to be had with some interesting interviews from men that built her to men that sailed on her.Even the actual radio transmissions of Capt.Bernie Cooper conversing with the Coast Guard after she disappeared , presumed lost. Also included was the mention of the mystery body that lies beside the forward end on the bottom. The retired investigator that in other interviews seemed in my view to blame the crew on the faulty hatch cover issue has this time around changed his view leaning away from crew negligence. Some very interesting points are brought up by all those interviewed.I think the more a person rehashes this DVD the more they'll learn , I think it's a good addition for those who are interested in the tragedy to compliment their other books , tapes, DVD's , etc. It has a few surprises from people who are in the know ,enjoyed it ! 5 STARS.

The technical quality of the CD was good; it didn’t skip or get stuck. The content was boring to me and described in great detail how the ship was built: the crane that was used and how it was assembled in sections. I bought it because i wanted to know about the SS Fitzgerald’s last journey and why it sank. Unfortunately, it generated anticipation for the final trip but then just sputtered out without providing any new information. They did not do a good job explaining that it was a really bad storm and how the hatches that were supposed to keep the water out were damaged. In contrast, “Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes” is an awesome CD/chronicle!

I'll be honest, I purchased this based on reviews, and I now agree with every positive review. The DVD itself has a hint of cheapness - for example, it is an hour long and has no chapters at all, the sound balancing for the music is a tad off, and the DVD audio as a whole seems to be much louder than normal (just turn your TV down a bit to compensate and it's 100% normal) just little things like that, however the program itself is very good. Personal interviews, archived footage, etc - all of which more than make up for the tiny formatting complaints mentioned earlier. I am very happy with the purchase.

The original one had better music. But it isn't too bad. Ric kinda talks like Microsoft Sam, it's annoying. But informative for anyone who doesn't know much about her and wants to know more.

I bought this as a birthday gift for my husband. It was ok. Wouldn't really recommend it or buy it again for anyone.

bought it for an education unit for teens, but it's rather boring. Goes into way too much detail (for that purpose) on the making and structure of the s***, less so on the aftermath and why it is so famous and such an intriguing story. I lost nearly all of the kids in 15 minutes

this video was fascinating .....showing how and why the ship wrecked....and then how they went down to the wreck to find out what REALLY happened.....very well put together documentary about a vessel that had been the pride of the fleet in Michigan's Great Lakes.

It was okay. Investigation to the possible theories fell short.