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The ship's launch on Saturday, June 8, 1958,
was a big event in Detroit. Over 15,000 people were in attendance,
including Edmund Fitzgerald himself and several members of his family.
As the crowd gathered, military planes, commercial airliners, and
helicopters flew overhead, while on the Detroit River, a flotilla of
boats - yachts, sailboats, fishing boats, tugs, scows, and freighters
- waited to welcome the new ship. Among these vessels was the
32-year-old W. E. Fitzgerald, which saluted the new Fitzgerald by
blasting her deep horn. <BR><BR>Edmund Fitzgerald's wife, Elizabeth,
was given the honour of christening the ship. Looking regal in a dark
blue dress, white gloves, and a white pillbox hat, she said, "I
christen you Edmund Fitzgerald ... God bless you," then smashed the
celebration champagne bottle across the ship's bow. To everyone's
surprise, the bottle didn't break. Elizabeth tried a second time, and
again the bottle stayed intact. Thankfully, the third attempt was
successful. The rest of the launch was even more awkward than the
christening. Despite the Herculean efforts of the shipyard crews,
loosening the stubborn keel blocks underneath the vessel took more
time than anticipated. Finally, after a delay of 36 minutes, eight
electronically controlled guillotines dropped their razor-sharp blades
to cut the hawsers (large ropes or cables) that were holding the ship.
The Edmund Fitzgerald then slid thunderously down the 60 feet of wood
timbers (smeared with train oil) and into the Detroit River. She
entered the water sideways, crashing violently into the dock as her
top half rolled to port, back to starboard, and then back to port
again before stabilizing.. (EAW0004)
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