A Rogue Wave? The "Three Sisters" Theory

S.S Edmund Fitzgerald

     The S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, at 730 feet long and 75 feet wide, was the largest vessel on the Great Lakes from her launch in 1958 until 1972.  “Mighty Fitz” was a 26,600 ton cargo vessel that carried iron ore and coal on Lake Superior between the U.S. and Canada.  She sank in a storm on November 10, 1975 with all 29 hands on board. The demise of the Fitzgerald is arguably the most intriguing disaster in the history of shipping on the Great Lakes.  The indisputable factor in this tragedy is undoubtedly the weather but the details of the sinking remain uncertain.  Everyone seems to have their own theory. 

Memorial to the Lost Crew

     One theory is the “Three Sisters”.   That night, Captain J. B. Cooper of the Arthur M. Anderson encountered seas as high as 35 feet and reported three huge waves headed in the direction of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  The theory says that the sisters merged to create a huge rogue wave which swamped the Fitzgerald.  She sank 17 miles north-northwest of the light station at Whitefish Bay, Mi. in 530 feet of water then broke in half when she struck the bottom.
     The 200 pound bronze ship's bell was recovered July 4th, 1995 and is on display in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Bay as a memorial to her 29 lost crewmen.

What do you think about that thing with the long neck, Bubba?

Quahogs?  Does that look like any sort of hog to you, Bubba?

Cherry Stones?  Look like a cherry or a stone to you?  Me either!

Gooeyduck?!  How did we let these people beat us in that war?

Environmental Sensitivity Maps

The map I have chosen illustrates a stretch of the St. Johns River just a few miles south of Palatka, Florida.  The area is of interest to me because I have fished there in the past.  There is a paper mill in the area that is represented by an icon near the northeast corner of the map.

Hypsographic Curve from a Bathymetric Map

     The following data was derived from the bathymetric map of a sample lake.  The resulting hypsographic curve at the bottom illustrates the decrease in area and volume as the lake's depth increases.

Attenuation of Light by Wavelength

    Light does not penetrate water evenly as it appears to.  It actually penetrates to different depths depending on the wavelength.  This means that red light only penetrates a short distance while violet light penetrates to the deepest depth of any visible light, about 275 feet.  Here's a practical application story.  During the time I was stationed in Okinawa,  I took a SCUBA certification course.  My dive partner and I bought tailor-made wetsuits which were cheap there at the time.  Mine was black and his was red...on the surface!  Only a few feet down, his suit began to change color and became darker and darker as we descended.

     The chart below provides the numerical data for each color's wavelength.  the graph at the bottom illustrates the percentage of each wavelength that penetrates to various depths.