"Contributed" being the operative word there......

The Fitz had lost radar and it's pretty likely that this lack of navigational aid in a truly horrendous storm caused her to bottom off Caribou Island. Just after that McSorley made reference to his "rails" being down. A grounding would flex the hull in such a way as to cause this as well as opening up the bottom.

The Fitzgerald had massive pumping capabilities but she began to take on a list and was riding very low. McSorley's last report was that they were "holding their own" about 17 miles off Whitefish Point. The Arthur M. Anderson reported she "went missing" from their radar shortly thereafter.

I'm sure that the following seas from the storm were far worse than anything ANYONE had seen since about 1913 and a monster wave probably smashed into the back of the wheelhouse as the bow was digging deep and that was the end of the "Big Fitz." As she is in two pieces with a considerable section missing entirely, it is hard for anyone to say for sure but what I have written here is the most accepted version of the loss.

The size of the storm and waves have now been updated but it changes little as the effect of the running sea and wind has always been a factor in reasonable accounts.

Spaw