CHAMPEAU-OLIVER

The SS EDMUND FITZGERALD, a 729-foot 26,000 ton bulk cargo carrier, was christened on June 8, 1958, and at the time was the largest ship operating on the Great Lakes.  On the afternoon of November 9, 1975, the ship left Superior, Wisconsin, with a cargo of 26,116 tons of taconite iron ore pellets bound for Zug Island near Detroit, Michigan.  The weather forecast was not unusual for November and predicted that a major storm would pass just south of Lake Superior on November 10^th.  As the EDMUND FITZGERALD proceeded through Lake Superior the storm greatly intensified, changed direction and gale warnings were issued for the whole of Lake Superior.  At 1:00 AM on November 10 the ship reported it was encountering winds of 60 MPH and waves of 10-feet, and speed had been reduced because of the rough conditions.  Shortly thereafter the warnings were upgraded from gale to storm.  By 3:30 PM a radio message was received from EDMUND FITZGERALD that she was taking on water, had lost two vent covers and a fence railing, had developed a list and bilge pumps were continuously running to discharge the shipped water. 

About this time a Coast Guard broadcast warned that all shipping should seek safe anchorage and at 4:10 PM EDMUND FITZGERALD reported the loss of its radar and the Captain is reported to have radioed, “I am taking heavy seas over the deck in one of the worst seas I have ever been in.”  A nearby ship later reported that at 4:52 PM sustained winds were 67 MPH with waves as high as 25-feel and that rogue waves as high as 35 feet had been encountered.  At 7:10 PM the last communication from EDMUND FITZGERALD was made by the Captain who said, “We are holding our own.”  Minutes later the ship disappeared from radar screens, she failed to respond to radio calls and no distress signal was sent as the ship slipped from the surface and floundered.  Although a search recovered debris, no survivors were found and her entire crew of 29 men perished when the ship sank.

Oliver J. Champeau was the Third Assistant Engineer aboard EDMUND FITZGERALD when the ship floundered.  The ship now lies in Canadian waters at a depth of 530 feet.  None of her crew has been recovered and the 29 crewmembers lost in the tragedy still lie with her.  A group of the survivor’s family members worked tirelessly to get the site declared a no-dive zone.  As a result of their efforts the Canadian Government has established very strict rules about visits to the site and permits are now needed to go near her as the location is considered a grave site

The following tribute to Champeau was posted on October 27, 2011, on the website www.boatnerd.com/fitz under the subject, “The Loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

Dedicated to my Dad, Oliver J. Champeau - lost on the Edmund Fitzgerald, November 10, 1975.  Through his eyes, I could see tomorrow.  Through his arms, I could feel his strength.  Though his knowledge, I felt history, and his love of nature.  Through his devotion, I felt his commitment to family.  Through his love and good heart, I would always strive to be like him.  I never saw my father cry but I felt his broken heart.  I didn’t see him die, but I felt a terrible sense of grief and loss.  Through his faith in God, I always felt protected from everything that life could throw in my direction.  Even though I lost him so long ago now, I can never forget his laugh, his touch and his inspirational words.  He was and is my hero.  He wasn’t perfect and neither am I.  He was just a man who deserved allot more time on earth then was given, but that's just my opinion (not God‘s.)  Dad, you will never be forgotten... not for one day, one month or any given year that goes by.  I love you and miss you.  I pray for you and all the other men that were lost with you and in such tragic ways.  I grieve with them today as we did 36 years ago in Toledo, Ohio.  You will never, ever be forgotten.  My love lives on forever and ever!

        Lovingly, your daughter Deborah

A memorial marker for Oliver Champeau located in the Saint Joseph Cemetery, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, carries the following inscription:  PFC – U.S. Marine Corps - Korea

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)