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Posts : 409 Join date : 2011-06-10
| Subject: named the boat Thu Aug 04, 2011 9:48 am | |
| By ore freighter standards the interior of the Fitzgerald was luxurious. Her S.L. Hudson Company-designed furnishings included deep pile carpeting, tiled bathrooms, drapes over the portholes, and leather swivel chairs in the guest lounge. There were two guest state rooms for passengers.[17] Air conditioning extended to the crew quarters, which featured more amenities than usual. A large galley and fully stocked pantry supplied meals for two dining rooms. The Fitzgerald pilothouse was outfitted with "state-of-the-art nautical equipment and a beautiful map room."[17] Northwestern named the boat after President and Chairman of the Board, Edmund Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald's grandfather had been a lake captain and his father owned the Milwaukee Drydock Company that built and repaired ships.[18] More than 15,000 people attended the Fitzgerald's christening and launch ceremony on June 7, 1958. The event was plagued by misfortune. When Elizabeth Fitzgerald, wife of Edmund Fitzgerald, tried to christen the boat by smashing a champagne bottle over the bow, it took her three attempts to break it. A delay of 36 minutes followed while the shipyard crew struggled to release the keel blocks. Upon sideways launch, the boat crashed violently into a pier.[19] On September 22, 1958, Fitzgerald completed nine days of sea trials.[20] norton couponchina teapots | |
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