Mr. Ken Browne This is Me

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1. 1. Monroe Evening News Online

   www.monroenews.com/articles/20 - [Cached]

   Published on: 3/3/2004   Last Visited: 3/3/2004

   Days before the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in stormy Lake Superior more than 28 years ago Ken Browne of Rockwood did a favor for the crew.
   
   The men of the Fitzgerald wanted to watch television during their voyages but the picture was always fuzzy. So when they docked at Zug Island in Detroit one day in November, 1975, they asked Mr. Browne to weld them a TV antenna.
   
   "The last thing I did for those guys was weld a TV antenna on deck," Mr. Browne said. "I always thought that if she went through a storm the antenna would go overboard."
   
   Mr. Browne, 59, was a welder and a millwright for Great Lakes National Steel in Ecorse. For many years he and a crew worked on the huge ships that would dock in Detroit. One of those freighters was the famed Fitzgerald.
   
   He remembers much about working on the doomed vessel and recalls that it had a reputation as being one of the best with an excellent crew.
   
   "She was what the sailors called a plumb," Mr. Browne recalled.
   ...
   So Mr. Browne and his crew would repair the damage.
   ...
   Mr. Browne fondly recalls the 29 crewmembers as a friendly bunch. During jobs in port, the crew would routinely invite Mr. Browne and the others workers for lunch.
   
   "They always had us up in the galley," he remembered.
   ...
   Mr. Browne, who now is the fleet manager for the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, arrived for work that night and expected to be on the Fitzgerald when it eventually arrived. But word began to quickly spread about the tragedy.
   
   "I remember saying `What do you mean, she went down?' " Mr. Browne said. "It was hard to comprehend that it sank with all hands lost. Everybody was quite shocked."
   
   As the legend of the Fitzgerald grew over the years, Mr. Browne never really made it a point to let others know he often worked on the ship and was friendly with the crew. And although many theories have been discussed and debated as to exactly what happened that night, Mr. Browne knows for sure it had nothing to do with his work.
   
   "The work we did wouldn't interfere with the integrity of the ship," Mr. Browne said. "Even if the welds did leak, it wouldn't have been sufficient to cause her to sink."
   
   Mr. Browne said he never even second-guessed the work he and the others did for the 711-foot carrier.
   
   "I had complete confidence in my welds," he continued. "I know nothing I did would have caused enough water to come in to cause a catastrophe."
   
   Mr. Browne believes that it was a combination of factors that led to the ship's demise. He agreed with what the Lake Carriers Association finalized: During the storm, the ship hit a shoal, which tore a hole in the bottom.
   
   The Fitzgerald also had lost three vent covers and was loaded with so much cargo it was three feet lower in the water.
   
   Additionally, the cargo hold hatches were damaged and set for repair after the 1975 season. The damaged hatches could have allowed water to pour in.
   
   Mr. Browne worked the shipyards for years making sure the vessels that came in were in good repair. And he does have fond memories of the great ship that became a legend. He took pride in his work, even if one of the jobs was installing a TV antenna so the crew could watch a clear picture.
   
   Although the antenna certainly snapped off, the bracket to hold it in place most likely remains in place on the ship's deck at the bottom of the lake.
   
   "I wanted to make sure I had a good weld on it," Mr. Browne said.

2. 2. Monroe Evening News Online

   www.monroenews.com/articles/20 - [Cached]

   Published on: 3/3/2004   Last Visited: 3/30/2004

   Days before the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in stormy Lake Superior more than 28 years ago Ken Browne of Rockwood did a favor for the crew.
   
   The men of the Fitzgerald wanted to watch television during their voyages but the picture was always fuzzy. So when they docked at Zug Island in Detroit one day in November, 1975, they asked Mr. Browne to weld them a TV antenna.
   
   "The last thing I did for those guys was weld a TV antenna on deck," Mr. Browne said. "I always thought that if she went through a storm the antenna would go overboard."
   
   Mr. Browne, 59, was a welder and a millwright for Great Lakes National Steel in Ecorse. For many years he and a crew worked on the huge ships that would dock in Detroit. One of those freighters was the famed Fitzgerald.
   
   He remembers much about working on the doomed vessel and recalls that it had a reputation as being one of the best with an excellent crew.
   
   "She was what the sailors called a plumb," Mr. Browne recalled.
   ...
   So Mr. Browne and his crew would repair the damage.
   ...
   Mr. Browne fondly recalls the 29 crewmembers as a friendly bunch. During jobs in port, the crew would routinely invite Mr. Browne and the others workers for lunch.
   
   "They always had us up in the galley," he remembered.
   ...
   Mr. Browne, who now is the fleet manager for the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, arrived for work that night and expected to be on the Fitzgerald when it eventually arrived. But word began to quickly spread about the tragedy.
   
   "I remember saying `What do you mean, she went down?' " Mr. Browne said. "It was hard to comprehend that it sank with all hands lost. Everybody was quite shocked."
   
   As the legend of the Fitzgerald grew over the years, Mr. Browne never really made it a point to let others know he often worked on the ship and was friendly with the crew. And although many theories have been discussed and debated as to exactly what happened that night, Mr. Browne knows for sure it had nothing to do with his work.
   
   "The work we did wouldn't interfere with the integrity of the ship," Mr. Browne said. "Even if the welds did leak, it wouldn't have been sufficient to cause her to sink."
   
   Mr. Browne said he never even second-guessed the work he and the others did for the 711-foot carrier.
   
   "I had complete confidence in my welds," he continued. "I know nothing I did would have caused enough water to come in to cause a catastrophe."
   
   Mr. Browne believes that it was a combination of factors that led to the ship's demise. He agreed with what the Lake Carriers Association finalized: During the storm, the ship hit a shoal, which tore a hole in the bottom.
   
   The Fitzgerald also had lost three vent covers and was loaded with so much cargo it was three feet lower in the water.
   
   Additionally, the cargo hold hatches were damaged and set for repair after the 1975 season. The damaged hatches could have allowed water to pour in.
   
   Mr. Browne worked the shipyards for years making sure the vessels that came in were in good repair. And he does have fond memories of the great ship that became a legend. He took pride in his work, even if one of the jobs was installing a TV antenna so the crew could watch a clear picture.
   
   Although the antenna certainly snapped off, the bracket to hold it in place most likely remains in place on the ship's deck at the bottom of the lake.
   
   "I wanted to make sure I had a good weld on it," Mr. Browne said.

3. 3. Monroe Evening News Online

   www.monroenews.com/articles/20 - [Cached]

   Published on: 3/3/2004   Last Visited: 3/9/2004

   Days before the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in stormy Lake Superior more than 28 years ago Ken Browne of Rockwood did a favor for the crew.
   
   The men of the Fitzgerald wanted to watch television during their voyages but the picture was always fuzzy. So when they docked at Zug Island in Detroit one day in November, 1975, they asked Mr. Browne to weld them a TV antenna.
   
   "The last thing I did for those guys was weld a TV antenna on deck," Mr. Browne said. "I always thought that if she went through a storm the antenna would go overboard."
   
   Mr. Browne, 59, was a welder and a millwright for Great Lakes National Steel in Ecorse. For many years he and a crew worked on the huge ships that would dock in Detroit. One of those freighters was the famed Fitzgerald.
   
   He remembers much about working on the doomed vessel and recalls that it had a reputation as being one of the best with an excellent crew.
   
   "She was what the sailors called a plumb," Mr. Browne recalled.
   ...
   So Mr. Browne and his crew would repair the damage.
   ...
   Mr. Browne fondly recalls the 29 crewmembers as a friendly bunch. During jobs in port, the crew would routinely invite Mr. Browne and the others workers for lunch.
   
   "They always had us up in the galley," he remembered.
   ...
   Mr. Browne, who now is the fleet manager for the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, arrived for work that night and expected to be on the Fitzgerald when it eventually arrived. But word began to quickly spread about the tragedy.
   
   "I remember saying `What do you mean, she went down?' " Mr. Browne said. "It was hard to comprehend that it sank with all hands lost. Everybody was quite shocked."
   
   As the legend of the Fitzgerald grew over the years, Mr. Browne never really made it a point to let others know he often worked on the ship and was friendly with the crew. And although many theories have been discussed and debated as to exactly what happened that night, Mr. Browne knows for sure it had nothing to do with his work.
   
   "The work we did wouldn't interfere with the integrity of the ship," Mr. Browne said. "Even if the welds did leak, it wouldn't have been sufficient to cause her to sink."
   
   Mr. Browne said he never even second-guessed the work he and the others did for the 711-foot carrier.
   
   "I had complete confidence in my welds," he continued. "I know nothing I did would have caused enough water to come in to cause a catastrophe."
   
   Mr. Browne believes that it was a combination of factors that led to the ship's demise. He agreed with what the Lake Carriers Association finalized: During the storm, the ship hit a shoal, which tore a hole in the bottom.
   
   The Fitzgerald also had lost three vent covers and was loaded with so much cargo it was three feet lower in the water.
   
   Additionally, the cargo hold hatches were damaged and set for repair after the 1975 season. The damaged hatches could have allowed water to pour in.
   
   Mr. Browne worked the shipyards for years making sure the vessels that came in were in good repair. And he does have fond memories of the great ship that became a legend. He took pride in his work, even if one of the jobs was installing a TV antenna so the crew could watch a clear picture.
   
   Although the antenna certainly snapped off, the bracket to hold it in place most likely remains in place on the ship's deck at the bottom of the lake.
   
   "I wanted to make sure I had a good weld on it," Mr. Browne said.