Is it true the Edmund Fitzgerald cook was to be arrested for molesting little girls?

Question

I heard that Robrt Rafferty, cook on the Edmund Fitzgerald was a child molester. He was not supposed to be on the ship the night it sank. He volunteered to take the place of a sick shipmate. I heard he was from Toledo Ohio. Have I heard wrong or is my best friend from Ohio lying to me?

Answer 1

Your best friend is probably lying to you. I've read quite a bit on the Edmund Fitzgerald and have not heard that. Also, consider that the cook couldn't have just happened on the ship that night. The voyage began on Lake Erie and passed up to the iron ore dock on the Lake Superior, they filled there and then were returning. So there's a few days at least that he was on the boat. I'll check with the local maritime museum tomorrow.

Regardless of that outcome be sure to listen to the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald tomorrow out of respect for the 29 men who died on the ship.