Music has often taken maritime disasters for its theme, and Great Lakes shipwrecks claim no shortage of songs. Some were written at the time of the disaster, and others appeared years later, reviving the memory of the event. In an effort to understand the relationship between shipwrecks, folk traditions presented in music, and memory, this paper reviews as examples four famous Great Lakes shipwrecks: Lady Elgin, Eastland, Rouse Simmons (a.k.a. the Christmas Ship), and Edmund Fitzgerald. To explore the relationship between music, memory, and the potential for preservation, preliminary assessment based on exploratory survey data suggests that the exposure afforded by music and folk traditions may aid understanding and preservation through social marketing and other public outreach including education and music performances. This paper focuses on folk music but acknowledges other data and media such as archival documents, photographs, books, exhibits, and documentaries, as materials useful for creating or sharing memory and for understanding the folk songs and shipwrecks selected for consideration.

中文翻译：

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“悲惨的故事”：五大湖沉船的记忆、保存和民间音乐传统

音乐经常以海上灾难为主题，五大湖沉船声称不乏歌曲。有些是在灾难发生时写成的，有些是在多年后出现的，唤醒了对事件的记忆。为了理解沉船、音乐中呈现的民间传统和记忆之间的关系，本文以五大湖区的四艘著名沉船为例：埃尔金夫人、伊斯特兰、劳斯·西蒙斯（又名圣诞船）和埃德蒙·菲茨杰拉德。为了探索音乐、记忆和保存潜力之间的关系，基于探索性调查数据的初步评估表明，音乐和民间传统提供的曝光可能有助于通过社会营销和其他公共宣传（包括教育和音乐表演）来理解和保存。