On Nov. 10, 1975, the 729-foot-long freighter went down in a fierce storm, taking the lives of all 29 men on board. It became what is considered the worst disaster in Great Lakes maritime history. Unlike other famous shipwrecks, like the Titanic and the Andrea Doria, it remains unclear exactly what happened that night.
Dock workers did not report any problems on the morning of Nov. 9 as the Fitzgerald was loaded with over 26,000 tons of taconite pellets in Superior, Wis. Workers also reported seeing the hatch covers replaced after loading.
But the Fitzgerald would confront a powerful gale on its route that led its captains to take a more northerly passage along Lake Superior’s north shore. By mid afternoon of the 10th, waves were reaching as high as 16 feet and heavy snow obscured the captains' visibility.
At 7:10 p.m. a nearby ship radioed the Fitzgerald to warn of another ship in its path ahead. When signing off, the first mate of the Anderson asked, “How are you making out with your problem?” The Fitzgerald responded, in what would be its last communication, “We are holding our own.”
As the Lightfoot song goes:
"They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters."
Sources: Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum/S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald Online/Image: The Great Lakes ore-carrier Edmund Fitzgerald sails in this undated photo. Credit: AP Photo
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