Arguably the most famous Lake Superior shipwreck, Nov. 10th marked another year since the tragic sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975. While the anniversary of the ill-fated ship’s wreck may have slipped by unnoticed for some, the legacy of the freighter is a story that deserves reflection.
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald in 1958.
Original photographer unknown.
Photo from UWS Special Collections & Archives.
Commissioned by Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company as a “maximum sized” Great Lakes ore freighter and named after the company’s chairman of the board, the ship’s maiden voyage was June 8, 1958 at River Rouge, Michigan.
Known as “the Big Fitz,” at 729 feet long and 13,632 tons, she was the largest carrier on the Great Lakes at that time. The Fitzgerald was a record-breaking powerhouse, frequently surpassing her own records. In 1964, she was the first carrier to haul over a million tons of taconite through the locks at Sault St. Marie, and in 1969 she was recognized with a safety award for achieving eight years of operation without a worker injury requiring time-off.
On Nov. 9, 1975, under the command of Captain Ernest McSorley, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald left Superior, Wisconsin at about 2:30 p.m. for a steel mill near Detroit, Michigan. She was carrying 26,116 tons of taconite iron ore and 29 crew members.
The Fitzgerald was later joined by the SS Arthur M. Anderson, which was destined for Gary, Indiana under the command of Captain Bernie Cooper.
In contact with each other and aware of a building November storm, both captains decided to take a more northerly route across Lake Superior. Familiar with the November Witch, the term for the windy storms that cross the Great Lakes each autumn, neither captain could have foreseen the tempest that lay ahead.
Gale warnings were issued that evening and by the early morning hours of Nov. 10th they were upgraded to storm warnings. Winds of 60 mph whipped the freighter, while 10-foot waves crashed.
A drawing depicting some of the damage done to the SS Edmund Fitzgerald from its wreck. Un
known artist, undated. Photo from UWS Special Collections & Archives.
By then, the faster Fitzgerald had taken the lead, with the Anderson following about 10 to 15 miles behind. Around 2 p.m. on the 10th, the storm center passed over the ships. The winds shifted, with gusts near hurricane-force. Waves increased to 25 feet, with some as high as 35 feet. It began to snow.
The waves were so tall they interfered with the radar and the Anderson had trouble keeping sight of the Fitzgerald. McSorley noted at one point that it was the “worst seas” he had ever experienced.
Around 3 p.m., Captain McSorley radioed the Anderson that the Fitz was taking on water and had begun to list. McSorley would slow his ship to allow the Anderson to close the gap between them and stay near.
Shortly after 4 p.m., McSorley reported radar failure and minor damage, with both pumps going. For the next three hours, communication between the ships consisted of navigational assistance.
At 7:10 p.m., Captain McSorley spoke his last known words, “We are holding our own.” Five minutes later the Fitz disappeared from the Anderson’s radar and never reappeared. Just 17 miles from shelter at Whitefish Bay, the Fitz sank and lost her entire crew of 29 men.
The Anderson, despite arriving at a safe port, headed back into the storm to search for the Fitz. Search vessels found only lifeboats, life jackets, and debris. The wreck was discovered in May 1976 by a submersible 530 feet below Lake Superior’s surface.
Most of the wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald remains undisturbed, as it is protected under several laws that make it illegal to visit the site without proper permissions. These laws were designed to protect underwater cultural heritage sites and surrounding ecosystems.
There have been rare instances where small artifacts have been recovered legally with consent from the appropriate authorities, primarily for educational purposes or preservation in museums.
The Fitzgerald’s 200 lbs. bronze bell was recovered on July 4, 1995 and is now on display in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Michigan as a memorial to her lost crew.
No victim has ever been recovered, making the wreck both a memorial and a tomb. Family members have expressed their desires to leave their loved ones in their “natural grave.”
While the Coast Guard reported the ship sank due to ineffective hatch closures, there are several interesting, yet conflicting theories such as rogue waves and grounding on a shoal.
The shipwreck shrouded in mystery, with unanswered questions surrounding the circumstances of the Fitz’s demise and the inexplicable absence of a distress signal, was amplified by Gordon Lightfoot’s 1976 powerful ballad, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” The shanty-like tune brought the story of the Fitzgerald into the national spotlight, contributing to the doomed freighter’s lasting legacy.
Though the Fitzgerald sank 49 years ago, it remains a haunting reminder of the power of Lake Superior and the sailors who brave those treacherous waters.
For more information on the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, visit UWS’ Maritime Collection at the Jim Dan Hill Library.
