As the largest and deepest of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior is a scenic vacation destination for millions of people each year. But beneath the peaceful waters lie an estimated 550 shipwrecks, the most famous of which is the Edmund Fitzgerald.
“The Pride of the American Side”
The Edmund Fitzgerald was a bulk freighter that hauled iron ore from Minnesota and Wisconsin to steelmaking hubs in Michigan and Ohio. Launched in the 1950s, the ship was named for the president and chairman of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. At 729 feet, it was at one time the longest ship on Lake Superior.
.jpg){kind=link}
“It was a very important ship,” said Corey Adkins from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society. “It was a very proud ship. They called it ‘the pride of the American side.’”
But in 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald and its 29 crew members would be lost to a severe storm.
The Last Voyage
The Edmund Fitzgerald departed Superior, Wisconsin on November 9, 1975 for what was to be its last trip of the season.
“As November 9 turned into November 10, the sea started to get heavier and heavier,” Adkins said. “As the day progressed, the weather got worse and worse.”
Led by Captain Ernest McSorley, the Fitzgerald changed its route to avoid the oncoming storm and was soon joined by another ship, the Arthur M. Anderson. McSorley and the Anderson’s captain, Bernie Cooper, kept in touch throughout the storm. Bad weather is a common issue for ships on the Great Lakes, and both captains took every precaution to keep their vessels and crew safe.
“The crew from the Fitzgerald started to have some problems on board,” Adkins said. “Their fence rail was down, meaning their ship was hogging. Ships are meant to have a smiley face. Hogging means the ship would be like a little frown, and that would cause the fence rail to break.”
At about 7:10 p.m., the Anderson’s first mate spoke with McSorley, who said, “We are holding our own.” It was the last time anyone would hear from the Fitzgerald. The ship and the 29 men on it simply disappeared into Lake Superior.
“There’s a lot of theories out there why it sank, but nobody will ever know what actually sank that ship,” Adkins said.
On November 14, 1975, four days after the ship went under water, it was located about 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point, Michigan, where it remains today.
The crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Each year on November 10, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum holds a memorial for crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald. It’s an important event for the families, who still remember and miss their loved ones.
The men who lost their lives in the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald are:
Michael Armagost
Frederick Beetcher
Thomas Bentsen
Edward Bindon
Thomas Borgeson
Oliver Champeau
Nolan Church
Ransom Cundy
Thomas Edwards
Russell Haskell
George Holl
Brudce Hudson
Allen Kalmon
Gordon MacLellan
Joseph Mazes
John McCarthy
Captain Ernest McSorley
Eugene O’Brien
Karl Peckol
John Poviach
James Pratt
Robert Rafferty
Paul Riippa
John Simmons
William Spengler
Mark Thomas
Ralph Walton
David Weiss
Blaine Wilhelm