US Edition50 years later, the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald lives on in fascination with the maritime disaster
The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior claimed all 29 crew members and remains unexplained despite official investigation and popular cultural remembrance.
- On Nov. 10, 1975 the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior with all 29 crew members lost, and officials concluded they went down with the ship despite lifeboat wreckage recovery.
- As a particularly violent storm rolled over the lake, the U.S. Coast Guard found the most probable cause was flooding of the cargo hold that caused loss of buoyancy and stability.
- Museum exhibits and online videos have renewed interest in the Fitzgerald, with Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian singer-songwriter's folk song and TikTok retellings keeping the story alive.
- Many of the victims' relatives still recall the loss, as families of the 29 sailors with living relatives preserve their memory and Wisconsin communities feel the impact.
- The short answer is nobody knows why the Edmund Fitzgerald sank, and alternative theories like hull fracture or a monster wave persist as Monday marks the anniversary.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Krem2 News
50 years later, the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald lives on in fascination with the maritime disaster
The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald is one of the most infamous maritime disasters, often compared to the Titanic for its notoriety.
Fifty years ago, in November 1975, a storm with winds of over 100 feet per second raged across North America’s largest lake. The freighter Edmund Fitzgerald was battling huge waves en route to Detroit when its captain, Ernest M. McSorley, sent his last message. Moments later, the giant steel ship disappeared from radar, and the exact cause of its sinking is still debated to this day.
Fifty years later: The little-known story of the families the Fitz left behind
“Wrecked: The Edmund Fitzgerald and the Sinking of the American Economy” is a new book by Thomas Nelson with Jeremy Podair. Below is an adapted excerpt from the chapter “Just Call Toby,” that details the legal mess families were put through after losing their loved ones on the Edmund Fitzgerald. Read Now at Great Lakes Now.
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