SS Edmund Fitzgerald

SS Edmund Fitzgerald was a Great Lakes freighter that sank in a Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29. When launched on June 7, 1958, she was the largest ship on North America's Great Lakes, and she remains the largest to have sunk there. The Fitzgerald was owned by the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company and operated by the Columbia Transportation Division of the Oglebay Norton Company. She was primarily used to transport taconite iron ore from mines near Duluth, Minnesota, to iron works in Detroit, Toledo, and other Great Lakes ports. Her size, record-breaking performance, and "DJ captain" endeared her to many.

History

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was built by the Great Lakes Engineering Works of River Rouge, Michigan, in the United States and was named after Edmund Fitzgerald, the president of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, which financed the construction of the ship. Her keel was laid on February 1, 1957, and she was launched on June 7, 1958. The Fitzgerald was a marvel of her time, designed for maximum efficiency and capacity in the iron ore trade.

Final Voyage

On November 9, 1975, the Fitzgerald embarked on her final voyage from Superior, Wisconsin, bound for a steel mill near Detroit, Michigan, with a full cargo of taconite pellets. Encountering a massive winter storm the following day, with near-hurricane-force winds and waves up to 35 feet high, the Fitzgerald reported difficulties around 7:10 p.m. Her last communication was a routine radio message to a nearby ship, the SS Arthur M. Anderson. Shortly thereafter, the Fitzgerald suddenly sank approximately 17 miles from Whitefish Point, Michigan, without sending any distress signals. The entire crew of 29 men perished, and their bodies were never recovered.

Investigation and Legacy

The sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald led to one of the most extensive and high-profile maritime investigations in Great Lakes history. The United States Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted separate inquiries. While the exact cause remains a subject of debate, the most widely accepted theories suggest that the Fitzgerald succumbed to a combination of rogue waves, structural failure, and navigational errors in the midst of the severe storm.

The loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald is commemorated annually at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, and her story has been immortalized in songs, literature, and documentaries. The tragedy led to significant changes in shipping regulations and practices, including mandatory survival suits, depth finders, and more frequent inspections of vessels.

In Popular Culture

The sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald became widely known to the public through the hit song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. Released in 1976, the song became a hit in several countries and remains a tribute to the ship and her crew.

See Also

• Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
• List of shipwrecks
• Maritime disaster