AMERICAN freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew sank 46 years ago.
Here's everything you need to know about the largest ship to have sunk in the Great Lakes.
When did the Edmund Fitzgerald sink?
On November 10, 1975, SS Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew of 29 men sank in Lake Superior.
Four days later, the ship was found in deep water by a US Navy aircraft. Edmund Fitzgerald was later discovered to be broken into two large pieces.
Over 26K tons of taconite was also on board, causing this shipwreck to be one of the greatest financial losses in Great Lakes sinking history.
Taconite is a low-grade iron ore, and the Edmund Fitzgerald transported it for 17 years before she sank.
The ship left from a port in Wisconsin, and was headed to a steel mill near Detroit.
Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Canadian waters around 7.10pm, on a trip that should have only taken about an hour.
Why did the Edmund Fitzgerald sink?
While the exact cause of the shipwreck is unknown, many theories have arised over the years as to what may have happened.
In 2005, government agency NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – and the National Weather Service ran a computer simulation that emulated the weather in the area at the time of the shipwreck.
Their findings revealed that wind had increased to around 50mph on the day of the wreck, and waves had reached heights of over 20 feet.
Another theory suggests the cargo hold became flooded due to ineffective hatch closures. This would cause the ship to fill slowly with water, causing it to eventually sink.
Other hypotheses suggest damage to the structure of the boat, perhaps caused by a shoal or sandbar, or a floating log.
The idea of a group of rogue waves has also been tossed around – a rogue wave is an unusually large and unpredictable wave that seemingly appears out of nowhere – as they were reported in the area at the time of the sinking.
What was the aftermath of the Edmund Fitzgerald sinking?
The shipwreck of Edmund Fitzgerald resulted in changes made to shipping regulations in the Great Lakes, including mandatory survival suits, depth finders, and frequent inspections.
Multiple lawsuits were filed against the owners and operators of the ship by widows of deceased crew members.
The company in charge of the ship, Oglebay Norton, reportedly paid compensation to the surviving family members of the crew.
A song was written in 1976 by Gordon Lightfoot called The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
What have people said about the shipwreck?
On the 46th anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald sinking, many have taken to social media to honor the memory of the ship and its crew.
On November 10, 2021, one user tweeted:
"Pouring one out for the 29 souls lost as the gales of November came slashin' against the Edmund Fitzgerald 46 years ago today."
The Lake Superior twitter account sent out a series of tweets with the names and job positions of each of the lost crew members.
The lost crew includes:
- Michael Armagost
- Frederick Beetcher
- Thomas Bentsen
- Edward Bindon
- Thomas Borgeson
- Oliver Champeau
- Nolan Church
- Ransom Cundy
- Thomas Edwards
- Russell Haskell
- George Holl
- Brude Hudson
- Allen Kalmon
- Gordon MacLellan
- Joseph Mazes
- John McCarthy
- 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
The day after the wreck, the Mariners' Church in Detroit tolled its bell 29 times in honor of all of the lives lost.
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