The Edmund Fitzgerald 50 years later
- NPLSF
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
Fred Stonehouse on a Legend of Lake Superior
On November 10, 1975, the 729-foot SS Edmund Fitzgerald vanished without a distress call during a violent gale on Lake Superior. All 29 men aboard were lost. The last transmission from Captain Ernest McSorley was, “We are holding our own.”
The Fitzgerald was the largest Great Lakes ship when it was launched and remains the largest and most famous of the more than 6,000 vessels lost on the Great Lakes.
Its tragic and mysterious loss was later immortalized in Gordon Lightfoot’s song, in literature, and in enduring public remembrance.
Half a century later, award-winning maritime historian Fred Stonehouse joined the Lake Superior Podcast to share his decades of research into the wreck, the myths that surround it, and the lasting lessons it left behind. Hosts Walt Lindala and Frida Waara recall the storm as it happened—waves crashing against the shore and the eerie crawl across the TV screen that simply read, “Ship missing on Lake Superior.”
As Stonehouse puts it, “She sailed from fact into legend.”
Listen to the full episode and read more below.
The Edmund Fitzgerald Wreck: What We Know
Shortly after 7:10 p.m. on November 10, 1975, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald vanished from her companion ship’s radar. It sank in Lake Superior, about 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point, Michigan, in Canadian (Ontario) waters.
A U.S. Navy plane located the wreck on November 14, using a special magnetic anomaly detector. Subsequent surveys confirmed the ship lay at a depth off about 530 to 535 feet of water, broken into two main sections. No distress call was ever received. The ship’s lifeboats were discovered badly damaged, suggesting they were never launched but instead torn from their mounts as the vessel broke apart.
Captain Ernest M. McSorley, a veteran mariner with more than four decades of experience on the Great Lakes, had reported topside damage, the loss of both radar systems, and that the ship was taking on water during the storm. His final transmission at 7:10 p.m. was, “We are holding our own.”
At the time of the sinking, the Fitzgerald was en route from Superior, Wisconsin, to Zug Island near Detroit, carrying a full cargo of approximately 26,000 tons of taconite (low-grade iron ore) pellets—enough to produce roughly 7,500 cars.
The Fitzgerald was sailing in the company of the Arthur M. Anderson, a 647-foot Great Lakes freighter following about 10 miles behind on the same route toward the Detroit area. The Anderson maintained radio contact with the Fitzgerald throughout the storm and was the last vessel to see her disappear into the blinding snow.
At the U.S. Coast Guard’s request, the Arthur M. Anderson turned back into the stormy waters to assist in the search for the Fitzgerald, locating lifeboats and debris, but no survivors. Remarkably, the Anderson remained an active vessel well into 2025, still linked to the Great Lakes fleet and to the legacy of that fateful night.
Why Did the Edmund Fitzgerald Sink?
The exact cause of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald’s sinking remains unclear, though it occurred during a violent storm on November 10, 1975, with near-hurricane-force winds and towering waves. Winds were sustained around 55 mph, with gusts over 70 mph, and waves exceeding 25 feet.
Investigators have long debated whether the ship was lost due to flooding from faulty hatch covers, a collapse under massive seas, or a series of rogue “three sisters” waves (powerful waves that occur in quick succession, overwhelming a ship’s ability to shed water before the next wave hits).
Maritime historian Fred Stonehouse explained in the Lake Superior Podcast that the precise cause will likely never be known. The wreck has been off-limits to divers since 1989, preventing the discovery of a “smoking gun.” He adds that the tragedy reflected a 1970s culture of risk and limited technology, when ships pushed through dangerous storms with little of the safety equipment available today.
According to Stonehouse, “It really speaks to the power of the Great Lakes and the need to be careful. The caution you must have on Lake Superior is something we all have to live by.”
About the Edmund Fitzgerald
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was built in 1958 by Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rouge, Michigan, near Detroit. More than 15,000 people attended the launch on June 7, 1958, an event that made headlines across the region. You can watch the launch video here.
Designed to carry about 26,000 tons of cargo, she was the largest ship on the Great Lakes at the time of her launch and set multiple records for seasonal cargo tonnage during her 17-year career.
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald measured 729 feet (222 m) in length, with a beam of 75 feet (23 m) and a depth of 39 feet 6 inches (12 m), powered by a single Westinghouse steam turbine generating about 7,500 shaft horsepower to drive one propeller. She remained among the largest and most celebrated ore carriers until the arrival of the 1,000-foot “super-ships” in the 1970s.
About the Edmund Fitzgerald’s Captain, Ernest M. McSorley
Captain Ernest McSorley, a seasoned mariner with over 40 years of Great Lakes experience, was commanding the Fitzgerald on her final voyage. He had commanded nine ships before joining the crew of the Fitzgerald.
Known as a cautious and highly professional captain, Ernest M. McSorley was nearing retirement and had planned to end his career at the close of the 1975 shipping season—just weeks after that fateful November voyage.
Stonehouse emphasizes that McSorley and his crew were victims of a shipping culture that often underestimated the power of the lake. “In those days,” he explains, “ships were expected to go, storm or not. They were thought to be unsinkable. The Fitzgerald changed that belief forever.”
The Edmund Fitzgerald Wreck Site
The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald lies broken in two sections across the floor of Lake Superior about 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point, Michigan, in Canadian (Ontario) waters. Her bow and stern rest about 170 feet apart, surrounded by twisted debris.
The wreck is legally protected; only remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) have captured footage. The most famous expedition, in 1995, recovered the ship’s bell, which now stands at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point. Each year, the bell is rung 29 times—once for each crew member.
A replica bell engraved with the 29 crew members’ names was placed on the wreck as a permanent memorial.
The Edmund Fitzgerald: The Great Lakes’ Most Famous Shipwreck
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald remains the most recognized and studied shipwreck in Great Lakes history. Her tragic loss became symbolic of both the strength and fury of Lake Superior—a body of water capable of swallowing massive steel vessels whole.
From museums to ballads, documentaries to annual memorials, the Fitzgerald has transcended maritime history to become a cultural legend.
Learn more about other famous shipwrecks in Lake Superior.
How the Edmund Fitzgerald Changed Great Lakes Shipping
The tragedy prompted significant improvements in Great Lakes shipping safety.
After the Edmund Fitzgerald disaster, there were a series of reforms, including:
Enhanced weather forecasting and mandatory storm warnings: NOAA expanded marine weather coverage, added new buoys, and increased forecast frequency for the Great Lakes.
Stricter load line and hull inspection standards: Regulations were updated to monitor hull stress and prevent overloading that could compromise vessel stability.
Upgraded navigation and radar systems: Ships began carrying redundant radar, depth sounders, and later adopted satellite navigation systems such as GPS and AIS to track vessel positions.
Mandatory emergency locator beacons (EPIRBs): New Coast Guard rules required automatic distress transmitters capable of signaling a vessel’s location if it sank.
A lasting cultural shift in seamanship: Captains now routinely seek shelter or hug the shoreline during major storms rather than risk open-water crossings mid-lake.
According to Stonehouse, “Technology changes, adaptation, and additional crew training have been critical over this whole period. We’ve had fifty years of really safe navigation as a result. But even more important than that, is the attitude of the shippers and sailors on the lakes today. They’ve truly learned a lesson about the power and dangers of the Great Lakes, and they live by that now.”
The Edmund Fitzgerald Anniversary: 50 Years Later
Each year on November 10, memorials across the Great Lakes region honor the 29 men who perished. But 2025 marks a milestone—50 years since the ship went down.
Ceremonies at Whitefish Point, Marquette, and Duluth include readings of the crew’s names, bell ringings, and reflections on how the tragedy reshaped maritime safety.
“It was a terrible tragedy and a terrible wreck,” Stonehouse says in the podcast. “Certainly the people that had neighbors and relatives aboard suffered a grievous loss. But an awful lot of good has come out of it. There’s every reason to say that that good will continue to come out of it, but it’s at the cost of a good ship and crew.”
The Lake Superior Podcast episode captures that sense of reverence and resilience, weaving local memories with historical insight. It’s both an elegy and a reminder: the lake still commands respect.
The Legacy of the Edmund Fitzgerald Lives On
From Gordon Lightfoot’s 1976 ballad to countless books, films, and museum exhibits, the story of the Fitzgerald endures because it embodies the dual nature of Lake Superior—majestic and merciless.
Shipwrecks are time capsules, preserving stories of courage and tragedy. The Fitzgerald’s mystery—why it sank, what the crew experienced, and how it disappeared so quickly—still captivates and has left a lasting legacy on Great Lakes shipping.
For more information, listen to the podcast here and learn more about other Lake Superior shipwrecks.
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About Frederick Stonehouse
Frederick Stonehouse is an award-winning maritime historian, author of more than thirty books, including The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and regularly consults and lectures on maritime history and heritage.
About The Lake Superior Podcast and NPLSF
The Lake Superior Podcast is produced by the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation (NPLSF), the official nonprofit friends group for Lake Superior’s five national parks: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Grand Portage National Monument, Isle Royale National Park, Keweenaw National Historical Park, and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Funded by grants and private donations, NPLSF projects help preserve, interpret, and celebrate the parks and stories surrounding the Great Lakes’ greatest waters.
For more information or to support our work, contact us at info@nplsf.org.
Edmund Fitzgerald FAQ
When did the Edmund Fitzgerald go down?
The Fitzgerald sank on November 10, 1975, during a violent storm on Lake Superior that produced hurricane-force winds and 25-foot waves. The last transmission was received at 7:10 p.m., and it disappeared from its companion ship’s radar shortly thereafter.
Where did the Edmund Fitzgerald sink?
It sank in Lake Superior, about 15 miles northwest of Whitefish Point, Michigan, in Canadian (Ontario) waters.
How deep is the Edmund Fitzgerald?
The ship rests in approximately 530–550 feet of water, one of the deepest major wrecks in the Great Lakes. It is largely preserved by the frigid, low-oxygen environment of Lake Superior.
How long was the Edmund Fitzgerald?
The Edmund Fitzgerald was 729 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 39 feet high, making her the largest Great Lakes freighter at the time of her launch.
Who was the captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald?
Captain Ernest M. McSorley, a veteran sailor from Toledo, Ohio, was the captain of the ship.
What were the final words ever transmitted from the Edmund Fitzgerald?
The final words ever transmitted from the SS Edmund Fitzgerald were, “We are holding our own,” spoken by Captain Ernest M. McSorley to the nearby freighter Arthur M. Anderson at 7:10 p.m. on November 10, 1975. Just minutes later, after reporting heavy seas, topside damage, and loss of radar, the Fitzgerald vanished from the Anderson’s radar and was never heard from again.
What caused the SS Edmund Fitzgerald to sink?
The exact cause remains unknown. Theories include structural failure, hatch damage, and rogue waves. No definitive “smoking gun” has ever been confirmed.
How old was the Edmund Fitzgerald when it sank?
It was 17 years old when it sank, having been launched in 1958.
Can you dive the Edmund Fitzgerald wreck site?
No. The site is an underwater gravesite, and diving is prohibited by Canadian law with a 500-meter restricted radius.
Is the Edmund Fitzgerald Wreck Site Protected?
Yes. In 2006, the Ontario government announced a new regulation under the amended Ontario Heritage Act that formally limits access to the Edmund Fitzgerald, requiring site-specific provincial licenses for any dives or research and ensuring these underwater gravesites are permanently protected and treated with respect.
Why is the Edmund Fitzgerald so famous?
The Edmund Fitzgerald is famous due to the magnitude of the tragedy, its mysterious cause, and the cultural impact of Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
What is done each year to remember the crew?
The Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Ceremony at Whitefish Point rings the ship’s bell 29 times—once for each crew member—and once more for all who’ve lost their lives on the Great Lakes.