SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank on Nov. 10, 1975, with all 29 crew members perishing (Photo used with permission by Wikimedia Commons/SHIPWRECK: MYSTERY-SS Edmund Fitzgerald).

On Nov. 10, 1975, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald encountered a severe storm resulting in the sinking of the ship. Still to this day, the exact cause of the tragedy remains unknown, which has caused it to become a popular urban legend in the Illinois and Wisconsin areas. The accident took place roughly 450 miles from Sioux Falls on Lake Superior. With the recent 50th anniversary of the tragedy, the unsolved mystery has gained public attention. 

SS Edmund Fitzgerald is one of the largest and most famous freighters to sail the Great Lakes. The ship launched in 1958 and was the largest ship on the Great Lakes. Its job was to carry taconite from mines along the Minnesota Iron Range. It would sail from near Duluth, Minnesota, over to Detroit, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio. It was a very successful ship for 17 years, setting seasonal haul time records six times and sometimes even breaking its own records. 

The mystery began on Nov. 9th at 2:15 p.m. SS Edmund Fitzgerald was en route to Detroit, Michigan, carrying 26,116 tons of cargo. The forecast for the day appeared to have a small storm but nothing out of the ordinary. At 2 a.m. on Nov. 10, the National Weather Service upgraded its warnings to a storm, but the ship continued to travel at a fairly fast pace. Around 2 p.m., wind speeds picked up rapidly, and it began to snow which reduced visibility. At around 7 p.m., another ship traveling near the SS Edmund Fitzgerald notified them of an upbound ship and asked them how they were doing. Captain Ernest M. McSorley responded by simply saying, “We are holding our own.” This was the last time anyone aboard the ship was ever heard from. No distress signal was ever received, but ten minutes later, the ship they were sailing with, Arthur M. Anderson, lost the ability to reach them. It was clear that something was wrong, so the USCG asked the crew on Arthur M. Anderson to turn around and look for survivors. Multiple other freighters and aircraft eventually came to assist them on a three-day search. 

There were 29 people aboard the ship, including Captain McSorley, and despite search and rescue efforts, no bodies were ever found. In the search, they were only able to recover some debris, such as lifeboats and rafts. SS Edmund Fitzgerald is widely considered the largest and best-known vessel lost on the Great Lakes. There are many theories as to what happened to the ship, as despite the storm, it remains a mystery as to what exactly went wrong. 

The captivating mystery was elevated in 1976 with the popular song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot. To commemorate the 50th anniversary, the National Museum of the Great Lakes honored the crew’s memory with a weekend of meaningful reflections and special performances.