Lake Superior never gives up its dead, including the crew of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, who all died 50 years ago. On November 10, 1975, the Great Lakes freighter sank when it was caught in a storm while on its way to Detroit. The ship had made this trip regularly, but by dawn, it rested on the bottom of the big lake. The storm that took down the ship had waves up to 35 feet tall and winds stronger than 60 miles per hour. Superior’s frigid waves snapped the boat into two pieces near 2:00 AM, which were found four days later on the fourteenth of November. 

The ship had carried a variety of iron ores for over 17 years, starting in 1958 when it was launched near Detroit. The Fitz was the largest ship on the Great Lakes at the time, and was called “the pride of the American side” in Gordon Lightfoot’s 1976 folk song. The vessel was also quite luxurious, especially for a cargo ship. Rooms had lush carpets and a state of the art pilothouse loaded with high tech nautical equipment. The Edmund Fitzgerald had a value of $24 million, making it the most expensive loss the Great Lakes had ever seen.

November 10th of this year marked the tragedy’s 50th anniversary, leading to many videos and posts on the internet regarding the ship. The thousands of posts about the wreck raised awareness about the ship and turned the anniversary into a trend. The trend momentarily took the place of early Christmas celebrations that occur right after Halloween. Many internet users dubbed early November as “Edmund Fitzgerald Season” and paid homage to the incident.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in the Upper Peninsula cares for parts of the boat that were recovered in trips to the wreck in 1989, 1994, and 1995. The most remarkable item displayed is the 200 lbs bronze bell which was recovered in 1995. The museum held a ceremony on the anniversary to honor the wreck and the lives of the 29 sailors that Lake Superior claimed. None of the sailors’ bodies were recovered, until 1994, a body wearing coveralls and a lifejacket was found and photographed near the wreck. This resulted in public outcry and a Michigan law that forbids recording bodies of victims that are less than 50 years old.  

The ship is famously memorialized in Gordon Lightfoot’s song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, which recalls the events of the fateful night. Though the freighter rests below the silent waters, the legend of the ship lives on through the annual traditions, bringing honor to the sailors, and caution to the great Lake Superior.