You’ve likely heard of the Edmund Fitzgerald during history class or in Gordon Lightfoot’s famous song about the ship’s ill-fated voyage, but do you know the true story behind this tragic Michigan event? While the Great Lakes provide Michiganders and visitors alike with plenty of fun and excitement, they aren’t without their darker side – and the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is proof.

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald took her maiden voyage in September of 1958.
Flickr/upnorthmemories
Throughout her 17-year tenure on the Great Lakes, the Edmund Fitzgerald transported iron ore between Minnesota and ports throughout Michigan and the Midwest.
Wikimedia Commons/Greenmars
The Edmund Fitzgerald was also a popular freighter for ship-watchers gathered at the Soo Locks. In fact, Captain Peter Pulcer was known for blasting music at spectators.
Flickr/rorvlyt
Others appreciated the Edmund Fitzgerald for her sheer size. Upon her maiden voyage, the freighter was the largest of her kind in the Great Lakes at a whopping 729 feet long.
Flickr/Pat Kight

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On the 9th of November, 1975, the ship embarked on what should have been a routine trip from Minnesota to Detroit. What happened next would shock the Great Lakes region.
Flickr/Deb Nystrom
Throughout the next 24 hours, a terrifying storm struck the waters of Lake Superior. With waves reaching 35 feet and gale-force winds, conditions were impossible to traverse.
Flickr/wreckphotos
On the evening of the 10th, the Edmund Fitzgerald lost its battle with nature and sunk just 20 miles from Michigan’s Whitefish Bay, though technically in Canadian waters.
Wikimedia Commons/Oaktree b
An official cause of the wreck was never determined, but the freighter's sinking took all 29 lives on board. To this day, the tragedy of the Edmund Fitzgerald remains haunting.
Flickr/Wonderal

Decades have passed since the most famous shipwreck to take place near Michigan, but its legacy lives on among marine history enthusiasts and everyday citizens alike. Do you recall learning of the Edmund Fitzgerald’s ill-fated voyage? Share your memories with us in the comment section below.

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