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S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald set out from port 43 years ago

Posted at 1:33 PM, Nov 09, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-09 13:33:10-05

LAKE SUPERIOR – 43 years ago today, the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald left port in Superior, Wisconsin, only to never make it to its destination.

The Gales of November howled and the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald sank into Lake Superior the next day, November 10, 1975.  29 men died that evening.

The ship was loaded with 26,000 tons of taconite pellets and was heading to Zug Island on the Detroit River. The National Weather Service had issued Gale Warnings.

At 7:00 a.m. on November 10, the ship sent back a weather report saying the winds were 35 knots and there were ten-foot waves. Waves as high as 30 feet were reported by other ships throughout the day on November 10.

The last contact with the ship was made about 7:00 p.m., and it is estimated that it sank around 7:30 p.m. The wreck of the ship was officially identified in May of 1976.

For more history on the ship and the storm, CLICK HERE.