Fifty years ago, 29 lives were lost with the sinking of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald. The crew of the storied Great Lakes freighter was on Lake Superior in the late hours of November 10, 1975, approaching Whitefish Point, when they were lost in an early winter storm. It is estimated that winds exceeded 65 miles per hour and waves reached as high as 25 feet. The actual cause of its sinking is still unknown, but it can be assumed that they simply didn’t know the full extent of what that storm would bring.
The S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald is one of the best known Great Lakes tragedies, but it also marks a turning point in Great Lakes weather and water observing and data collection.
No commercial vessel has been lost on the Great Lakes since.
After 1975, great effort was made to increase the number of weather towers and lake instruments (such as buoys) around the region. Today, that is central to the Great Lakes Observing System’s mission. Observing technologies on the lakes gather real-time data that better inform small and large vessel operators. The information also helps support more accurate weather forecasts.
Today, we want to acknowledge the devastating fate of the lost crew and their ship. We also want to thank those that have worked to improve, and continue to support, the gathering of lake data and information required to make sure that no such disaster happens again.
See GLOS and Great Lakes observing in the news:
- 50 years later, Edmund Fitzgerald sinking leaves lasting effects on families, forecasting – Wisconsin Public Radio
- How the Edmund Fitzgerald Changed Great Lakes Shipping – Great Lakes Now
Learn more about “The Fateful Journey”: https://shipwreckmuseum.com/the-fateful-journey/
Feature image: “The Edmund Fitzgerald on St. Marys River in 1975” by Bob Campbell, courtesy of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.