Remembering the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald

WAUSAU, Wis. (WXCO) – November 10th, only 49 years ago, a famous ship left the Superior port in Wisconsin and was never seen again.

A bomb cyclone is a low-pressure system that quickly gets very powerful. That was the type of storm that hit the Northland’s Lake Superior on November 10th in 1975.

It’s the historic storm that sank the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald in 35-foot waves created by 50-60 mph winds that reached gusts at hurricane speeds, well near 80 mph.

Now 49 years after the tragedy, a few people are trying to get a Wisconsin Historical marker to commemorate the Fitz leaving from Superior, her last port of call.

A plaque like this costs $8-thousand dollars and will be put up on Barker’s Island, not far from the Superior Entry the Fitzgerald left on, that fateful day.

2025 will be the “Year of the Fitz” in Superior and the marker will be up by the 50th anniversary.

Nov. 9th, 1975: 29 men boarded the Fitzgerald in Superior, Wisconsin carrying 29,000 tons of iron ore, headed towards Detroit and never to be seen again. (The Gordon Lightfoot song does say they were headed somewhere for Cleveland. Lyrics are incorrect, her destination was Zug Island in Detroit.)

Nov. 10th: The ship was slammed with a severe winter storm on Lake Superior. Gale Warnings were issued, with hurricane force winds and waves over 30 feet high battering the ship.

At 7 p.m. nearby ship Anderson made radio contact with the Fitzgerald and had her on their radar. When asked how the Fitzgerald was making out, they replied “We are holding our own”.

This was around 7:10 p.m.. Shortly afterwards, the Fitzgerald disappeared from the Anderson’s radar screen… sinking into vicious Lake Superior abruptly and taking her entire crew with her. She lies to rest now, in two pieces, under 530 feet of water… 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point, Michigan.

It’s terrifying what Lake Superior can do. While it may be beautiful, it is powerful. Never forget.

At the request of family members surviving her crew, Edmund Fitzgerald’s 200 lb. bronze bell was recovered by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society on July 4th, 1995.

The bell is now on display in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum as a memorial to her lost crew.