LAKE SUPERIOR – 40 years ago today, the Gales of November howled and the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald sank into Lake Superior.
29 men died that evening.
The ship was loaded with 26 tons taconite pellets on the morning of November 9, 1975 in Superior, Wisconsin with a final destination being Zug Island on the Detroit River. The National Weather Service issued Gale Warnings on that afternoon. At 7:00am 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 7:00pm that evening and it estimated that it sank around 7:30pm. The wreck of the ship was officially identified in May of 1976.
For more history on the ship and the storm,CLICK HERE.
