As you stand on a warm, quiet summer day at Whitefish Point, Lake Superior feels gentle, almost tender. The water ripples over thousands of smooth, colorful stones. Sunlight scatters like diamonds across the deep-blue expanse and the breeze barely stirs. It’s hard to imagine what this lake is capable of. Beneath this calm surface lies a power that has risen again and again — sudden, violent, unforgiving.

Hundreds of ships have met their end in this water, from tiny wooden fishing boats to mighty “unsinkable” freighters. Roaring waves have tossed, battered and swallowed them whole, indifferent to terrified crews or anguished families waiting on shore. Yet maybe the lake’s deepest cruelty is its silence. Superior fiercely guards its secrets, defying the smartest minds and high-tech probes. Half a century after the SS Edmund Fitzgerald went down on November 10, 1975, we still don’t know how — or why.

Here’s What Fred Stonehouse Can Tell You

One of the premier authorities on Great Lakes shipwrecks is Fred Stonehouse, an acclaimed explorer, marine historian, author and lecturer. Raised along the beaches of New Jersey, he spent his youth fishing, swimming, boating and scuba diving. In 1966, he came to Northern Michigan University in Marquette with one desire: to explore the wrecks of Lake Superior and uncover the truths hidden beneath its waves.

Today, people seek out his expertise through his books, public lectures and even tailored presentations aboard Smithsonian cruises. But he recently paused his packed schedule to talk with us about the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. Here’s what we learned.

May We Never Forget

About the Ship

  • Commissioned to be built in 1957 by the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee, WI.
  • At the time it was built, it was the largest ship on the Great Lakes, measuring 729 feet (222 meters) long and weighing more than 13,600 tons. 
  • On June 8, 1958, the vessel was christened the Edmund Fitzgerald, the name of the firm’s president. 
  • On September 24, 1958, it took its maiden voyage and quickly gained popularity among boat enthusiasts. Over its years of service, the freighter’s normal course was to transport taconite and iron ore from Silver Bay, MN to steel mills in the Detroit and Toledo area. 
  • On its final voyage, Nov. 9-10, 1975, the Fitz was transporting 26,116 long tons of taconite pellets from Superior, WI to Zug Island in Detroit. 
  • The ship sank in a raging storm on the evening of Nov. 10, 1975, in eastern Lake Superior at 46° 59.9' N, 85° 06.6W. It lies approximately 17 miles from the entrance to Whitefish Bay, Michigan. It took with it all 29 crew members.

The Lost Crew

  • Captain Ernest M. McSorley who spent 44 years on Great Lakes freighters before his death. He was widely considered one of the best captains and was renowned for his skill and nerve.
  • Michael Armagost
  • Frederick Beetcher
  • Thomas Bentsen
  • Edward Bindon
  • Thomas Borgeson
  • Oliver Champeau
  • Nolan Church
  • Ransom Cundy
  • Thomas Edwards
  • Russell Haskell
  • George Holl
  • Bruce Hudson
  • Allen Kalmon
  • Gordon MacLellan
  • Joseph Mazes
  • John McCarthy
  • Eugene O'Brien
  • Karl Peckol
  • John Poviach
  • James Pratt
  • Robert Rafferty
  • Paul Riippa
  • John Simmons
  • William Spengler
  • Mark Thomas
  • Ralph Walton
  • David Weiss
  • Blaine Wilhelm

What the Coast Guard Concluded … and What Others Still Argue About

Stonehouse explained that investigators faced daunting challenges: no survivors and no witnesses. With help from a U.S. Navy aircraft equipped with a magnetic anomaly detector, the Coast Guard cutter Woodrush searched the lake Nov. 14–17 and again Nov. 22–25. Its sidescan sonar located two large pieces of wreckage. When investigators returned in May 1976, they confirmed the wreck as the Edmund Fitzgerald and documented extensive structural damage.

The Coast Guard’s April 1977 Marine Casualty Report concluded the most probable cause was massive flooding of the cargo hold through ineffective hatch closures. As a surge of water swept over the deck, the report stated, the flooding likely concentrated forward, forcing the bow down “into a wall of water” and causing the ship to plunge and break apart. The sinking was so sudden, investigators said, that no one could escape.

Several maritime historians support the hatch-failure theory. Others reject the idea that the crew left hatches unsecured and argue that one or more 12- to 16-foot waves struck the vessel’s pilot house, destroyed the fence railing and dislodged the covers. Another camp believes the Fitzgerald may have scraped a shoal near Caribou Island while seeking shelter in Whitefish Bay, fatally damaging the hull. Still others point to possible design flaws, rushed construction or substandard steel in the race to launch the biggest ship on the Great Lakes.

And then, Stonehouse noted, there are the space-alien theorists — the least credible and certainly the hardest to verify.

Still, no one knows the truth and it’s harder to come by. Canada has designated the wreck site a gravesite, halting diving expeditions. A remotely operated vehicle was permitted to film the wreck in 1989. Experts reviewed four hours of footage at Michigan State University, but Stonehouse said they found “no smoking guns.”

Yet, there is a positive outcome. Stonehouse credits the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as heroes. They transformed Great Lakes safety by installing 57 weather buoys and advancing storm forecasting. Today, when dangerous weather threatens, captains stay in port. Since the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald, there has not been a major Great Lakes shipwreck with fatalities.

Where to Dive Deeper into the Story

While the SS Edmund Fitzgerald still lies in the depths of Lake Superior, some of its most poignant artifacts have been brought to the surface for you to see. The primary place to experience the ship’s story is the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point in Paradise. Its heart-wrenching exhibits honor the power of Lake Superior and the bravery of Great Lakes mariners who have faced its fury for generations.

At the heart of the museum is one of its most moving relics, the Fitzgerald’s bell, respectfully raised from the wreck in 1995. Gordon Lightfoot's haunting ballad, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” also fills the gallery. Stonehouse notes that the song did more than memorialize the tragedy, it elevated the Fitz to “the Titanic of the Great Lakes.” Visitors rarely leave unchanged.

You’ll find another deeply meaningful stop in nearby Sault Ste. Marie aboard the Museum Ship Valley Camp. This retired freighter houses the largest Great Lakes maritime collection, with over 100 exhibits filling its massive cargo holds. Among them are two of Edmund Fitzgerald’s lifeboats along with compelling documentary footage that illuminates the ship’s demise.

Plan Your Visit

Book a room nearby in Paradise, Sault Ste. Marie or Escanaba. The SS Edmund Fitzgerald is just one of the U.P.’s spellbinding shipwreck stories. Find others on the shores of Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Take late fall hikes to rushing waterfalls, mountain forests and quiet sanctuaries and preserves. Then gather around our welcoming tables, sharing hearty meals and unhurried drinks as locals pass along stories and tips for your next adventure. You won’t want to leave, but the U.P. and its legends will stay with you and you’ll find your way back.