DETROIT, Mich. (MWSN) — The wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, one of the most tragic events in Great Lakes history, marks its 50th anniversary on November 10th, 2025. Fifty years earlier, as the morning light broke on November 9th, 1975, the ship cast off from the calm waters of Superior, Wisconsin, heading for Detroit, unaware it would never complete its journey. Aboard were 29 men- sailors seasoned by the demands of the Great Lakes, who trusted the massive freighter that had become a symbol of grit and resilience on these inland seas.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was a behemoth, celebrated since its launch on June 7th, 1958, as the largest ship ever to navigate the Great Lakes. For nearly two decades, this giant carried taconite iron ore across the vast waters from the mines near Duluth, Minnesota, to bustling steel mills in Detroit, Toledo, and other Great Lakes ports. The ship, revered for its strength, set record after record, becoming a Great Lakes workhorse.
With Captain Ernest M. McSorley at the helm, a veteran mariner, the Fitzgerald embarked on what should have been a routine run on November 9th. Laden with ore pellets, it was joined by the SS Arthur M. Anderson, a companion vessel that often shared its route. The two ships steamed eastward, unaware of the ferocious storm brewing ahead.
By nightfall on November 10th, a monstrous gale tore through the lake, transforming it into a churning nightmare. Near-hurricane-force winds screamed across the water, and waves towered as high as 35 feet, rising and falling with bone-shaking power. The Edmund Fitzgerald, battling the relentless assault, sent out cryptic final messages, each one more ominous than the last. Then, in the dark, icy hours of the night, the ship vanished, swallowed whole by the depths of Lake Superior, taking all 29 men with it.
Though no one survived to recount the final minutes aboard, the Edmund Fitzgerald‘s story endures- a haunting reminder of the lake’s indomitable power and the courage of those who dared to navigate its waters. The Fitzgerald, even in her ice water grave, remains the largest vessel ever lost on the Great Lakes.
This is the timeline of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald:
8:30am on November 9th, 1975: The ship begins to be loaded with 26,000 tons of taconite pellets to prepare for departure from Superior, Wisconsin. The ship was chartered for Zug Island on the Detroit River.
2:15pm on November 9th: The Edmund Fitzgerald departs for Zug Island, which is near Detroit. The freighter quickly reached 16.3 mph, which was its top speed.
5:30pm on November 9th: Another ship, the Arthur M. Anderson, joins the Fitz. It was about 15 miles behind the Fitzgerald, and was the ship most in touch with the freighter throughout the next 24 harrowing hours. The Anderson was under the command of Captain Jesse B. Cooper.
7:00pm on November 9th: The National Weather Service issues gale warnings for the area that the Fitzgerald was set to travel through- essentially all of Lake Superior. It is the first indication of possible trouble.
9:00pm on November 9th: Over the next few hours, conditions steadily decline, growing increasingly threatening and ominous on the open waters of the massive lake.
10:00pm on November 9th: At some point the waters shift from unfriendly to angry, as it turns from rain on the open water to an outright storm.
11:00pm on November 9th: Into the night conditions continually grow worse. What started as ominous and threatening, has now grown from a storm into dangerous weather.
1:00am on November 10th: The Edmund Fitzgerald reports winds up to 60 miles-per-hour and 10-foot high waves.
1:00am on November 10th: The SS Edmund Fitzgerald has found herself wrestling with the rising fury of the storm. 20 miles south of Isle Royale, she moves through waves that crash against her sides and onto the deck.
5:00am on November 10th: As dawn approaches, the storm shows no sign of yielding. The crew has been fighting brutal storm conditions for over six hours at this point.
6:45am on November 10th: As dawn breaks, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald continues her battle against the storm. The ship faces relentless 35-knot winds and ten foot waves.
7:00am on November 10th: Fitzgerald calls the company office to report a delayed arrival due to worsening weather conditions. The ship is approximately 35 miles north of Copper Harbor.
9:30am on November 10th: By mid-morning, the storm reportedly began to show signs of intensifying further.
12:00pm on November 10th: Lunchtime aboard the Fitzgerald is nonexistent. It’s simply too rough to prepare meals.
1:00pm on November 10th: Captain McSorley reportedly decides to alter the ship’s course slightly, seeking any advantage against the storm.
2:45pm on November 10th: Anderson changes course to avoid Six Fathom Shoal area north of Caribou Island. Fitzgerald is about 16 miles ahead.
2:45pm on November 10th: Heavy snow begins to fall and the Fitzgerald is lost from sight. It’s the last time the ship would be seen by human eyes.
3:20pm on November 10th: The Anderson’s instruments confirm the situation is worsening. Winds are now howling in from the northwest at 43 knots. Waves range between 12 and 16 feet.
3:30pm on November 10th: A radio transmission between Edmund Fitzgerald Captain Ernest McSorley and Arthur M. Anderson Captain Jesse Cooper takes place as the ships attempt to make it to Whitefish Bay to ride out the storm.
Captain Ernest McSorley via Radio (3:30pm): “Anderson, this is the Fitzgerald. I have sustained some topside damage. I have a fence rail laid down, two vents lost or damaged, and a list. I’m checking down. Will you stay by me til I get to Whitefish?”
Captain Jesse Cooper via Radio (3:30pm): “Charlie on that Fitzgerald. Do you have your pumps going?”
Captain Ernest McSorley via Radio (3:30pm): “Yes, both of them”
4:10pm on November 10th: The Fitzgerald radios Anderson to request navigational help. The Arthur M. Anderson agrees to serve as the eyes of the ship.
4:25pm on November 10th: Many theorize that at this time the ship may have run aground in shallow waters as it passed too closely to Caribou Island.
4:39pm on November 10th: The Fitzgerald, now nearing Whitefish Point, attempts to tune into the radio beacon, but cannot pick it up.
4:40pm on November 10th: NWS revises forecast again, predicting northwest winds between 38 to 52 knots with gusts up to 60 knots, as well as waves between 8 and 16 feet.
4:50pm on November 10th: Captain McSorley makes increasingly urgent radio calls to any vessel near Whitefish Point, seeking information about the beacon and light.
5:30pm on November 10th: Radio transmission between the salt water vessel Avafors and the Fitzgerald:
Avafors via Radio: “Fitzgerald, this is the Avafors. I have the Whitefish light now but still am receiving no beacon. Over.”
Captain Ernest McSorley via Radio: “I’m very glad to hear it.”
Avafors via Radio (5:30pm): “The wind is really howling down here. What are the conditions where you are?”
Captain Ernest McSorley via Radio (5:30pm): (Indiscernable shouts heard by the Avafors.) “Don’t let nobody on deck!”
Avafors via Radio (5:30pm): “What’s that, Fitzgerald? Unclear. Over.”
Captain Ernest McSorley via Radio (5:30pm): “I have a bad list, lost both radars. And am taking heavy seas over the deck. One of the worst seas I’ve ever been in.”
Avafors via Radio (5:30pm): “If I’m correct, you have two radars.”
Captain Ernest McSorley via Radio (5:30pm): “They’re both gone.”
5:45pm on November 10th: Conditions continue to worsen on the lake as the evening wears on.
5:45pm on November 10th: As darkness envelops Lake Superior on the evening of November 10th, the storm unleashes a new level of fury.
6:55pm on November 10th: Just before 7:00 PM, the Arthur M. Anderson, trailing behind the Edmund Fitzgerald, reports being struck by two massive waves- 35 feet above the lake’s surface.
7:10pm on November 10th: Radio transmission between the Anderson and the Fitzgerald. The Fitzgerald is still being followed by the Arthur M. Anderson. They are about 10 miles behind the Fitzgerald.
Captain Jesse Cooper via Radio (7:10pm): “Fitzgerald, how are you making out with your problem?”
Captain Ernest McSorley via Radio (7:10pm): “We are holding our own.”
Captain Jesse Cooper via Radio (7:10pm):“Okay, fine. I’ll be talking to you later.”
They did not ever speak again.
7:15pm on November 10th: The outline of the Fitz first blurs, and then vanishes from the radar screens of the Arthur M. Anderson. This temporary disappearance is routine in such torrential conditions.
7:15pm on November 10th: Captain Cooper contacted the upbound saltwater vessel Nanfri and was told that she could not pick up Edmund Fitzgerald on her radar either.
7:20pm on November 10th: The situation takes a grave turn. The blip representing the mighty Fitzgerald, usually a steadfast presence on the radar, flickers uncertainly, and then disappears altogether.
Captain Cooper of Arthur M. Anderson calls the United States Coast Guard (USCG) in Sault Ste. Marie. The USCG responders instructed him to call back on channel 12 because they wanted to keep their emergency channel open.
7:54pm on November 10th: Despite repeated attempts to raise the USCG, Cooper was not again successful until 7:54pm when the officer on duty asked him to keep watch for a 16-foot boat lost in the area.
8:25pm on November 10th: Cooper again calls the USCG to express his concern about Edmund Fitzgerald. The ship is still not declared missing at the time.
9:03pm on November 10th: At 9:03pm Cooper again reports that the ship is still missing. Petty Officer Philip Branch later testified, “I considered it serious, but at the time it was not urgent.”
9:03pm on November 10th: Unbelievably, the USCG asks Arthur M. Anderson to turn around and look for survivors, which they bravely do.
10:30pm on November 10th: The USCG asked all commercial vessels anchored in or near Whitefish Bay to assist in the search.
10:30pm on November 10th: The initial search for survivors is carried out by the Arthur M. Anderson, who has returned to the general area.
10:53pm on November 10th: A Coast Guard single wing aircraft from Traverse City, Michigan joins the search, lending searchlights through the darkness and the driving rain.
1:00am on November 11th: An HH-52 USCG helicopter with a 3.8-million-candlepower searchlight arrives on scene and assists in the search efforts.
2:00am on November 11th: The William Clay Ford, another freighter, arrives at the scene around 2:00 AM. Together with the Arthur M. Anderson, they comb the waters of Lake Superior.
What happened afterwards?
None of the crew were found. The 29 crew members aboard all perished.
On her final voyage, Edmund Fitzgerald’s crew of 29 consisted of the captain, the first, second and third mates, five engineers, three oilers, a cook, a wiper, two maintenance men, three watchmen, three deckhands, three wheelsmen, two porters, a cadet and a steward. Most of the crew were from Ohio and Wisconsin; their ages ranged from 20-year-old watchman Karl A. Peckol to Captain McSorley, 63 years old and planning his retirement.
The following year, the wreck was found about 530 feet down in Lake Superior just 17 miles short of Whitefish Point. In 1995, the bell of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald was raised and restored and is now at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point.
A new bell was placed on the sunken ship with the names of the 29 men who died engraved on it. The disaster is one of the best-known in the history of Great Lakes shipping. Gordon Lightfoot made it the subject of his 1976 hit song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
The sinking led to changes in Great Lakes shipping regulations and practices that included mandatory survival suits, depth finders, positioning systems, increased freeboard, and more frequent inspection of vessels.
This article is comprised of information and media from the Associated Press, Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and Detroit News. For more sports, news and entertainment follow the Midwest Sports Network on Twitter @MWSNsports or like our page on Facebook.
This article is updated annually and small details are added. In 2021 a major edit was made to the opening timeline to clarify that the ship began to load with pellets in the morning, but did not depart until the afternoon. In 2025 a significant amount of edits were made for clarity and flow, but no factual information or data was added or removed.
