Fox Topix: Edmund Fitzgerald

What are your memories or thoughts about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald? What makes it such an enduring legend?

40 years ago today, the iron ore freighter Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior during a violent storm that was producing near hurricane force winds. All 29 crew members died. No bodies were ever recovered. It still holds as the largest shipping disaster ever on the Great Lakes.

Built in River Rouge, Michigan, the Edmund Fitzgerald was launched in 1958 and was the largest ore freighter on the Great Lakes.

On November 10, 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald was sailing from Superior, Wisconsin to Detroit, along with companion ship, Arthur M. Anderson, with a load of iron ore when she sank about 17 miles from Whitefish Bay in Canadian waters.

Since then, the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald has been a big part of Great Lakes lore, immortalized in the song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot.

For today’s Fox Topix, we want you to tell us: What are your memories or thoughts about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald? What makes it such an enduring legend?

Please share your comments below. You can also email us: mtm@mifox32.com.