The Largest Ship To Ever Sink On The Great Lakes

Hurricane force winds sent the vessel to the bottom

SS Edmund Fitzgerald (Public domain)

Despite having a generally genteel appearance, the Great Lakes of North America are prone to wicked storms that can kick up in an instant. The Great Lakes can host storms that pack winds up to 100 mph. For slow, heavily laden freighters, unexpected winds and swells can be exceedingly dangerous. These storms have been the doom of more than one boat and plane over the years which find themselves over their head and ultimately underwater.

That is exactly what happened to the SS Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975.

The Edmund Fitzgerald was sailing from Superior, Wisconsin to Zug Island near Detroit when a powerful storm swelled up over the lake and overwhelmed the crew. The freighter ultimately sank to the bottom.

The Sinking

Weather map from 1975 showing the powerful low (Public domain)

In the early hours of November 10th, 1975, a storm began intensifying over Lake Superior. A gale warning was upgraded to a severe storm warning by the National Weather Service. The Edmund Fitzgerald was carrying ore to a steel mill with a second sister ship when the winds began to pick up.