Nobody Knows What Sank the ‘Edmund Fitzgerald.’ But Its Doomed Final Voyage Will Always Be America’s Defining Shipwreck

On November 10, 1975, the 729-ft Edmund Fitzgerald sank in a brutal Lake Superior storm, taking all 29 crew with her.Blinded by waves over 25 feet and battered by hurricane-force winds, the ship vanished without a distress call — just minutes after its captain radioed, “We are holding our own.”The cause is still a mystery, and every year on this day, we remember the 29 men who never made it to Whitefish Bay.#EdmundFitzgerald #GreatLakesHistory #LakeSuperior #ShipwreckHistory #OnThisDay | Triple

The loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald remains one of the most famous shipwrecks in history. Fifty years ago, on Nov. 10, 1975, all 29 crew members died as the ship sank in a disastrous storm on Lake Superior. The mystery that surrounds it and Gordon Lightfoot’s haunting song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” have created a fascination with the ship that has endured and seems to grow stronger with time. Story by Dan Kraker Video by Anne Guttridge Video of the beacon lighting by Eric Dischino for