Remembering the “SS Edmund Fitzgerald” that sank 50 years ago on 11/10/75. #Wordless Wednesday

Freighter on Lake Erie – 2025

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

SS Edmund Fitzerald @ Point Edward in 1971
Sourced f/Boat Nerd (boatnerd.com)

Click here please.

Sourced from Facebook Public Site: “I Grew Up in Michigan”
Sourced from Facebook Public Site: “I Grew Up in Michigan”

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About Linda Schaub

This is my first blog and I enjoy writing each post immensely. I started a walking regimen in 2011 and in 2013 I decided to create a blog as a means of memorializing the people, places and things seen on my daily walks. I have always enjoyed people watching, so my blog is peppered with folks I meet or reflections of characters I have known through the years. Often something piques my interest, or evokes a pleasant memory from my memory bank, so this becomes a “slice o’ life” blog post. I respect and appreciate nature and my interactions with Mother Nature’s gifts is also a common theme. Sometimes the most-ordinary items become fodder for points to ponder over and touch upon. I retired in March 2024 after a career in the legal field. I was a legal secretary for almost 45 years, primarily working in downtown Detroit, then working from my home. I graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in Mass Communications (print journalism) in 1978, though I’ve never worked in that field. I would like to think this blog is the writer in me finally emerging!! Walking and writing have met, shaken hands and the creative juices are flowing in Walkin’, Writin’, Wit & Whimsy. I hope you think so too. - Linda Schaub
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40 Responses to Remembering the “SS Edmund Fitzgerald” that sank 50 years ago on 11/10/75. #Wordless Wednesday

  1. J P's avatar J P says:

    That is a somber story, thanks for this!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. I learned about it from the song.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      And he (Gordon Lightfoot) supposedly read an article in “Newsweek” a few weeks after the freighter tragedy and sat down and wrote the song on the spot. It was/is still a powerful song. I’ve heard it a lot this week for the 50th anniversary, plus the freighter was built not far from where I live.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Debbie D.'s avatar Debbie D. says:

    Such a sad anniversary! 😞 Gordon Lightfoot’s song is a poignant homage. ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      Yes, it is a sad anniversary Debbie. I’ve watched several documentaries about the “Edmund Fitzgerald” in its glory days as well as about the tragedy in the last week. There is a historian (Ric Mixter) who wrote a book about his 30 years of research, including going down in a dive in 1995 and seeing the wreck for himself (plus the body) which is why the Canadian Government said “no more dives” after he reported on the crew member, so they declared it a gravesite. I’ve heard Gordon Lightfoot’s song a lot this week as they marked the anniversary, both up at Whitefish Point and also at the Mariner’s Church in Detroit.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. dawnkinster's avatar dawnkinster says:

    Such a sad event. I think it’s amazing, actually, that there haven’t been any other wrecks like it since in our Great Lakes.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      It is such a sad event Dawn and we feel closer to it here in Michigan, especially since the “Fitzgerald” was built right here in Ecorse. I’ve seen several documentaries this week about the freighter in its glory days – I had no idea it was furnished by J.L. Hudson’s department store, nor that they had a penthouse where the freighter’s namesake often traveled with his wife. So many theories on the cause of the wreck. It does not seem to me like it was 50 years ago. My boss, a labor attorney, represented several freighter companies as their labor counsel. I got to visit one of the freighters with him once when it was docked in Detroit and they took on paying customers for Great Lakes cruising, so those rooms were very elegant, as was the room where we had our meal – not what you would expect from a working freighter.

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      • dawnkinster's avatar dawnkinster says:

        Wow. That’s interesting.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

        Yes, I watched that documentary done by Click on Detroit on YouTube the other night – very interesting and showed how luxurious it was (for 1958 when it was built). I enjoyed it.

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      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

        Here is the documentary I mentioned and a second news story by Brian Entin, an investigative reporter I follow on “X” – he went to the ceremony at Whitefish Point on Monday night and interviewed Ric Mixter who is mentioned in the documentary. He is an historian who has researched the “Edmund Fitzgerald” for 30 years and was a diver at the site in 1995. He has some theories on the sinking and some harsh words about Gordon Lightfoot’s famouse song:

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  5. trumstravels's avatar trumstravels says:

    Such a tragedy and immortalized in Gordon Lightfoot’s song, a song I love. They will never be forgotten, every time you hear his song, they are thought of.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. I, of course, was familiar with this via Gordon Lightfoot’s song, but didn’t know much more until I heard several stories about it on NPR just the other day. Very sad.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      Janis, yes, I think a lot of people would not have known about the “Edmund Fitzgerald” if not for the song. Here in Michigan, more people knew about and followed the story because it was built in Ecorse and then the wreck occurred in Michigan waters as well. They held ceremonies this week at the Detroit Mariner’s Church and a ceremony up at Whitefish Point, 17 miles from where it went down. They have other annual ceremonies as well. They have retrieved the original ship’s bell, which is at the “Fitzgerald Museum” and one person from each family tolls the bell for their loved one. It’s very moving.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Although I’m familiar with Gordon Lightfoot’s oder to the Edmund Fitzgerald, I knew very little of its history. Or that it wrecked in 1975. Very poignant indeed, Linda.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      Terri, at the time they likened it to the sinking of the “Titanic” because in both cases, the vessels were the biggest and best vessels of their kind sailing the waters at that particular time. Both were also luxurious, especially this freighter, which had a penthouse suite and took on paying passengers. Some people thought the captain knew that there were issues with the “Edmund Fitzgerald” but because he had sailed in many storms, five in November 1975 alone, that he could make it anyway. smaller freighters DID make it through this bad hurricane-like storm, but they did not, breaking in half (reportedly above water).

      [Tonight we are supposed to have more Aurora sightings due to a strong (4) geomagnetic storm, the third night in a row. It’s not been as close to me each time, but I’m checking anyway.]

      Liked by 1 person

      • We had two aurora events here Tuesday and Wednesday. Very little cloud cover Tuesday. I could see the red colors with my naked eye! Of course i took pics both nights. I’ll be sharing those on the blog in 2 weeks. Perfect timing!

        I really hope you can see them. We won’t tonight, its raining!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

        I’m going to go and look again in a few minutes. Michigan Storm Chasers, a meteorology site I follow, has cameras all over the state and they are showing many of their “Aurora Cameras” (their name for them), all lit up in bright pinks. I hope I see something too.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. AnnMarie Stevens's avatar AnnMarie Stevens says:

    Miss Linda…………………………………………..there is an elderly man (my age) here at the American House Southland that worked on the Edmund Fitzgerald ship while he was in the US Army………………………….the Edmund Fitzgerald is special to me because while I was stationed at St. Hedwig’s Catholic Church in Toledo, there were several families who lost relatives that went down in 1975. I was a very young nun then.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      Ann Marie – that is very interesting. I’m sure he considers himself very lucky that he was not on the freighter that awful night. I know that the documentary I saw said there were crew members lost from Ohio and Wisconsin. You were interacting with the families that lost relative then while you were at the convent?

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  9. I was thinking about the picture that shows both sections?

    If the hull had snapped in half on the surface, you’d think the sections would be further apart ….considering that it fell 530 feet?

    Making me think It struck the bottom hard enough to separate?

    Was there any final story figured out?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      There are different theories, including one that it snapped in half on the surface and another that it went down during this hurricane-like storm as it was taking on so much water and started sinking, then as it was sinking, the bow jammed down hard into Lake Superior’s bottom, which caused it to snap in two, sending the stern flying and landing upside down. I saw a second video where an historian who has been researching the sinking of the “Edmund Fitzgerald” and did the dive when they found the crew member’s body, says that the captain knew there were problems before that fateful voyage and he had weathered so many storms that he was confident (perhaps over-confident). Even as the ship was taking on water and lost its navigational devices, the captain said “we’re holding our own” to the captain of the Arthur Anderson, the freighter that was nearby, then moments later they lost sight of it.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I think the bow filled with water until It hit a large wave and “dove deep”. It kept sinking fast until slamming into the bottom and fracturing.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

        That seems more likely, however, in the video documentary, there was a former crew member who said he remembered walking down the very long tunnel and some odd phenomenon happened with the lights all along the tunnel … he could see them all lined up along this walkway, then suddenly he couldn’t see them – like they disappeared, so there was an angle of some kind, not straight and he said it made him nervous … was something “off”?

        Liked by 1 person

      • I assume this tunnel was inside the hull? Not sure what you mean? That something paranormal was going on or the hull was flexing under pounding? I can’t see either being realistic.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

        Hi Wayne – I sent you the documentary I watched where the former crewman recounts, with pictures, (I don’t recall if it’s a video or still shots as I watched the video last Saturday), how it is a straight walkway and there are lights all along and then they disappear. He is saying that why is a straight walkway with lights all along, suddenly the lights suddenly are no longer visible … the walkway is straight, not curved? No, not paranormal, yes in the hull.

        Liked by 1 person

      • one would think the ships hull would bend vertically rather than horizontally?

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

        Wayne, I wonder if it was damaged at all when they lifted it into the water, as it didn’t really slide in gracefully, more like a big plop as it landed sideways? You would think that since they knew what type of conditions this freighter would encounter, they would have taken that into consideration as to the “give” in the structure. I worked in the Renaissance Center in Detroit. It was a more modern office building than I’d previously worked in. The ad agency where I worked moved our offices from an older building to there because Lincoln-Mercury wanted us with their offices. So sometimes on a very windy day, I can remember one of the bosses, would put a thumbtack with a pencil on a string hanging down onto his bulletin board and we would watch it swinging back and forth – not as much as a pendulum, but fascinating to watch anyway.

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  10. So weird that such a vessel could sink in one of the Great Lakes.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      Yes, especially one of this size as well. It has been likened to the sinking of the “Titanic” because both vessels were considered top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art for their time. Both were luxury vessels – yes, the “Titanic” was like a modern cruise ship and the “Edmund Fitzgerald” was a freighter, but it had a penthouse suite, was decorated by J.L. Hudson’s Department Store … it had fancy trappings. I saw a very interesting documentary about the tragedy, a look into the crew, by two people who have authored books, one a historian who has researched the backstory, sinking and also was on a dive team that went down by submarine in 1995. If you would like the link, let me know – it was on YouTube. I hope you are feeling better.

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  11. Tragic. First time hearing about this. Thank you for sharing it.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      You’re welcome Esther. The freighter was built not far from me and launched in 1958. Because of that fact and it sank in Michigan, a lot of people here are familiar with the story, but some crew members were from Ohio or Wisconsin. Most people only know of it from Gordon Lightfoot’s song. You would not have heard of it as you were not born yet. 🙂

      Like

  12. Dave's avatar Dave says:

    Loved the song from the first time I heard it, and few singer-storytellers are as good as Gordon Lightfoot. Had no idea the ballad was based on a true story!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      Yes, I loved the song too Dave – in fact all of Gordon Lightfoot’s songs as he was such a good storyteller. Yes, this was quite a tragedy and likened to the sinking of the “Titanic” since they were both state-of-the-art vessels. I know most Michiganders know about it as it went down in Michigan waters and the freighter was built near me, in an industrial part of the area.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. ruthsoaper's avatar ruthsoaper says:

    I am so glad that my husband is no longer working on the lakes. Especially this time of year. There were too many times he was out in weather that they never should have been in. Too many captains that are willing to take chances. Sadly, money talks.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      Yes, I think they should close down shipping season earlier than they do now, especially when the big freighters haul too late in the season and end up needing the Ice Cutters to clear a path for them to proceed. It endangers the men and the freighter to be out in those winds and waves.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Prior...'s avatar Prior... says:

    sad and interesting. – and I like learning about history – great feature 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      Thank you Yvette! This tragedy touched Michiganders especially since it happened in Lake Superior and the freighter was built and launched in River Rouge, Michigan as well. I included the documentary on it in my Monday post as I watched it on YouTube the weekend before the 50th anniversary and found it interesting. There were/are still many theories on what happened, whether it broke apart before it sank, or it was submerged and broke apart as it hit the lake bed of Lake Superior. I wanted to include what it looks like now – this was a dive in 1995 via a submarine. One of the divers is a historian and speaks about and has written a book on the “Edmund Fitzgerald”.

      Liked by 1 person

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