The S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald was one of the largest Great Lakes freighters of itstime, measuring 730 feet from stem to stern. On Nov. 10, 1975, while traversingLake Superior, the boat encountered a terrible gale with winds approachinghurricane force.The fierceness of the storm and mountainous waves caused the ship to break upand sink approximately 17 miles from the entrance to Whitefish Bay. The boatwent down so fast that no distress signals were ever sent. The entire crew of29 perished.
The storm that caused this shipping catastrophe was just one of many that havepounded the Great Lakes in November. These formidable storms occur because ofthe violent tug-of-war that warm and cold air masses have this time of year. Inorder to take out a ship as large as the Edmund Fitzgerald, the storm wouldhave to reach peak intensity just as it was crossing the Great Lakes.
Story by AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist John Kocet.
