Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald: A 50-Year Legacy

Sat Nov 01 2025 16:36:32 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy, commemorating the lives lost in one of the Great Lakes' most infamous shipwrecks. Join us as we reflect on the impact of this event and the ongoing memorials dedicated to its crew.

The Edmund Fitzgerald sank on November 10, 1975, taking with it all 29 crew members. As the ship's legacy continues to resonate, memorials and events are planned this year to honor the lives lost, including tributes at the Great Lakes Historical Museum and Mariners’ Church. The tragedy also spurred improvements in maritime safety across the Great Lakes. Families and communities gather annually to remember the crew, with the haunting melodies of Gordon Lightfoot’s ballad keeping their story alive.

MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) — Spend enough time along the shores of Lake Superior and it won’t be long before there’s some reminder of what happened 'when the gales of November came early.'

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest and most famous of the estimated 6,500 ships that have gone down in the Great Lakes. The Fitzgerald is remembered while others fade into obscurity, largely due to Gordon Lightfoot’s 1976 folk ballad that became a surprise hit.

The Fitzgerald, a 730-foot long freighter named after a Milwaukee insurance executive, sank in Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975, taking the lives of all 29 men on board.

‘A crew and good captain well-seasoned’

The Fitz, as it’s affectionately known, was the largest ship on the Great Lakes when launched in 1958, maintaining that title until 1971.

On its final voyage, the ship departed Superior, Wisconsin, carrying 26,000 tons of iron ore to Zug Island in Detroit.

Oliver 'Buck' Champeau, 41, was making his first trip on 'The Mighty Fitz.' The U.S. Marine veteran was drawn by the higher pay that comes with the increased risk during this season, recalls daughter Debbie Gomez-Felder, then just 17.

“It was an honor to be on the Fitzgerald," she said, now living outside Milwaukee and surrounded by images of her father and paintings of the iconic vessel.

Most crew members hailed from states bordering the Great Lakes — Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Minnesota. Captain Ernest M. McSorley, at 63, planned to retire after the 1975 season and was known for his adept storm navigation. However, the storm that struck on Nov. 10 proved exceptionally fierce.

‘When the waves turn the minutes to hours’

McSorley opted for a northerly route, shielded by highlands along the Canadian shore. Gale warnings were issued the evening of Nov. 9, escalating to storm warnings early on Nov. 10. Nearby ship Arthur Anderson reported waves hitting 25 feet. The last transmission from McSorley indicated that they were struggling but holding steady.

“We are holding our own,” he stated. That message was the last heard from the Fitzgerald.

Debbie still remembers the day after the tragedy vividly when she was called out of class and rushed home to discover that the Fitzgerald had gone missing.

“I was banging on the church doors at St. Michael’s, wanting answers,” she recalls, unable to comprehend the disaster.

‘And all that remains is the faces and the names’

The cause of the Fitzgerald's rapid sinking remains a mystery, despite several theories. The wreck prompted significant safety enhancements for maritime operations, noted Frederick Stonehouse, whose 1977 book 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald' initiated a plethora of literature on the incident. Remarkably, no similar-sized ship has sunk in the Great Lakes in the subsequent decades.

“Every sailor on the Great Lakes owes a debt to the Fitzgerald,” stated Stonehouse, who taught maritime history at Northern Michigan University.

Currently, the wreck lies 535 feet underwater, about 17 miles north of Whitefish Point, protected under Canadian law. Recovery actions or unauthorized dives are prohibited. Families, including Gomez-Felder, have advocated for maintaining the sanctity of the site, wishing not to disturb the resting place of their loved ones.

‘The legend lives on’

Annual events commemorate the men lost at sea, with this year's observances generating heightened public interest due to the 50th anniversary. The Great Lakes Historical Museum is preparing for a commemorative event on Nov. 10, along with family-exclusive ceremonies streamed online. Moreover, the bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald, retrieved in 1995 at the request of crew families, stands as a permanent memorial there.

Bruce Lynn, director of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, expects record attendance at the museum this anniversary year.

“Remembering the Fitzgerald also means acknowledging all other shipwrecks,” he expressed.

In Detroit, the Mariners’ Church bell rang 29 times in tribute to the crew, a somber act memorialized through Lightfoot’s poignant lyrics of “the church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times.” Following Lightfoot's passing in 2023, the bell rang an extra time, symbolizing the everlasting remembrance of all sailors lost beneath the Great Lakes.