What wrecked the ‘Edmund Fitzgerald’? - Detroit Metro Times

This article discusses the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, a Great Lakes freighter that sank in a storm on November 10, 1975. The ship was carrying a cargo of iron ore from Superior, Wisconsin to Detroit, Michigan when it encountered severe weather conditions, including high winds and heavy rain.

The ship's crew attempted to navigate through the storm using radar and other navigation equipment, but they were unable to overcome the challenges posed by the bad weather. As the ship struggled to stay on course, First Mate Morgan Clark reported that he could no longer see the lights of the Fitzgerald on his radio transmission.

According to Captain Roy Anderson, who was in command of another ship in the area, Clark's report marked the last time he heard from McSorley or saw any signs of the Fitzgerald. The ship disappeared from radar and was never seen again.

The wreckage of the Fitzgerald was later found at the bottom of Lake Superior, about 17 miles northwest of Whitefish Bay. The cause of the sinking remains a topic of debate among historians and experts, with some attributing it to a combination of bad weather and equipment failure, while others point to human error or other factors.

The article also discusses the controversy surrounding Captain Edward Smith's decision to sail into the storm, as well as the role of the ship's crew in the disaster. It is worth noting that the captain's decision to sail through the storm was not unusual for a Great Lakes freighter at the time, and that many ships were built to withstand severe weather conditions.

In conclusion, the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald remains one of the most significant maritime disasters in American history, and it continues to be the subject of ongoing research and debate. The article provides a detailed account of the events leading up to the disaster, as well as the controversy surrounding the ship's sinking.
 
😊 I just read about the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinking and it's mind-blowing! 17 miles northwest of Whitefish Bay is where they found the wreckage... can you even imagine being out there on Lake Superior, battling severe weather, with no way to communicate? 🌊 The fact that we still don't know what exactly happened to the ship is pretty wild. Some say it was bad weather, equipment failure, human error... it's all so confusing! 🤯 I feel for the crew and their families who lost loved ones in that disaster. It's a sobering reminder of the power of nature and the importance of safety on the water 💔
 
.. think about this - a ship that was built to navigate treacherous waters, but ultimately succumbed to forces beyond its control... it's like, how much power do we really have over nature, you know? We build these machines to conquer the sea, but at what cost? The crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald was just doing their job, following procedure and using all the tech they had... but still, the storm was too much for them. It's a reminder that no matter how prepared we are, there's always an element of uncertainty out there, waiting to catch us off guard 🌊
 
🤯 I'm still shakin' my head about that storm on Lake Superior back in 1975 🌪️... Can you imagine bein' out there, tryin' to navigate through all that bad weather with nothin' but radar and your wits to rely on? 😬 It's crazy thinkin' about how the crew was fightin' a losing battle against Mother Nature 💔. And now, all we got is questions... What really happened that night? Was it just bad luck or somethin' more sinister goin' on 🤔? Anyway, I reckon we'll never know for sure, but one thing's for sure - the SS Edmund Fitzgerald will always be remembered as a tragic reminder of the power of nature and human fallibility 😢.
 
😐 I gotta say, this whole thing with the SS Edmund Fitzgerald still gives me chills. Like, can you even imagine being out on that lake in a storm like that? 🌪️ The thought of it is just...shaky.

But, at the same time, I'm all about letting the experts do their thing and figure out what really went down. I mean, we don't know all the details, right? Maybe there's some stuff that's still hidden in the archives or whatever. 🤔

It's crazy to think about how much we've learned from this disaster, though. Like, it's definitely changed the way ships are designed and operated on the Great Lakes now. That's gotta be a good thing, right? 🚢💡
 
I mean... can you believe this? The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was just cruising along, carrying its cargo of iron ore from one end of Lake Superior to the other, and then BAM! Out of nowhere, a storm hits and it's gone 🌪️. I'm thinking about how unpredictable the weather is on those Great Lakes, especially during the fall season. It's like, you can prepare for it or whatever, but at the end of the day, Mother Nature's just gonna do her thing.

And now we're talking about whether it was human error, equipment failure, or what that led to its sinking... I don't know man, it's just so tragic. 29 people lost their lives on that ship and it's still a mystery to this day 🤯. I guess that's part of the allure of these maritime disasters, though - they're like, frozen in time, you know? And we can just learn from them and try to be better prepared for situations like that.

But what really gets me is how some people are still debating the captain's decision to sail through the storm... I mean, it wasn't exactly unprecedented or anything. Great Lakes freighters were built to withstand rough weather, so I'm not sure why we're even having this conversation 🤔. Maybe it's just the way history is written sometimes? Anyway, it's a reminder that even with all our tech and whatnot, there's still gonna be situations where we can't fully prepare for or control the outcome.
 
I'm like "wow" thinking about how this tragedy still affects people today 🤯 I was reading an old comment from 2010 that said the Fitzgerald's crew received a lot of criticism for their sailing decisions but honestly it's not black and white, you know? The ship was built to withstand bad weather and many ships were doing the same thing back then. It's all about perspective, I guess. Anyway, I found this old article from 2018 that said the Fitzgerald's wreck was finally found in 1976 but only a few years ago there was a new discovery of a possible cargo hold on the ship, whoa! That's like, still happening today 🚢
 
🌊 The SS Edmund Fitzgerald's story still gives me chills... 50 yrs on and we still don't know for sure what happened. I mean, bad weather or equipment failure? It's like trying to piece together a puzzle with missing pieces 😐. And that captain's decision to sail into the storm... it just goes to show how unpredictable nature can be 🌪️.
 
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