The night of the storm: 

Late on the afternoon of the 10th, the captain of the Fitzgerald made radio contact with another ship, the Avafor, and reported that they "had a bad list, had lost both radars, and was taking heavy seas over the deck in one of the worst seas he had ever been in." Captain McSorely was a seasoned sailor of the Great Lakes with 44 years of experience. The storm that hit when the Fitzgerald went down was one of the biggest, and the worst that Captain McSorley said he had ever seen. In the Fitzgerald's storm, winds as fast as 45 knots were reported, with waves as high as thirty feet. Both water pumps on the Edmund Fitzgerald were damaged, and the lifeboats were destroyed by the force of the storm.

At 7 p.m. the Anderson made radio contact with the Fitzgerald and had her on their radar. When asked how the Fitzgerald was making out they replied "We are holding our own". This was around 7:10 p.m.. Shortly afterwards the Fitzgerald disappeared from the Anderson's radar screen.

"...At seven p.m. a main hatchway caved in he said 'fellas it's bin good to know ya' The captain wired in he had water comin' in and the good ship and crew was in peril and later that night when 'is lights went out of sight came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

The Edmund Fitzgerald was lost with her entire crew of 29 men on Lake Superior November 10, 1975, 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point, Michigan.

 Links for the Edmund Fitzgerald:

Join us for a season to celebrate as we present and preserve our history!

Lake Superior Theatre is located at 270 Lake Shore Blvd. between the Lower Harbor Marina & Coast Guard Break Wall in Marquette, MI.  Parking at Mattson Park, a short walk from the theatre. 

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