Big Fitz, Rest in Peace

At this hour, on this day in 1975, the ore freighter Edmund Fitzgerald sank in a storm on Lake Superior. All 29 hands were lost.

The storm that brought the ship down contained sustained winds of nearly 70 miles per hour, producing waves over 25 feet.

There are many theories about what caused her loss. Mine is that, taking on water, she sat dangerously low in the water, and buried her nose in the trough of a 25 footer, disappearing quickly in 500 feet of Superior, her mighty engines driving her down. She's in two pieces at the bottom.

This is the last known photograph of the ship, taken two weeks before her sinking.


The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum always provides a fitting tribute.

Split Rock Lighthouse Memorial Beacon Lighting

Captain Darrel Walton with some very interesting stories and perspectives ...

Drink your glasses empty to "Big Fitz" ... rest in peace, boys.