Forty Years Since the Edmund Fitzgerald Sank in Lake Superior

It was 40 years ago today that the ore freighter, The Edmund Fitzgerald, sank in 520 feet of icy Lake Superior water in a storm that brewed up 25 foot waves. All 29 crewmembers on board perished in the shipwreck.

This past Sunday, there was a service at Mariners' Church in Detroit which included the family members of some of those who went down with the ship. A scuplture called, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” will be unveiled this afternoon at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum in Detroit where it will be on display through the spring before it gets moved to its permanent location at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in the UP.

The sinking, which captured the attention of the nation at the time, also spawned the well-known song by Gordon Lightfoot, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” Lightfoot was at the Shipwreck Museum yesterday to visit with the families of the men who went down with the ship.

MLive.com has a story here where Lightfoot explains the inspiration for the song. And our friend Tim Hoffman reminds us that Lightfoot didn't know his song hit #1 when it first topped the chart because he was fishing at the time in a remote part of Canada.

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