Today marks the 35th anniversary of one of the most famous shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. In 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald sunk to the bottom of Lake Superior after being caught in an intense storm. Twenty-nine people died in the wreck. To this day, the United States Coast Guard has not figured out why exactly the ship sank, but there were rumors that the crew had not fastened the hatches correctly. Many people believe that it wasn’t because of the rough weather.
However, John Tanner of the Great Lakes Maritime Academy said in a 2005 Associated Press article hat traveling in the Great Lakes is a much easier and safer tasks than it was during the days of the Fitzgerald.
The shipwreck is considered to be the worst maritime disaster in the history of the Great Lakes. But it also became popular through the famous Gordon Lightfoot song as well.
Several events will commemorate the anniversary. The Split Rock Lighthouse in Two Harbors Minnesota will shine its light tonight in memory of those who perished in the wreck. The Great Lake shipwreck Museum on Whitefish Point, just off where the ship sank, will also host a memorial service.
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