How many died on edmund fitzgerald

On November 10, , two ships made their way in tandem across the stormy waters of Lake Superior. One was the Arthur M.

Anderson , led by Captain Jesse Cooper. The other, captained by Ernest McSorley, was the S. Edmund Fitzgerald. The ship was last seen on radar around p.

All 29 men on board were lost with it, and today, more than four decades after the most famous shipwreck in Great Lakes history, the cause is still a mystery. Here's what we do know about the S. Edmund Fitzgerald , and what happened to it that fateful day:.

The large cargo vessels that roamed the five Great Lakes were known as lakers, and the S. Edmund Fitzgerald was, at the time, the biggest ever built. It was christened on June 8, , and made its first voyage on September 24 the same year. Great Lakes Engineering Works of Ecorse, Michigan, was contracted to build the ship in by Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company, which had invested heavily in the iron and minerals industries.

The chairman of Northwestern Mutual had a long history with the Great Lakes shipping industry. Most lakers traversing the Great Lakes and the connecting waterways carry massive amounts of raw materials such as rock, salt, and grain.

The Edmund Fitzgerald generally loaded taconite , low-grade iron ore, from mines on the shores of Minnesota and transported the pellets to steel mills near Detroit and Toledo, Ohio. November is a brutal month on the Great Lakes. Hubbard, rector at the church also known as "The Maritime Sailors' Cathedral. As beautiful as they are, the Great Lakes can be incredibly dangerous. This service honors and remembers those who have perished over the centuries.

More than 10, lives have been lost in the roughly 6, shipwrecks on record in the five inland seas. The S. Edmund Fitzgerald sank Nov. Coast Guard survey using a side scan sonar showed two big objects near each other. Between Nov. Navy commissioned a second survey with Seaward, Inc. Since the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the government and other organizations have conducted many underwater surveys:.

After these surveys, the Ontario Heritage Act was amended in to hinder dives, pictures, and scans of the wreckage without a license. The Act was amended again in and as well.

No survey equipment of any kind is allowed near the shipwreck without a license. After the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, an investigation by the U. Coast Guard resulted in 15 recommendations for regulation changes. Coast Guard 19 recommendations. The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald has been memorialized in numerous ways over the decades.

Aside from traditional ceremonies, there are books, plays, songs, and TV specials that remember the shipwreck. Every year on Nov. The museum is where the recovered bell from the ship is on display. During the ceremony, the bell rings 29 times for each of the lost crew members, and their surviving family members have the opportunity to participate. The bell also rings a 30th time in remembrance of the estimated 30, people who have lost their lives on the Great Lakes.

Additionally, some of the surviving family members gather to mark special events or anniversaries related to the Fitzgerald. For instance, a consecration ceremony was held over the wreckage on Lake Superior and a dozen families attended. Read more about how the Edmund Fitzgerald is remembered here. He had some experience sailing the Great Lakes and knows how unpredictable the weather can be. Although the lyrics tell a true story, Lightfoot took some creative liberties to make the seven verses rhyme.

Since releasing the song in , he has changed some of the lyrics for live performances because a couple of them offended a few people. It reached No. Cash Box Top The song was nominated for two Grammy Awards, too. Even though it was about 6. The lyrics were just too important. Great Lakes Brewing Co. This tribute to the lost crew has notes of bittersweet chocolate and coffee, and it pairs well with chocolate and oysters.

It has won numerous awards, and you can cook with it. Included are a spiral-bound instruction booklet and a bamboo wooden box. Along with these products, you can find a lot of Edmund Fitzgerald merchandise on Etsy. Sellers create models, T-shirts, perfume bottles, blankets, vinyl decals, art pieces, coasters, and so much more.

We may not have fit everything there is to know about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald in this single post, but you could learn even more from the GLSHS. Founded in , its mission is to preserve lighthouses and honor the brave lives lost on Lake Superior.

Marie — all of which offer educational and informational exhibits. Additionally, the GLSHS continues to perform diving and underwater research as well as research into the stories of shipwrecks on the lake. Its Research Vessel David Boyd is a foot boat equipped with a side scan sonar, remotely operated vehicle, advanced navigation electronics, underwater digital imaging equipment, and digital surface interface data storage.

On top of that, Amazon has a plethora of DVDs and books that you can purchase:. The ship sank on Nov. The exact cause of the shipwreck has never been officially pinpointed. The freighter rests feet below the surface of Lake Superior. Also, the Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy remains a mystery and the most recent disaster on Lake Superior — some of the surviving family members of the lost crew are still alive today.

All 29 crew members died during the shipwreck, and none of their bodies were recovered from the wreckage. In most bodies of water, the bacteria that decay sunken bodies cause bloating, which makes the bodies rise to the surface. As a result, sunken bodies never resurface and take much longer to decay.