40 years ago this evening, November 10, 1975, the Great Lakes freighter Edmund Fitzgerald sank to the bottom of Lake Superior after battling 25 foot waves caused by gale force winds out of the north.

Immortalized the following summer by Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot's ballad, 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald', the event is a permanent part of Michigan folk lore.

Here are some videos commemorating the event, including Lightfoot talking about his relationship to the families of the crewmen, radio traffic from the attempt to locate the ship that evening, and other theories of what went on that night.

Here's Gordon Lightfoot discussing his continuing contact with crew members families and why he changed some of the lyrics of the immortal song.

here's a live version of the song where you can hear some of the changes Gordon made to the lyrics.

Next up we have some radio chatter from the Arthur Anderson, another freighter who was aiding in the Coast Guard search that fateful night of November 10.

Here we have a colorful Wisconsin mariner, Tug Boat Jim, recounting some memories his good friend recounted in a conversation, including the long held belief that the Edmund Fitzgerald's hull was outdated, and repairs to the ship were long overdue.

And here's a Disaster Channel story on the sinking, noting the size of the ship and its legacy for being one of the best ships to be on in heavy weather.

 

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