NBM Dive Site Resource
SS Edmund Fitzgerald
Whitefish Point waters, Ontario, Canada
The Lake Superior freighter sank on November 10, 1975, with the loss of all 29 crew members. The wreck is a protected memorial and marine archaeological site. Public diving is prohibited.
Featured Hero Photograph
Regional species
Aquatic life in Lake Superior
These species are documented in Lake Superior fisheries surveys. The cards describe the wider lake.
Lake Trout
Salvelinus namaycushLake Superior’s offshore surveys record the deepwater siscowet form of lake trout.
Knepp Timothy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceOpen Aquatic Life Profile →
Burbot
Lota lotaThis freshwater member of the cod family is documented in Lake Superior fisheries surveys.
USFWS Mountain-PrairieOpen Aquatic Life Profile →
Lake Whitefish
Coregonus clupeaformisA native Great Lakes fish documented in Lake Superior fisheries surveys.
Seb951Open Aquatic Life Profile →
Site media
Photographs
Three views rotate from the published gallery on each visit.
Contributor media
Dive videos
Three featured video positions are reserved on every profile.Regional location and nearby land
Location map
Eastern Lake Superior, with Whitefish Point, Michigan, and the Ontario shoreline for orientation.Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Why divers know this place
Highlights
Great Lakes iron ore shipping, the final voyage and investigation, the 1995 bell recovery, and the memorial at Whitefish Point.
Shipwreck-only module
The wreck
Vessel history, loss, and protection status.
- Vessel type
- Great Lakes bulk freighter
- Year built
- 1958
- Year sunk
- November 10, 1975
- Vessel length
- 730 ft (223 m)
- Cause of loss
- Foundered during a severe Lake Superior storm. Investigators and later researchers have offered different explanations for the sequence of events.
- Protection or memorial status
- Protected marine archaeological site and memorial. Public diving prohibited.
History and significance
Great Lakes Engineering Works built the Fitzgerald at River Rouge, Michigan. The 730 ft (223 m) freighter entered service in 1958 and hauled iron ore on the Great Lakes. It was the largest ship on the lakes at its launch. On November 9, 1975, the Fitzgerald left Superior, Wisconsin, with taconite pellets bound for the steel mill on Zug Island near Detroit. It was crossing eastern Lake Superior in a severe storm the following evening when it disappeared before reaching Whitefish Bay. All 29 crew members died. The nearby Arthur M. Anderson had been in radio contact and took part in the search. A 1976 underwater survey confirmed the wreck’s identity and documented its separated bow and stern. The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board investigated the loss. The sequence of flooding and structural failure remains debated. On July 4, 1995, an expedition recovered the ship’s original 200 lb (91 kg) bronze bell. A memorial bell bearing the 29 crew members’ names was placed at the wreck. The original is displayed at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, Michigan.
Recovering the bell
Commemorative song
Listen to Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” ↗Site protection
Access notes
The wreck is protected under the Ontario Heritage Act and Ontario Regulation 11/06. Public diving is prohibited.
Site conditions
Conditions and hazards
Protected memorial site, extreme depth, cold water, remoteness, and severe Lake Superior conditions.
Related Diving Media
Books, productions, publications, audio, and communities connected to this site.
Books & Audiobooks
- Mighty Fitz →
Michael Schumacher
- The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald →
John U. Bacon
- The Trial of the Edmund Fitzgerald →
Michael Schumacher