The Horrifying Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the Titanic of the Great Lakes
History Unplugged Podcast
History Unplugged
4.2 • 4K Ratings
🗓️ 13 January 2026
⏱️ 52 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
One of the worst nautical disasters in recent American history is the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. On November 10, 1975, the “storm of the century” threw 100 mile-per-hour winds and 50-foot waves on Lake Superior. The ship found itself at the worst possible place, at the worst possible time. When she sank, she took all 29 men onboard down with her, leaving the tragedy shrouded in mystery for a half century.
The sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald is so strange because the ship was exceptionally large and strong, and would normally be able to shrug off storms like this. At 75 feet wide and 729 feet long, the Fitzgerald was at the time of her launch the largest ship on the lakes, and she repeatedly broke her own records for the largest loads, the fastest runs, and the biggest season hauls throughout her career. She was a champion heavyweight, sprinter, and workhorse, all in one.
To make the sinking stranger, she suddenly disappeared in a bad storm on Lake Superior without sending any distress calls despite having a massive modern radio system. The most widely accepted theories for the disaster include the ship hitting a shoal, suffering a structural failure like a broken back, or being overwhelmed by massive "three sisters" rogue waves.
However, some less common and conspiracy-like theories suggest the crew did not properly close the hatch covers, the ship was actually split by a UFO, or that it was the victim of a secret Coast Guard experiment gone wrong.
Todays’ guest is John Bacon, author of “The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” We explore the vital role Great Lakes shipping played in America’s economic boom, the uncommon lives the sailors led, the sinking’s most likely causes, and the aftermath for those left behind.
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Transcript
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| 0:34.7 | Scott here with another episode of the History and Plug Podcast. |
| 0:37.9 | One of the worst nautical disasters in recent American history is the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. |
| 0:44.2 | On November 10, 1975, one of the worst storms in decades through 100-mile-per-hour winds and 50-foot waves on Lake Superior. |
| 0:51.5 | The ship found itself at the worst possible place at the worst possible time. When she's saying, she took all 29 men on board down with her, leaving the |
| 0:59.1 | tragedy shrouded in mystery for over half a century. The sinking of the Fitzgerald is strange, |
| 1:04.5 | because the ship was exceptionally large and strong, and would normally be able to shrug off storms |
| 1:09.4 | like this. At 75 feet wide and 729 feet long, |
| 1:13.7 | Fitzgerald was at the time of her launch the largest ship on the lakes, and she repeatedly |
| 1:17.9 | broke her own records for largest loads, the fastest runs, and the biggest season halls |
| 1:22.3 | throughout her career. It was like being a champion heavyweight, sprinter, and workhorse all in one. |
| 1:26.9 | To make the sinking |
| 1:27.9 | stranger, the ship suddenly disappeared in a bad storm of Lake Superior without sending any |
| 1:32.4 | distress signals despite having a massive modern radio system. The most widely accepted theories |
| 1:37.7 | for the disaster include the ship hitting shoal, suffering a structural failure like a broken |
| 1:42.1 | back, or being overwhelmed by massive rogue waves. |
| 1:46.4 | Some less common in conspiracy theories suggest the crew didn't properly close the hatch covers, |
... |
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