Maritime Lawyers

Shipping Disasters: Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald

The Edmund Fitzgerald was the worst naval disaster on the Great Lakes in 11 years. The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior, with no survivors among its crew members.

The Edmund Fitzgerald was the largest carrier on the Great Lakes from the time of its launch in 1958 until 1971. The ship was carrying iron ore across the Great Lakes when a massive storm arrived on the evening of November 9th. The captains of the Edmund Fitzgerald and the Arthur M Anderson consulted via radio and changed their course due to threatening weather around 2 a.m. on the morning of the 10th. The new course took them closer to Canada’s coast but also provided a northern route. A northern course would protect the ships from the waves that the storm generated. Rather than cutting across the waves, the ships would go with them.

While on this northern course, the ships were headed towards the relative safety of Whitefish Bay. By 5:45 P.M. on the 10th, the captain of the Arthur M Anderson noted that the Fitzgerald was listing, had lost the use of its radar, and had water washing over its decks. The last radio communication with the ship occurred at 7:10 p.m. A few minutes after that, the ship was not detectable by radar or responding to calls by radio.

The ship sank suddenly and took all 29 people on board with it. It was later discovered that the ship’s wreck was in two main pieces. Some people think the ship, like other wrecks, broke apart at the surface due to the waves. Others were of the opinion that it sank suddenly because of faulty doors to the holds. These doors let water in gradually at a pace that was not noticeable which caused the ship to sink very quickly when it did.

If you have been injured in a maritime accident, contact the maritime lawyers of Williams Kherkher at 1-800-220-9341 to discuss your case and to determine your legal options.