{"id":69135,"date":"2025-11-10T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/?p=69135"},"modified":"2025-11-10T10:54:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T15:54:18","slug":"how-a-bonus-led-to-edmund-fitzgerald-sinking-and-6-more-surprises-about-ship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/outdoors-life\/how-a-bonus-led-to-edmund-fitzgerald-sinking-and-6-more-surprises-about-ship\/","title":{"rendered":"How a bonus led to Edmund Fitzgerald sinking.\u00a0And 6 more surprises about ship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The last trip of the season for the Edmund Fitzgerald was supposed to be a week before the storm<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>At least six of the crew of 29 planned to retire after the fateful trip<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The song about the shipwreck was a fluke and was almost not recorded<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s been 50 years since the Edmund Fitzerald sank in Lake Superior, taking the lives of all 29 aboard. There have been multiple books written about the tragedy, along with the famous song by Gordon Lightfoot. Yet there are many things about the boat, the cause of the sinking and the crew that remain surprising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bridge Michigan recently spoke to Michigan native John U. Bacon, author of the new book \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Gales-November-Untold-Edmund-Fitzgerald\/dp\/1324094648\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HUTDYZ95IJZR&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.av61VTUvLiJfQi-2yY0bcColFdKeNXKeWdaUl8dk7CATbTut3nzBQ6OqqHaAeQYxtOppUkveN68rr48M_MavZI--Ta9vT6nAtrjm6jBsGjA9srrJVIChFBrILT4bbHEh21ub9wcbXdIjse1TSz6CSB5j9XGcfenfArrhOVAfGqpM_WFTTJHof1rNkcXmEuGsyvn-k3W0UHj7xnHSoFh6lHklJsOn2F3NqBYCg44Pkug.QA9mKOrXCYwm-xrH1_9iDT6-zAMOBW3IFzHpgUnKUIo&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=gales+of+november+book&amp;qid=1762365851&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=gales%2Cstripbooks%2C135&amp;sr=1-1\">The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald<\/a>.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what surprised him about the disaster on Nov. 10, 1975 amid 25-foot waves and 80 mph winds, about 17 miles north of Sault Ste. Marie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Edmund Fitzgerald was famous even before the tragedy<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Bacon called the ore carrier a \u201crock star,\u201d that drew large crowds at the Soo Locks when it traveled through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/outdoors-life\/50-years-after-edmund-fitzgerald-michigan-author-explores-its-mystery-legend\/\"><strong>50 years after Edmund Fitzgerald, Michigan author explores its mystery, legend<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/outdoors-life\/the-gales-of-november-excerpt-edmund-fitzgerald-built-for-luxury-not-safety\/\"><strong>\u2018The Gales of November\u2019 excerpt: Edmund Fitzgerald built for luxury, not safety&nbsp;<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DOtfSbYgL1e\/\"><strong>Video interview with author John U. Bacon<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was for a long time the biggest, one of the fastest, (hauling) the most cargo,\u201d he said. \u201cIt broke every record in the Great Lakes for one trip for a season, and it did it repeatedly up until the \u201870s.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Great Lakes are more dangerous than the Atlantic Ocean<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Salt water turns ocean waves into \u201ca soft roller coaster,\u201d Bacon said, while Great Lakes waves are pointy and closer together, making storms more deadly for boats of all sizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere (were) 6,000 Great Lakes shipwrecks between 1875 and 1975, one a week on average. That\u2019s one a week for 100 years,\u201d Bacon said. \u201cThirty thousand men and women drowned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But since the Fitzgerald went down, no commercial ships have been lost on the Great Lakes. Weather forecasting has improved, and shipping companies are more cautious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>It was supposed to be the last trip for six of the crew<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The fateful trip that began Nov. 9 in Superior, Wisconsin, was going to be the last load of iron ore pellets before retirement for 63-year-old Captain Ernest McSorley. \u201cAt least five of his colleagues, his buddies, were going to retire also,\u201d Bacon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignright is-type-video is-provider-tiktok wp-block-embed-tiktok\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@bridge.michigan\/video\/7551114990548159757\" data-video-id=\"7551114990548159757\" data-embed-from=\"oembed\" style=\"max-width:605px; min-width:325px;\"> <section> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"@bridge.michigan\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@bridge.michigan?refer=embed\">@bridge.michigan<\/a> <p>On a balmy November day in Duluth, Minn., the captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald embarked on his last voyage before retiring. One day later, as a Canadian songwriter was struggling to find the words for a sea shanty he was writing, that ore freighter was being tossed around on 30-foot waves in Lake Superior. Nov. 10 marks the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. All 29 sailors aboard were killed in a massive storm, a tragedy that was immortalized in a song by Gordon Lightfoot. Michigan native and New York Times best-selling author John U. Bacon\u2019s latest book, \u201cThe Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald,\u201d chronicles the story of the ore carrier, from construction to its final tragic trip, interviewing family members and sailors who had worked on the ship before the wreck. The book offers details of the ship, crew and sinking that surprised even the author, who has been fascinated by the Edmund Fitzgerald since childhood. \u201cTrust me,\u201d Bacon told Bridge Michigan, \u201c90% of this has not been told before.\u201d Read more of the interview at the link in our bio. <a title=\"michigan\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/michigan?refer=embed\">#michigan<\/a> <a title=\"history\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/history?refer=embed\">#history<\/a> <a title=\"edmundfitzgerald\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/edmundfitzgerald?refer=embed\">#edmundfitzgerald<\/a> <a title=\"shipwrecks\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/shipwrecks?refer=embed\">#shipwrecks<\/a> <a title=\"greatlakes\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/greatlakes?refer=embed\">#greatlakes<\/a><\/p> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\u266c original sound - Bridge Michigan\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/original-sound-7551115132932262670?refer=embed\">\u266c original sound &#8211; Bridge Michigan<\/a> <\/section> <\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;Another crewmember found out just two months earlier that his girlfriend was pregnant.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Medical bills were the reason the boat was on Superior that night<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Fitzgerald\u2019s last trip for the season was supposed to be one the ship made a week earlier.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But McSorley \u201ctacked on one more, because he would get a nice bonus. He needed that bonus to pay for his wife\u2019s health care,\u201d Bacon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A decision to take a \u201ccautious\u201d route backfired.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Knowing a storm was approaching, the Fitzgerald\u2019s captain chose a longer, northern route across Lake Superior on his trip bound for Detroit\u2019s Zug Island, believing it would avoid the worst of the storm.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the longer route allowed more time for the storm to build. By the time the ore carrier was struggling and ultimately failing to reach the relative safety of Michigan\u2019s White Fish Bay, waves were 25 feet to 35 feet high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The song about the tragedy almost didn\u2019t happen<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The recording of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/9vST6hVRj2A?list=RD9vST6hVRj2A\">The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald<\/a>\u201d was a fluke. Canadian songwriter Gordon Lightfoot had penned the lyrics to the tune of a sea shanty, but only recorded it because he had extra time reserved at a recording studio after finishing all his prepared songs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/quality-life\/what-are-iconic-michigan-songs-heres-bridges-playlist-whats-yours\/\"><strong>What are the iconic Michigan songs? Here\u2019s Bridge\u2019s playlist. What\u2019s on yours?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe producer says, \u2018Why don\u2019t you try that sea shanty you\u2019ve been messing with?\u2019\u201d Bacon said. \u201cThey finish 6 \u00bd minutes later, \u2026 and they kind of look around, go, \u2018Wow, that wasn\u2019t half bad.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe song you hear on the radio is (a recording of) the first time it was ever played.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter\" data-effect=\"slide\" style=\"--aspect-ratio:calc(1024 \/ 683)\"><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper\"><ul class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper\"><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"A grey, underwater photo of the sunken SS Edmund Fitzgerald.\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-67711\" data-id=\"67711\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1024 \/ 683\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Edmund-Fitzgerald-AP.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Edmund-Fitzgerald-AP.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Edmund-Fitzgerald-AP.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Edmund-Fitzgerald-AP.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Edmund-Fitzgerald-AP.jpg?resize=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Edmund-Fitzgerald-AP.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Edmund-Fitzgerald-AP.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Edmund-Fitzgerald-AP-1024x683.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">This underwater photo of the sunken SS Edmund Fitzgerald was taken by an unmanned submersible robot, as a research team investigates the wreck site 17 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in 1989.  (AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald on the dock. People are also on the dock.\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-66662\" data-id=\"66662\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1024 \/ 684\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP22314712229979-1-scaled-e1758133411920-1024x684.jpg?resize=1024%2C684&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP22314712229979-1-scaled-e1758133411920.jpg?resize=1024%2C684&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP22314712229979-1-scaled-e1758133411920.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP22314712229979-1-scaled-e1758133411920.jpg?resize=768%2C513&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP22314712229979-1-scaled-e1758133411920.jpg?resize=1536%2C1026&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP22314712229979-1-scaled-e1758133411920.jpg?resize=2048%2C1368&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP22314712229979-1-scaled-e1758133411920.jpg?resize=1200%2C801&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP22314712229979-1-scaled-e1758133411920.jpg?resize=2000%2C1336&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP22314712229979-1-scaled-e1758133411920.jpg?resize=780%2C521&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP22314712229979-1-scaled-e1758133411920.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP22314712229979-1-scaled-e1758133411920-1024x684.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">The largest and longest vessel ever built on the Great Lakes, the 729-foot ore carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald, slides into the launching basin, on June 7, 1958, in Detroit, Michigan. (Associated Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"672\" alt=\"A  black-and-white life raft.\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-69142\" data-id=\"69142\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1024 \/ 672\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25302524629583.jpg?resize=1024%2C672&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25302524629583-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C672&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25302524629583-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C197&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25302524629583-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C504&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25302524629583-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1008&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25302524629583-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1343&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25302524629583-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C787&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25302524629583-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1312&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25302524629583-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C512&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25302524629583-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C262&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25302524629583-1024x672.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Two U.S. Coast Guardsmen move a life raft from the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald across the dock in Sault Ste. Marie, Nov. 11, 1975, after the raft was plucked from Whitefish Bay by the freighter Roger Blough, a ship assisting in the search for the missing Edmund Fitzgerald. (AP photo\/JCH)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"651\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo of\u00a0four Coast Guard officers inspecting life rings.\u00a0\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-66666\" data-id=\"66666\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1024 \/ 651\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP291814193553.jpg?resize=1024%2C651&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP291814193553-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C651&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP291814193553-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C191&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP291814193553-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C488&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP291814193553-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C976&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP291814193553-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1301&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP291814193553-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C762&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP291814193553-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1271&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP291814193553-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C496&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP291814193553-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C254&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP291814193553-1024x651.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">In a Nov. 24, 1975 file photo Coast Guard officers on a Board of Inquiry inspected life rings that were recovered from the ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald. (Associated Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"643\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo of the damaged\u00a0Edmund Fitzgerald underwater.\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-66667\" data-id=\"66667\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1024 \/ 643\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP7601010775.jpg?resize=1024%2C643&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP7601010775-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C643&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP7601010775-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C189&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP7601010775-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C483&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP7601010775-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C965&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP7601010775-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1287&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP7601010775-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C754&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP7601010775-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1257&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP7601010775-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C490&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP7601010775-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C251&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP7601010775-1024x643.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">This 1976 underwater photo shows a close up of the pilot house of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald after it sank at the bottom of Lake Superior. (Associated Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a aria-label=\"Pause Slideshow\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause\" role=\"button\"><\/a><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The families no longer care how the ship sank.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many theories about what happened that night, from scraping the hull along a shallow patch near Caribou Island, to hatchways not being sealed properly, to the overwhelming impact of a freak storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the mystery intrigues the public, family members of the crew told Bacon they no longer care how the ship went down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Few of the families knew each other before the sinking. In the decades afterward, they\u2019ve become a tightknit group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Great Lakes\u2019 most famous shipwreck was 50 years ago. Theories abound, but the Fitzgerald wouldn\u2019t have even been on Lake Superior if not for the medical bills of the captain\u2019s wife.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1804,"featured_media":69137,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-11-10T12:00:10Z","apple_news_api_id":"ea52704c-7a6b-4c78-bc63-d1b107fd13f5","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-11-10T15:54:16Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A6lJwTHprTHi8Y9GxB_0T9Q","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[2448],"tags":[936,26,2396],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[2459],"class_list":["post-69135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-outdoors-life","tag-great-lakes","tag-great-lakes-news-collaborative","tag-upper-peninsula","entry"],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How a bonus led to Edmund Fitzgerald sinking.\u00a0And 6 more surprises about ship - Bridge Michigan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/outdoors-life\/how-a-bonus-led-to-edmund-fitzgerald-sinking-and-6-more-surprises-about-ship\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How a bonus led to Edmund Fitzgerald sinking.\u00a0And 6 more surprises about ship - Bridge Michigan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Great Lakes\u2019 most famous shipwreck was 50 years ago. 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