What was the SS Edmund Fitzgerald?
Q: What was the SS Edmund Fitzgerald?
A: The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an ore carrier on Lake Superior that sank on November 10, 1975, while carrying iron ore.
Q: What was the weight of the ship?
A: The ship was one of the largest “iron boats” working on the Great Lakes and weighed around 13,600 tons.
Q: What caused the ship to sink?
A: Nobody knows for sure, but it is possible that the dangerously high weight of its cargo, as well as violent winds and waves, caused the ship to sink.
Q: How many crew members were aboard the ship?
A: All 29 men aboard the boat died in the sinking.
Q: Has anyone ever recovered the bodies of the crew members?
A: No, to this day, no bodies have been recovered from the sunken ship.
Q: Why was a song written about the SS Edmund Fitzgerald?
A: To remember the men who lost their lives in the sinking, the Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot wrote a song titled "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."
Q: What did the original version of the song say that was proven to be false?
A: The song originally contained a passage that said, "At seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in." However, a dive team sent to recover the bodies found the hatchway to be in perfect condition. Gordon Lightfoot rewrote the verse after being informed of this.
