Before it was illegal to dive to the infamous ship, two men pulled off the deepest shipwreck scuba dive in Great Lakes history. Here’s the inside st

Death-Defying Dive to the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1995

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2024-11-10 16:00:03

Before it was illegal to dive to the infamous ship, two men pulled off the deepest shipwreck scuba dive in Great Lakes history. Here’s the inside story.

This article first appeared in Traverse Northern Michigan. Find this story and more when you explore our magazine library. Want Traverse delivered to your door or inbox monthly? View our print subscription and digital subscription options.

Attacked by gale-force winds and 30-foot waves on November 10, 1975, the 729-foot Fitzgerald—one of the biggest ships in the Great Lakes—plunged to the bottom of Lake Superior taking with it a full load of 26,116 tons of iron ore and all 29 crewmen.

The disaster was blazed in headlines across the world. Since the tragic sinking, a score of books have been written about the ship. Researchers have studied it. To this day, more than 30 years later, newspaper articles periodically pop up about The Big Fitz. When it was first launched in the summer of 1958, The Detroit News described the Fitzgerald as “the biggest object ever dropped into fresh water in recorded history.”

When it was first launched in the summer of 1958, The Detroit News described the Fitzgerald as “the biggest object ever dropped into fresh water in recorded history.”

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