Interactive Journey Map & Words Spoken Along the Way
Click any numbered waypoint on Lake Superior or scrub the timeline to follow the SS Edmund Fitzgerald and SS Arthur M. Anderson and hear their actual VHF radio exchanges.
Loading 26,116 Tons of Taconite & Departure
Loading 26,116 Tons of Taconite & Departure
The Edmund Fitzgerald finishes loading 26,116 long tons of processed taconite iron ore pellets at Superior, Wisconsin, and departs around 2:20 PM bound for the steel mills on Zug Island in Detroit, Michigan.
“Departing Superior Entry with 26,116 long tons of taconite bound for Zug Island, Detroit. Full ahead.”
Complete Chronological Log & Verbatim Radio Transmissions
Click any milestone below to jump the Lake Superior map to that position and listen to the historical VHF marine radio transmission.
Loading 26,116 Tons of Taconite & Departure
The Edmund Fitzgerald finishes loading 26,116 long tons of processed taconite iron ore pellets at Superior, Wisconsin, and departs around 2:20 PM bound for the steel mills on Zug Island in Detroit, Michigan.
“Departing Superior Entry with 26,116 long tons of taconite bound for Zug Island, Detroit. Full ahead.”
Gale Warnings Posted & Rendezvous with SS Anderson
As a Great Plains low-pressure cyclone intensifies toward the Upper Midwest, the National Weather Service issues gale warnings across Lake Superior. The Fitzgerald joins company with the SS Arthur M. Anderson (commanded by Capt. Jesse "Bernie" Cooper) out of Two Harbors, pulling 10 to 15 miles ahead.
“Fitzgerald, this is Bernie Cooper on the Anderson. Gale warnings are up across the lake. We are tracking roughly 10 miles in your wake.”
Deviation to the Northern Canadian Shore Route
Consulting by VHF radio, Captains McSorley and Cooper decide to abandon the standard southern Lake Superior lane and steer the longer northerly route along the Canadian highlands of Ontario for lee shelter from the northeast gales.
“Anderson, we are altering course north toward the Canadian shore to stay under the lee of the Ontario highlands before turning down past Michipicoten.”
Storm Warning Upgrade South of Isle Royale
At 1:00 AM, the Fitzgerald is 20 miles south of Isle Royale reporting 52-knot winds and 10-foot waves. At 2:00 AM, the National Weather Service upgrades gale warnings to full storm warnings. At 7:00 AM, the Fitzgerald files her final routine weather report.
“Gale warnings upgraded to full storm warnings for all of Lake Superior. Northeast winds shifting northwest at 50 to 60 knots.”
Violent NW Wind Shift & Six Fathom Shoal Passage
As the storm center passes over eastern Lake Superior, winds shift abruptly to the northwest, exposing both vessels to a 150-mile open-water fetch. At 3:15 PM in blinding snow squalls, officers aboard the Anderson watch on radar as the Fitzgerald passes dangerously close to Six Fathom Shoal.
“I said to the watchman, that Fitzgerald is awful close to Caribou... He is in close to that six fathom shoal!”
First Report of Topside Damage & Starboard List
Fifteen minutes after clearing Caribou Island, Captain McSorley calls Captain Cooper to report a fence rail laid down, two ballast tank vents lost or damaged, and a list. McSorley confirms both pumps are running and "checks down" (reduces speed) so the Anderson can close within 10 miles.
“Anderson, this is the Fitzgerald. I have sustained some topside damage. I have a fence rail laid down, two vents lost or damaged, and a list. I am checking down. Will you stay by me till I get to Whitefish?”
Loss of Both Marine Radar Units
Blinded in heavy snow squalls as extreme winds and green water knock out both onboard radar antennas, McSorley radios the Arthur M. Anderson to request continuous radar navigation assistance into Whitefish Bay.
“Anderson, this is the Fitzgerald. I have lost both radars. Can you provide me with radar plots till we reach Whitefish Bay?”
Whitefish Beacon Outage & Call to MV Avafors
USCG Station Grand Marais informs McSorley that shore power is out at Whitefish Point, disabling both the light and radio direction-finding beacon. Around 5:30 PM, talking to Capt. Cedric Woodard on the saltwater vessel Avafors, an open mic captures a voice shouting "Don't let nobody on deck!" before McSorley describes the worst seas of his life.
“Don't let nobody on deck! ... I have a bad list, lost both radars. And am taking heavy seas over the deck. One of the worst seas I have ever been in.”
The "Three Sisters" Rogue Waves & Final Words
At 6:55 PM, two towering 25- to 35-foot back-to-back rogue waves slam into the Arthur M. Anderson, engulfing her deck and smashing a lifeboat before rolling southeast toward the Fitzgerald. At 7:10 PM, First Mate Morgan Clark asks how the Fitzgerald is making out with her problems, prompting McSorley's immortal final transmission.
“We are holding our own.”
Disappearance from Radar & Heroic Search
At 7:15 PM, 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point, the Fitzgerald disappears from the Anderson's radar scope without a distress call. After reaching Whitefish Bay and alerting USCG Group Soo, Capt. Cooper courageously turns the Anderson back into the hurricane-force lake at 9:00 PM to lead the search alongside the SS William Clay Ford and USCG cutters Woodrush and Naugatuck.
“I am very concerned with the welfare of the steamer Edmund Fitzgerald. He was right in front of us, experiencing a little difficulty. He was taking on a small amount of water and Acquire radar contact is lost. I can see no lights as before, and I don't have him on radar.”