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SS Edmund Fitzgerald was the largest ship on North America’s Great Lakes when launched on June 7, 1958. The ship is also the largest that has sunk there. Fitzgerald sank on November 19, 1975, with the entire crew lost with the boat.
The ship had a sole purpose of carrying taconite iron ore from mines near Duluth, Minnesota to Detroit, Toledo, and other Great Lakes ports. The Fitzgerald set the seasonal haul record six times. Often, the ship broke its own record. But that was because Edmund was classified as a “workhorse”.
In 1975, a U.S. Navy aircraft found the wrecks of the ship. The ship was at a depth of 530 feet. Another survey, conducted between November 14 and 16 revealed two large objects. In 1976, the US Navy conducted several underwater surveys in the wrecks of the boat. They found the boat, and the surveys continued until the early 2000s, when an Ontario Heritage act banned them. Under the law, activities on archeological sites required a license.
As for the theory of sinking, extreme weather and sea conditions are regarded as the main factors. The documentary explains in depth what was the purpose of the ship, how it sank, and some of the common conspiracy theories.
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