Direct answer: 29 people died when the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. No bodies were recovered from the wreck. Context and details:
- The ship was carrying a full cargo of taconite ore pellets and foundered during a severe late-autumn storm with towering waves. The last radio message indicated the vessel was “holding her own” before it disappeared from radar and sank roughly 17 miles north of Whitefish Point, Michigan [type:web index].
- The crew complement on the final voyage consisted of 29 mariners, including the captain, mates, engineers, deckhands, and other crew roles. Their ages ranged from 20 to 63, with most hailing from Ohio and Wisconsin [type:web index].
- Despite extensive search and rescue efforts, no survivors were found, and no bodies were recovered from the wreck site. The exact sequence of events leading to the sinking remains a subject of historical investigation and speculation, with various hypotheses about structural failure, topside damage, grounding, or a combination of factors [type:web index].
