Dark History Files
The Edmund Fitzgerald Case File coverPages from the Case File

Case File No. 037 · PDF ebook · 29 pages

The Edmund Fitzgerald

Why Did She Really Sink?

On 10 November 1975 the largest ship ever lost on the Great Lakes sank in a storm on Lake Superior with all 29 men aboard. She sent no distress call.

$5 · PDF ebook · instant download · large-print edition included

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Why it's worth it

🔎
11 evidence exhibits
Real documents and photographs, shown large, with what to look for in each.
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2 maps drawn for this file
The last voyage and from launch to memory.
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6 stories the video skipped
Fact-checked details the documentary didn't have room for.
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The original words
The radio, 10 November 1975; three answers, with plain-English notes.
✂
Printable replicas
The ship; the Anderson and the church, ready to print.
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Large-print edition included
Two PDFs, plus every source and image credit listed.

Inside this file

  • The case in one page, and a timeline from 7 June 1958 to 4 July 1995
  • Exhibits: 'I have a fence rail down', The trackline, The weather map of 10 November, The worst waves, in the worst place, What the lake gave back, Lifeboat No. 2, Two pieces in 530 feet and more
  • In their own words: the radio, 10 November 1975; three answers
  • 2 maps drawn for this file: the last voyage and from launch to memory
  • Persons of interest: Capt. Ernest M. McSorley, Capt. Jesse "Bernie" Cooper, Morgan Clark, Capt. Cedric Woodard, Capt. Dudley Paquette, Philip A. Hogue, Edmund Fitzgerald and Gordon Lightfoot
  • Myth vs. record: 8 claims checked against the documents
  • Printable replicas: the ship; the Anderson and the church
  • Visit it today: Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, Museum ship Valley Camp, Mariners' Church of Detroit and Split Rock Lighthouse. Case closed? Our verdict, with every source listed

$5

Questions

How do I get it? Right after you pay, your download page opens with both PDFs. Bookmark it: it keeps working for 30 days.

Can I print it? Yes. It's made for US letter paper, and the large-print edition is included.

Is this the same as the video? No. The video tells the story; the file holds the evidence, the replicas and the stories we had no time for.

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