SS Edmund Fitzgerald
1958 - 1975
The flagship of the Oglesbay-Norton fleet sailed for 6857 days on the Great Lakes carrying iron ore to feed the steel mills of Michigan and Ohio. She was built at the Great Lakes Engineering Works at River Rouge, Michigan- Nine miles west of here. When the keel of the Fitzgerald hit the water, she became the largest freighter to traverse the inland seas, 729 feet long and 75 feet wide.
On January 7,1974, while at anchor in the Detroit River, one mile west of Belle Isle, the Fitzgerald lost her bow anchor. This 12,290 pound artifact lay undisturbed until July 20,1992 when it was recovered. In tribute to the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, and the men, who built her, the anchor comes to represent the maritime heritage of the State of Michigan.
John P. Folacsek
Curator of Marine History
This project could not have been accomplished without the support of the following:
Great Lakes Maritime Institute •
Gaelic Tugboat Company •
Blue Water Exploration, LTD •
Detroit Harbormaster Dive Team •
Bruno's Dive Shop •
Tom & Jerry's Scuba Shop •
John Quasarano Family •
Harry J Harris Funeral Home, Inc •
WDIV-Channel 4 Detroit •
Faust Corporation •
William A Moss •
Butcher Packer Supply, Inc •
US Scuba Center •
Advanced Aquatics Diving, Inc •
Phil's Quality Meats •
Mao Graphics, Inc •
Kauear Granite Company •
G.E.M.I Research Team
Marker is on The Strand Drive.
Courtesy hmdb.org
