Over the years people have speculated what actually happened to the Edmund Fitzgerald. Nobody witnessed the Fitzgerald actually sink so there are many theories of what people think happened. Studies of the wreckage and the sight of where it went down disproved all the theories. Based on the weather conditions, the boats condition, its last voyage, and the Marine Casualty Report an answer of the cause was concluded.

The storm was generated over the Oklah

"Fitzgerald, this is the Anderson. Have you checked down?"

Fig. 1. Theory on the Fitzgerald being suspended between two waves and breaking in half. Detroit News, Nolan.

At 1:00 a.m. on November 10, the Fitzgerald reported winds at fifty-two knots and waves ten feet tall. At this time the Fitzgerald was twenty miles south of Isle Royal. An hour later the National Weather Service issued a storm warning. The NWS predicted winds now thirty-five to fifty knots northeasterly with waves eight to fifteen feet. At 7:00 a.m. the Fitzgerald was forty-five miles north of Copper Harbor, Michigan and reported winds at thirty-five knots and waves at ten feet ("Marine Accident Report") . Later on at 1:00 p.m. the storm had crossed Lake Superior to the west of Michipicoten Island and was over White River, Ontario. The NWS again predicted at 4:39 p.m. Eastern Lake Superior with Northwest winds 38 to 52 knots with gusts to 60 knots with waves eight to sixteen feet. The Anderson, which was following the Fitzgerald, reported at 7:00 p.m. winds at fifty knots and waves at sixteen feet. These were the weather reports before the downing of the Fitzgerald.

While on this new course around 3:30 the Fitzgerald radio to the Anderson reporting "Anderson, this is the Fitzgerald. I have sustained some topside damage. I have a fence rail down, two vents lost or damaged, and a list. I'm checking down. Will stay by me till I get to Whitefish" (Wesley) . The Fitzgerald was rigged with four electric 7000 gallon per minute ballast pumps and two electric 2000 per minute auxiliary pumps. These pumps could be used to de-water the cargo hold through two suctions. The Fitzgerald was also equipped with two radar's that they lost around 4:30 p.m. The Fitzgerald now had to be guided by the help of the Anderson. The Fitzgerald could not see the Whitefish Point light and they couldn't pick up the radio beacon. At 7:10 p.m. the Anderson radioed the Fitzgerald to warn of another vessel nine miles saying:

After the tragic event an NWS meteorologist testified saying before the Fitzgerald sank the average sustained wind speed was forty-five knots from the northwest for a period of six to seven hours("Marine Casualty Report" 11) . With these winds they would produce waves with an average height if fifteen feet.

From the information obtained above, the report came up with the conclusion the Edmund Fitzgerald went down because of massive flooding. The cause of the sinking first began with the report of topside damage which was the lose of two vents, a fence rail, and both pumps operating. Since the pumps were going that means that flooding was occurring in one of its ballast tanks. Because of the severe seas, water was entering the ship through non

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