By Great Lakes Now

Fifty years after the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald, she remains the Great Lakes’ last major shipwreck. Before the Fitzgerald, shipwrecks were a tragic but regular occurrence on the lakes. The last major wreck before the Fitzgerald occurred 9 years prior, and many believed that those disasters were finally a thing of the past.

The loss of the Fitzgerald left people stunned. The tragedy spurred new safety measures and change among shipping companies, government agencies, and weather forecasters. Over time, advances in weather radar, communications, and culture among shipping crews have made freighters better equipped against the strong storms of the Great Lakes.