This is off topic a bit but ... Today makes 50 years to the day when 29 people died when a massive storm near the great lakes sank the Edmund Fitzgerald...
The Sinking: The freighter was sailing through a severe storm with high winds and waves when it disappeared from radar. The exact cause of the sinking remains a mystery, but some believe the ship may have broken apart after hitting the bottom or suffered a structural failure.
Loss of Life: All 29 men on board, including captain Ernest M. McSorley, perished in the disaster. No survivors were found.
The Wreck Site: The ship now rests in two large pieces on the bottom of Lake Superior, over 500 feet deep. The wreck is considered a maritime grave, and diving without a permit is illegal.
Memorials and Legacies:
The ship's bell was recovered in 1995 and is now on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.
Gordon Lightfoot's 1976 song brought national attention to the tragedy and became a famous folk ballad.
There have been other memorials, including a memorial swim, to honor the crew.
Improvements in weather forecasting and safety technology have made a similar disaster less likely today, though the risk is not zero.