Split Rock Lighthouse commemorates sinking of Edmund Fitzgerald 50 years later

More than 2,000 people turned out Monday on the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald.

Split Rock Lighthouse and the Minnesota Historical Society commemorated the tragedy, which claimed the lives of 29 crew members, with its annual beacon lighting memorial.

The event included reading of the names of the crew and a tolling of a ship’s bell, with a rendition of the Naval hymn.

Former lighthouse keeper Lee Radzak also spoke during the ceremony and explained why he started the annual memorial 40 years ago.

“It began simply as my personal tribute to the lost mariners of Lake Superior and the Fitzgerald,” Radzak said, per WDIO-TV. “In 1985 the historic site and the surround State Park were much different than today. While all the historic light buildings were the same, it was a very quiet place in November and the winter.”

He added, “I thought I had the keys to a working lighthouse that is so closely tied to the Fitz’s history, and that lighting the beacon would be a fitting tribute to not just the crew of the Fitzgerald and to all the other sailors lost on the lake, but also to the dozens of lighthouse keepers who had kept Split Rock’s beacon lit during stormy weather for 59 years.”

The Fitzgerald, a 730-foot freighter named after a Milwaukee insurance company executive, went down in Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975. All 29 men on board died. It was the largest ship on the Great Lakes when it launched in 1958 and kept that title until 1971.

On its final voyage, the Fitzgerald departed Superior, Wis., on Nov. 9, 1975, carrying over 26,000 tons of iron ore. Amid a strong storm, the Fitzgerald reported several issues: a broken fence rail, missing vent covers, a list and failed radar systems. At around 7:15 p.m., the ship vanished from radar during a snow squall without any distress signal or further communication. The wreckage was detected four days later.
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