On a freezing November night in 1975, the “queen of the Great Lakes” vanished without a single distress call. The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was massive, modern, and crewed by some of the most experienced sailors on the lakes—yet in minutes, she was gone, taking 29 men with her.
In The Gales of November, John U. Bacon goes far beyond the famous Gordon Lightfoot ballad. He shows how dangerous the Great Lakes really are—waves as brutal as any ocean, flawed ship designs pushed for profit, and a “one more run” mentality that set the stage for disaster.
This summary follows the Fitz from its glamorous launch to its final, catastrophic voyage, and into the grief, lawsuits, and safety reforms that followed. It’s part mystery, part industrial history, and part love letter to the families who refused to let the story end at the bottom of Lake Superior.
