Edmund Fitzgerald Cause

This clip from the FOX 9 Documentary "Gales of November: Diving the Edmund Fitzgerald" examines the competing theories on what caused the ship to sink in November 1975.

The Brief

The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior 50 years ago this November.

The U.S. Coast Guard concluded the ship sank because of ineffective hatch closures after hitting a wall of water. However, investigators did not conclude why and when the ship broke apart.

Some historians believe the ship started taking on water after hitting bottom while in shallow water.

Fifty years after the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior, experts and historians are still debating what caused the ship to sink and break apart.

What we know:

The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Canadian waters during a storm

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