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For three decades following World War II, the Great Lakes overtook Europe as the epicenter of global economic strength. The region was the beating heart of the world economy, possessing all the power and prestige Silicon Valley does today. And no ship represented the apex of the American Century better than the 729-foot-long Edmund Fitzgerald—the biggest, best, and most profitable ship on the Lakes.

But on November 10, 1975, as the “storm of the century” threw 100 mile-per-hour winds and 50-foot waves on Lake Superior, the Mighty Fitz found itself at the worst possible place, at the worst possible time. When she sank, she took all 29 men onboard down with her, leaving the tragedy shrouded in mystery for a half century.

In The Gales of November, award-winning journalist John U. Bacon presents the definitive account of the disaster, drawing on more than 100 interviews with the families, friends, and former crewmates of those lost. Bacon explores the vital role Great Lakes shipping played in America’s economic boom, the uncommon lives the sailors led, the sinking’s most likely causes, and the heartbreaking aftermath for those left behind—"the wives, the sons, and the daughters,” as Gordon Lightfoot sang in his unforgettable ballad.

Focused on those directly affected by the tragedy, The Gales of November is both an emotional tribute to the lives lost and a propulsive, page-turning narrative history of America’s most-mourned maritime disaster.

”The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the great lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
when the skies of November turn gloomy.”

I don’t remember the first time I heard this song, and I wasn’t sure of all the words. I knew it was a song about a ship going down, but I was under the impression that it had happened a long time ago. Maybe in the 1800s (being in my early 20’s at the time, watching the news wasn’t something I tended to do.) That the song was true, and of recent times, was something I would only learn about years later. Moving to the Great Lakes area would peak my interest in the ship’s fate.

The reader comes to know the men who would go down with the ship, as well as those they would leave behind. Knowing that these men were doomed made it hard sometimes to read their stories.

The book goes through the history of the shipping industry on the Great Lakes, as well as that of the Edmund Fitzgerald, itself. And while there is no way to know for sure, Bacon presents the reader with what is known about that day, the weather, and what may have caused the Fitzgerald’s sinking when other ships made it to port.

The ship’s demise would cause major changes in how the lakes’ traffic would be handled. Better weather reports and tighter regulations would bring about safer conditions, to the point where there has not been another loss of a commercial ship on the lakes since.

The Edmund Fitzgerald’s story is a remarkable one, and well worth reading.