The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald

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” created 100 mile-per-hour winds and 50-foot waves, the Mighty Fitz found itself at the worst possible place, at the worst possible time. When she sank in Lake Superior, she took with her all twenty-nine men on board. For fifty years the tragedy was shrouded in mystery.

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 crew mates of those lost. Bacon explores the vital role the 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 an emotional tribute to the lives lost and a propulsive, page-turning narrative history of America’s most-mourned maritime disaster.