The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald (2025) is a work of narrative nonfiction by American author John U. Bacon. The book provides a definitive account of the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, a massive Great Lakes freighter that disappeared during a severe storm on Lake Superior on November 10, 1975, resulting in the loss of all 29 crew members. Bacon explores the lives of the men aboard, the history of Great Lakes shipping, the multiple theories behind the wreck, and the enduring impact on the families and the regional community. The book examines themes including The Conflict Between Commercial Imperatives and Maritime Safety, the idea that Nature Can Overwhelm Even the Skilled, and How Tragedy Shapes Memory and Identity.

John U. Bacon is a New York Times bestselling author of several books on history, sports, and business. A Michigan native, Bacon has written extensively on regional topics. His previous works include The Great Halifax Explosion, a similar narrative-driven account of a historical disaster. Drawing on extensive interviews with crew members’ families, maritime experts, and former sailors, The Gales of November presents a human-centered history of one of North America’s most famous shipwrecks, a story immortalized in Gordon Lightfoot’s iconic ballad, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

This guide is based on the Liveright 2025 paperback edition.

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of illness

and death.

Summary

On July 4, 1995, 20 years after the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, family members of the 29 lost crewmen gather on a boat named the Northlander over the wreck site in Lake Superior. They are there to witness the recovery of the ship’s bell, which will be replaced by a replica engraved with the names of their loved ones. 

The narrative shifts back in time to 1975, shortly before the Edmund Fitzgerald embarks on its fateful voyage. Ruth “Aunt Ruth” Hudson is the mother of 22-year-old deckhand Bruce Hudson. Bruce, a former college student, is dating Cindy Reynolds and plans a cross-country road trip with his shipmate Mark Thomas after the shipping season ends. During the summer of 1975, Bruce learns that Cindy is pregnant, and he embraces the news, planning for them to raise the child together.

The Fitzgerald is commanded by Captain Ernest McSorley, 63, widely considered “the best captain on the Great Lakes” (3). His hand-picked crew is a mix of seasoned veterans nearing retirement and a half-dozen young men in their early twenties. The ship is scheduled for its final run of the season, set to depart on November 9, 1975, just as a massive storm system begins to form over the continent.

The book establishes the extreme dangers of Great Lakes shipping, which are often underestimated. The enormous freshwater lakes behave like inland seas, producing steep, powerful waves that can cause long freighters to “hog” (bend over a wave’s crest) and “sag” (droop between two waves), putting immense stress on their hulls. November is the most dangerous month, as the temperature difference between the warmer lake water and cold air creates violent weather. The narrative recounts the “Storm of the Century” of November 1913, a “White Hurricane” that sank 19 ships and killed 254 people, illustrating the lake’s unforgiving nature.

The motivation for braving these risks is the immense economic reward. The Great Lakes region is the industrial heart of America, fueled by a history of resource extraction from fur and lumber to copper and iron ore. After World War II, the development of taconite pellets, a processed form of low-grade iron ore innovated by Professor Edward W. Davis, leads to an economic boom in the region. This new resource feeds the steel mills and auto factories of Detroit, making the Great Lakes freighter fleet the critical artery of the American economy.

In 1957, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance, led by its president Edmund Fitzgerald, commissions the SS Edmund Fitzgerald as a major investment. The ship is designed by Great Lakes Engineering Works to be the largest freighter on the lakes, its 729-foot length precisely calculated to maximize cargo capacity while still fitting through the Soo Locks—a crucial shipping corridor in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. This design results in a long, narrow, and flexible ship that is less stable in rough seas. It is built with modern techniques like modular construction and welding, but lacks key safety features like electronic depth gauges. At its christening on June 7, 1958, it takes three attempts to break the champagne bottle, a bad omen for sailors.

The narrative includes other cautionary tales, such as the 1958 sinking of the SS Carl D. Bradley, which breaks in two on Lake Michigan, leaving only two survivors. In 1966, the SS Daniel J. Morrell also breaks in half on Lake Huron, with watchman Dennis Hale being the sole survivor after enduring 38 hours on a life raft.

Despite these precedents, the Edmund Fitzgerald enjoys a celebrated career, known for its luxurious accommodations and record-breaking cargo hauls, earning it widespread popularity and the nickname “Queen of the Great Lakes.” However, between 1969 and 1973, federal regulators lower its required freeboard, allowing it to carry thousands of extra tons of taconite but significantly reducing its safety margin. In 1972, Captain McSorley takes command, bringing his reputation as a skilled “heavy-weather captain” and earning deep loyalty from his crew. The book profiles several crewmen, including porter Nolan Church, engineer Buck Champeau, and oiler Blaine Wilhelm.

The final voyage is scheduled to be the last of the season, as the ship is due for repairs in Toledo. McSorley tells a friend that the bonus from this last run will help pay for his wife’s medical care. On Sunday, November 9, the Fitzgerald loads 26,116 long tons of taconite in Superior, Wisconsin. Despite forecasts of a major storm, the ship departs at 2:15 PM, followed nearly three hours later by the Arthur M. Anderson, captained by Bernie Cooper. The two captains agree to take the longer, northern route along the Canadian shore for protection from the worst of the waves.

By Monday evening, November 10, the storm intensifies with hurricane-force winds. After making a hard turn south toward Whitefish Bay, the Fitzgerald begins taking heavy seas broadside. At 2:45 PM, a blizzard reduces visibility as the ship navigates the treacherous, poorly charted waters around Caribou Island and Six Fathom Shoal. At 3:30 PM, McSorley radios the Anderson to report a damaged fence rail, lost vents, and a “list”—meaning that the ship is leaning to one side (279). He slows down to let the Anderson catch up and guide him by radar. At 4:10 PM, he reports that both of his own radars are out. By 5:30 PM, he tells another ship it is “one of the worst seas I’ve ever been in” (292). At 7:10 PM, in his final communication, McSorley tells the Anderson, “We are holding our own” (300). Minutes later, the Edmund Fitzgerald vanishes from the Anderson’s radar, just 17 miles from the safety of Whitefish Bay.

The Anderson’s crew alerts the Coast Guard, but the initial response is delayed by a watchstander who misunderstands the severity of the situation. Following the unwritten “Sailor’s Code,” Captain Cooper turns the Anderson back into the storm to search for survivors. Other ships join, but they find only debris, including lifeboats and life rings. The wreck is first detected on November 14 in 530 feet of water, broken in two. The news devastates the 29 families, who receive little support from the ship’s operators.

No single cause for the sinking is ever proven. Theories include unsecured hatches, a rogue wave, or structural failure. A plausible theory, supported by private investigator Dick Race’s findings of paint marks on the shoal’s bedrock, suggests the ship bottomed out on Six Fathom Shoal, sustained a fatal gash, and slowly took on water until it was overwhelmed. The tragedy inspires Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot’s iconic ballad, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” which brings the story to international attention.

Led by Ruth Hudson, the families unite to preserve the crew’s legacy. They successfully campaign to have the ship’s bell recovered in 1995 and later to have the Canadian government declare the wreck a protected gravesite. The sinking prompts major safety reforms in Great Lakes shipping, including vastly improved weather forecasting and a more cautious culture among captains. In the nearly 50 years since the tragedy, no other commercial freighter has been lost on the Great Lakes. The narrative concludes with the stories of the families, who have formed a supportive community, and the men like Craig Ellquist and Patrick Devine, who narrowly missed the ship’s final, fatal voyage.