Cross Word Books
Cross Word Books
Michele McAloon
Inside The Edmund Fitzgerald: What Really Sank America’s Most Famous Freighter
59 minutes Posted Nov 14, 2025 at 11:00 am.
Opening And Guest Introduction
Why The Fitzgerald Still Grips Us
Great Lakes Size And Hidden Dangers
Freshwater Waves And Ship Stress
The Fitzgerald’s Design And Limits
Overloading And The Plimsoll Line
Forecasts, Culture, And Zero Wrecks Since
Radar Loss, Beacons Out, Flying Blind
Racing The Locks And Captain Choices
Caribou Island And The Shoal
What Likely Happened In The Final Minutes
The Men, Their Lives, And Families
The Invisible Industry We Rely On
Gordon Lightfoot And The First Take
How The Song Became A Memorial
Legacy, Reform, And Last Reflections
Closing And Where To Find The Book
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Show notes
Send us Fan Mail A freighter longer than a skyscraper is tall. Waves four seconds apart that can bend steel. A ballad recorded in a single take that changed how an entire industry thinks about risk. We sat down with John U. Bacon, author of The Gales of November, to trace the Edmund Fitzgerald from blueprint to bell, and from storm science to the quiet rooms where families still keep watch. We unpack what makes the Great Lakes uniquely dangerous: freshwater’s sharper, closer-spaced waves; lo...