Shipwrecks

Roger's City residents and visitors gathered to honor the 33 lives that were lost in the sinking of the Carl D. Bradley shipwreck that happened nearly 68 years ago. The Sundew, a Minnesota-based Coast Guard vessel, rescued the only two survivors of the shipwreck. Last week, the Sundew visited Rogers City for the first time since the shipwreck.

The freighter sank in Lake Michigan on Nov. 18, 1958, during a treacherous storm that produced 65 mph winds and 25-foot waves.

Two events, a memorial service for the public, and a separate private ceremony for the families of the crew, were held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the tragedy.

Twenty-nine sailors drowned when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in the Great Lakes' icy waters on Nov. 10, 1975. The ship was immortalized in a surprise hit 1976 folk ballad by Gordon Lightfoot.

"It's an honor to play his music," musician Mike Fornes said, who's been performing with a Gordon Lightfoot tribute band for years.

Ron Bloomfield of Central Michigan University and member of Michigan's Underwater Salvage and Preserve Committee discusses why the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald remains unexplored since the early 1990's.

One of Michigan's top shipwreck experts, Ric Mixter, says even though he explored the wreckage in the early 1990's, many questions remain unanswered.

Central Michigan University's Ron Bloomfield was recently reappointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to sit on committee to protect Great Lakes' underwater historical sites and artifacts.

This Sunday marks the 49th anniversary of one of the most infamous shipwrecks in Great Lakes maritime history. There have been many theories about what sank the Edmund Fitzgerald sink in 1975. But through diving, interviews and new research, author and shipwreck enthusiast Ric Mixter says he's been able to gain a better idea of how the ship may have gone down.

With vaccinations on the rise, many businesses are beginning to re-open fully. Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary’s waters have been open throughout…