Mighty Fitz follow up – interview with a Coast Guardsman

Mighty Fitz follow up – interview with a Coast Guardsman

Nov 11, 2025 | Home Slider, Ship Report Podcasts

Today, as a follow-up to yesterday’s show about the sinking of the ore-carrier Edmund Fitzgerald 50 years ago on Lake Superior in 1975, we’ll hear an interview with local resident Reid Johnson, who is now retired from the Coast Guard. He was 19 years old in1975, and serving on a USCG ship on Lake Huron the night the Fitz was lost in a storm.

We’ll also hear a poem from Fisher Poet Clem Starck about his real life experience hearing a nearby sister ship sink in a storm, while he himself was at sea within radio range, but unable to help.

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The 50th anniversary of the wreck of the famous Great Lakes ore carrier, the Edmund Fitzgerald

The 50th anniversary of the wreck of the famous Great Lakes ore carrier, the Edmund Fitzgerald

Nov 10, 2025 | Home Slider, Ship Report Podcasts

Today marks 50 years since the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior on November 10, 11975 in Lake Superior. The Mighty Fitz, as she was called, was caught in the midst of a fierce storm with hurricane force winds. The ship was 17 miles from port when she was lost. All 29 members of her crew perished.

This incident is commemorated in regional ceremonies each year, as residents honor these lost mariners, and all those who have lost their lives over the years in thousands of wrecks on the Great Lakes.

Today we honor all mariners and their families, and recognize that despite safety improvements over the years, maritime work remains among the most dangerous profession worldwide.

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