Arthur M. Anderson stirs memories when seeking shelter

Matt Jaworowski
·2 min read

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — This weekend’s snowstorm stirred up some old memories when an old freighter took to a Michigan bay to seek safety.

The Little Traverse Bay Ferry noted on social media on Friday that the Arthur M. Anderson had pulled into the bay to wait out the storm.

The 767-foot freighter is most well known for being the last ship to be in contact with the SS Edmund Fitzgerald before it went down during a storm in 1975.

According to Marine Traffic, the Anderson resumed its route to the Soo Locks on Saturday. The Anderson remained anchored there as of Monday morning. Its next trip is to Duluth, Minnesota — set to arrive there on Thursday.

  • Edmund Fitzgerald AP 111015_166080
    Edmund Fitzgerald AP 111015_166080
  • This underwater photo of the sunken SS Edmund Fitzgerald was taken by an unmanned submersible robot, as a research team investigates the wreck site 17 miles northwest of Whitefish Point, Mich., on August 24, 1989. (AP file)
    This underwater photo of the sunken SS Edmund Fitzgerald was taken by an unmanned submersible robot, as a research team investigates the wreck site 17 miles northwest of Whitefish Point, Mich., on August 24, 1989. (AP file)
  • This 1976 underwater photo shows a close up of the pilot house of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald after it sank at the bottom of Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975. (AP Photo)
    This 1976 underwater photo shows a close up of the pilot house of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald after it sank at the bottom of Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975. (AP Photo)
  • In a Nov. 24, 1975 photo, Coast Guard officers on a Board of Inquiry inspected life rings that were recovered from the ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank in stormy weather in Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975. (AP Photo/GE)
    In a Nov. 24, 1975 photo, Coast Guard officers on a Board of Inquiry inspected life rings that were recovered from the ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank in stormy weather in Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975. (AP Photo/GE)
  • In a Nov. 11, 1975 photo, two U.S. Coast Guardsmen move a life raft from the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald across the dock in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., after the raft was plucked from Whitefish Bay by the freighter Roger Blough, a ship assisting in…
    In a Nov. 11, 1975 photo, two U.S. Coast Guardsmen move a life raft from the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald across the dock in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., after the raft was plucked from Whitefish Bay by the freighter Roger Blough, a ship assisting in…
  • Tom Fischer of Evansville, Ind. looks over the Edmund Fitzgerald bell on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Mich., June 29, 2005. (AP file)
    Tom Fischer of Evansville, Ind. looks over the Edmund Fitzgerald bell on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Mich., June 29, 2005. (AP file)

The Anderson has sailed the Great Lakes for more than 70 years now, first launched on Feb. 16, 1952. It was trailing behind the Fitzgerald on Nov. 10, 1975, as a nasty storm blew across Lake Superior. Fitzgerald Captain Ernest McSorley had reported heavy damage earlier in the day, including a list and two blown vent covers.

After losing radar, McSorley slowed down even more to let the Anderson catch up to them and help guide them toward Whitefish Bay to seek refuge from the storm. At 7:10 p.m., McSorley responded to the Anderson one last time, saying they were “holding our own.”

Soon, the Fitzgerald fell off the radar and did not respond by radio. The Anderson notified the Coast Guard of the situation and was tasked with turning around in the storm to look for survivors. All 29 men aboard the Fitzgerald perished.

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