MICHIGAN — Volunteers marked the 50th anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald sinking this summer with a 411-mile memorial swim from the wreck site in Lake Superior to Detroit.
The relay, which began July 26 and concluded Aug. 28, involved 17 stages and 68 open-water swimmers. Participants swam in honor of the 29 crew members lost when the freighter went down on Nov. 10, 1975.
Stage 1 swimmer Tammy Lenarz-Carruth described the starting point above the wreck as a sacred place.
“It’s their cemetery,” she said. “So I feel it’ll be very surreal to be at that spot and just to honor them in that way.”
The event also raised funds for the restoration of the Whitefish Point Light Station, which has historic ties to the disaster.
“During the time that the Edmund Fitzgerald went down, the light was out,” said stage 10 swimmer Brian Vanderhoff. “That was one of the reasons that probably contributed to the boat going down. This is the oldest lighthouse on Lake Superior. It was built during the Lincoln administration.”
Many swimmers spoke about the rigorous training needed to complete their portions of the journey.
“If you don’t get experience in chop and waves and currents and you suddenly start doing open water, you will panic,” said stage 3 swimmer Tracey Lawie.
For some, the memorial carried personal meaning. Lenarz-Carruth swam in memory of 22-year-old deckhand Paul Riippa, one of the Fitzgerald’s crew.
“They just want their brother’s name remembered and spoken,” she said.
Stage 10 swimmer John Vandersloot said the event was about teamwork and reflection
“It’s not a race. It’s a fundraiser. It’s something to do as a team,” he said. “For me personally, just as a reminder for me as someone who’s survived cancer… these folks didn’t have that chance. They suddenly went out one day, and there was a big storm, and they didn’t get to experience the rest of these last 50 years.”
The swim concluded with a Mariner’s Memorial service in Detroit. Final swimmers presented iron ore carried from the wreck site to dignitaries, symbolizing the completion of the freighter’s intended route.
Click here to find out more about the swim.