……. The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was introduced into operation in 1958. Measuring 729 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 39 feet deep, it was the largest vessel on the Great Lakes until the early 1970s. On the morning of November 9, 1975, the Fitzgerald was being loaded with iron ore pellets for a trip from Superior, Wisconsin, to Detroit, Michigan. Like many other Great Lakes ships during that time of year, the Fitzgerald was attempting to make a late-season voyage to supply factories with stockpiles of raw materials for the winter. There seemed to be no major problems encountered in loading the massive amount of iron ore onto *the ship that morning, though personnel on the shore would later claim to have seen the ship's crew working on the hatch covers after loading.