Audio recordings reveal final moments of the Edmund Fitzgerald before it sank in Lake Superior

Audio recordings from the night the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975 have been released, revealing the distressing final communications. Capt. Jesse B. Cooper of the Arthur M. Anderson spoke with the Coast Guard, confirming fears that the Fitzgerald had gone down. The freighter sank during a severe storm on Lake Superior, with 25-foot waves and snow squalls. Cooper had been assisting the Fitzgerald before losing contact, expressing concern for his own crew's safety while searching for survivors. The Edmund Fitzgerald, which was carrying iron ore, sank just 17 miles from Whitefish Bay, Michigan. All 29 crew members aboard perished in the disaster.