The Law Made Because of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

If you live in Michigan, there is one thing to think about when the gales of November come blowing. Gordon Lightfoot's classic ballad about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1976 came out a year after the actual Edmund Fitzgerald sank to the bottom of Lake Superior during a powerful storm. It sent 29 men to a watery grave.

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While the song generated public interest in the wreck, making it one of the most famous shipwrecks of all time, the wreck goes beyond being the inspiration for a certified banger. It also inspired a key piece of legislation related to shipwrecks that remains important today.

"Superior, they said, never gives up her dead"

As the song goes, Lake Superior never gives up its dead. This isn't just an old sailor's tale. Lake Superior is the coldest of the Great Lakes, with an average temperature of 45°F. This low average, especially at its lowest depths, doesn't allow bacteria to grow as they do in warmer water.

READ MORE: Shipwrecks Discovered In Lake Michigan So Far This Year

Decomposing bodies generally bloat 3 to 5 days after death, leading to the body filling with gas and floating to the surface. Since these bodies don't decompose, they remain stuck at the bottom of the Lake.

MCL Section 750.160a

According to the rationale of the bill, back in 1994, a marine explorer boarded a mini-submarine and searched the wreckage of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  It provided striking footage of the shipwreck that had never been seen before. This video was then featured in a documentary. One of the most shocking things the crew filmed was the partially decomposed body of one of the twenty-nine crew members, and they included it in the documentary.

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Upon the release of the documentary, which Metro Media Company profited from,  relatives of the crewmates were appalled by the imagery, and these relatives requested that the land surrounding a shipwreck be deemed a burial site and thus illegal to film a dead body at a grave. This bill was passed in 1997, and it is now a felony, punishable by two years in prison and/or a fine of up to $5000.

The story of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald is tragic and continues to bring awareness to the dangers the Great Lakes can pose to sailors.