Algodoo

On the afternoon of November 10, 1975, she left for the steelworks on Zug Island, near Detroit, under the command of Captain Ernest M. McSorley, with a cargo of taconite and soon reached her top speed of 14.2 knots. (26.2 km/h).9 A second freighter, the Arthur M. Anderson, bound for Gary from Two Harbors, joined the route with the Fitzgerald.10 The Fitzgerald was the faster ship while the Anderson followed from behind a few miles away.

Crossing Lake Superior, the two ships encountered a very fierce winter storm.11 Weather reports at the time indicated winds of almost 100 km/h and waves of up to more than 10 m. Due to the storm the locks had to be closed. Freighters altered their routes to skirt the storm, heading north to seek refuge on the Canadian shores. They would later cross into Whitefish Bay, forcing the locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

On the afternoon of November 10, Fitzgerald gave a report on the damage caused by the storm, which included the loss of radar but that it was not a very serious problem.12 It remained in the communication area with Anderson.

The last communication from the vessel came at approximately 7:10 p.m., when the Fitzgerald was notifying the Anderson of waves crashing against the ship that were quite large. Captain McSorley informed him "We are holding on as best we can", but a few minutes later he was suddenly lost and no distress signal was detected. A little more than 10 minutes after what happened, it could not be detected by the Anderson's radar, and at 8:32 p.m. the Coast Guard was informed due to concerns about the fate of the ship.13