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As Adopted by the House
136th General Assembly
Regular Session
H. R. No. 219
2025-2026
Representative
Williams
A R E S O L U T I O N
Honoring
the Fiftieth Anniversary of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy and
the lives lost.
WHEREAS,
The members of the House of Representatives of the 136th General
Assembly of Ohio commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary of the S.S.
Edmund Fitzgerald
tragedy and the lives lost, including seven
from Northwest Ohio; and
WHEREAS,
In its day, the S.S.
Edmund Fitzgerald
was the largest ship on
the Great Lakes. Based out of Cleveland under a permanent charter of
the Oglebay Norton Company, the vessel served several port cities
along the Great Lakes, and during its lifespan, it set six
international hauling records and traveled the equivalent of
forty-four times around the world, earning such nicknames as the
“Pride of the American Side” and the “Toledo Express”; and
WHEREAS,
On November 10, 1975, the S.S.
Edmund Fitzgerald
sank in a
storm on Lake Superior with the loss of all twenty-nine crew members,
seven of whom were from Northwest Ohio, including Captain Ernest
McSorley of Ottawa Hills. The ship was the pride of America’s and
Ohio’s maritime shipping industry, and its loss claimed the lives
of several of our state’s most skilled nautical crewmen; and
WHEREAS,
The Fiftieth Anniversary of the S.S.
Edmund Fitzgerald
tragedy
is a somber milestone. The tale of the tragedy was immortalized in
Gordon Lightfoot’s song “The Wreck of the
Edmund Fitzgerald
,”
and the valiant service and sacrifice of the ship and its crew have
earned them a hallowed place in Ohio’s maritime history, a legacy
that will long be remembered by the families of the victims and the
communities served by the
Fitzgerald
; therefore be it
RESOLVED,
That we, the members of the House of Representatives of the 136th
General Assembly of Ohio, in adopting this Resolution, recognize the
Fiftieth Anniversary of the S.S.
Edmund Fitzgerald
tragedy and
the lives lost; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the Clerk of the House of Representatives transmit duly
authenticated copies of this Resolution to the news media of Ohio.