The Great Lakes Storm

The sailors who piloted the steamers and barges back and forth across the Great Lakes were well acquainted with the dangers of the lakes, but nothing could have prepared them for November 7-12, 1913. Gale-force mixed with a blinding snow storm and made navigation almost impossible. The eight large freighters known to have been on the Lake, sank below the stormy surface, taking all hands with them. After four days of high winds, freezing temperatures, whiteout blizzard conditions, and mountainous seas, 19 ships had been lost, two dozen had been thrown ashore, and 238 sailors had died. No other Great Lakes storm in modern history compares with its ferocity.