Ep 6. Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes

In season 7 episode 6 of National Geographic Explorer titled "Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes," viewers are taken on a thrilling adventure across the Great Lakes to explore the mysteries of long-lost shipwrecks and the history surrounding them.

The episode begins by introducing the vastness of the Great Lakes, which hold more than 6,000 shipwrecks, making it one of the most treacherous places for navigation in North America. The focus of the episode lies on the stories of three particularly famous shipwrecks: the Lady Elgin, the Carl D. Bradley, and the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The Lady Elgin was a wooden-hulled passenger steamship that sank in 1860, one of the deadliest maritime disasters in American history. The episode tells the tale of the tragedy, where the ship collided with a lumber schooner and quickly sank, resulting in the loss of more than 300 lives. The wreck itself still remains on the bottom of the lake and is explored by a team of researchers using diving equipment and 3D scanning technology, to capture high-quality images of the wreckage to learn more about this astounding piece of history.

Next, the episode delves into the story of the Carl D. Bradley, a 639-foot-long iron ore carrier that sank in Lake Michigan in 1958 in a fierce November storm. Although only two of the 35 crew members survived, the story of the Bradley has become one of the most famous maritime disasters in the Great Lakes. Viewers are taken on a journey through the wreckage, with divers exploring the shipwreck and examining the remains of this historic ship as it lies on the bottom of the lake.

The episode culminates with a focus on the Edmund Fitzgerald, a 729-foot-long freighter that met its end during another violent November storm in 1975. This story gained even further notoriety through Gordon Lightfoot's song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." The vessel sank with all 29 crew members on board, and the cause of the tragedy remains a mystery. The episode follows an expedition as they dive down to the wreckage, which sits at a depth of 530 feet on the bottom of Lake Superior.

Throughout the episode, viewers are taken on a journey through history as they learn about these iconic shipwrecks, the brave crews, and the perilous conditions of navigating through the Great Lakes. The episode features interviews with experts and survivors, some of whom are descendants of the crew members who perished on these vessels.

Overall, "Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes" is an enthralling and evocative exploration of three tragic shipwrecks that have become legend, and testimony to the bravery and sacrifice of those who make their living on the lakes. Through stunning underwater footage and insightful expert analysis, the episode brings to life these lost ships and pays tribute to the legacy they have left behind.