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The Coast Guard conducted a thorough search in the next several days. On the 14th, a U.S. Navy plane with a special magnetic anomaly detector located a strong contact about 17 miles northwest of Whitefish Point. During the next three days, the Coast Guard cutter ''Woodrush'' located two large pieces of wreckage in the same area under about 535 feet of water. A Navy underwater recovery vehicle on May 20, 1976, photographed the wreckage. The pictures clearly showed the words "Edmund Fitzgerald" on the stern piece of the sunken ship.
The Coast Guard conducted a thorough search in the next several days. On the 14th, a U.S. Navy plane with a special magnetic anomaly detector located a strong contact about 17 miles northwest of Whitefish Point. During the next three days, the Coast Guard cutter ''Woodrush'' located two large pieces of wreckage in the same area under about 535 feet of water. A Navy underwater recovery vehicle on May 20, 1976, photographed the wreckage. The pictures clearly showed the words "Edmund Fitzgerald" on the stern piece of the sunken ship.
==Aftermath==
==Aftermath==
Since ''Fitzgerald'' never called for help and the ship's lifeboats were found badly damaged — indicating they were never launched but instead smashed while still secured to the ship - the Coast Guard determined the ship sank abruptly. The Coast Guard concluded these were the primary factors that caused ''Fitzgerald'' to sink:
Since ''Fitzgerald'' never called for help and the ship's lifeboats were found badly damaged — indicating they were never launched but instead smashed while still secured to the ship — the Coast Guard determined the ship sank abruptly. The Coast Guard concluded these were the primary factors that caused ''Fitzgerald'' to sink:
*''Fitzgerald'' sat very low in the water, increasing the frequency and quantity of water that could flood the deck.
*''Fitzgerald'' sat very low in the water, increasing the frequency and quantity of water that could flood the deck.
*The loose hatch covers allowed water spilling on board to enter the cargo area, causing the ship to sink even lower and take on more and more water.
*The loose hatch covers allowed water spilling on board to enter the cargo area, causing the ship to sink even lower and take on more and more water.