The Edmund Fitzgerald was named for the then president and chairmen of the board of Northwestern Mutual, Edmund Fitzgerald. The vessel was built at Great Lakes Engineering Works of River Rouge and launched on 7 June 1958. At time of launch, the Fitzgerald was the first ship built to the maximum size of the St. Lawrence Seaway and was the longest ship on the Great Lakes until the launch of the Murray Bay a year later in 1959.

Although the Edmund Fitzgerald had Milwaukee listed as it's homeport, the vessel only visited Milwaukee once during its career on 21 July 1959. A steelworker's strike had halted steel production nationwide forcing ore boats into port. Nearly every steel mill in the country was shut down. Columbia Transportation, which managed the Fitzgerald arranged for space at Jones Island in the Port of Milwaukee for the massive ship to ride out the strike. Two days after arriving, on 23 July the vessel was opened to the public for special tours and more than 11,500 people came to visit the ship. The curious public, however, did not have access to the pilothouse due to the "delicate, expensive equipment installed there." The Fitzgerald was docked in Milwaukee for three months while awaiting a resolution for the steel strike. On 26 October 1959 the Edmund Fitzgerald departed Milwaukee never to return to its homeport again.
On 9 November 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald departed Superior, Wisconsin with a load of 26,000 tons of taconite pellets bound for Zug Island, Detroit. Where a day later on 10 November, the vessel met with a terrific storm similar to the 1940 Armistice Day storm. Winds grew from 40-60 knots, waves grew to 10-25 feet high and it was snowing. Captain Cooper of the Arthur M. Anderson that was trailing the Fitzgerald just behind stated that "these were the biggest seas he has ever seen." At 3:30pm 10 November Captain McSorley of the Fitzgerald reported that the ship lost two vent covers, a fence railing, and was developing a list. The Fitzgerald had also lost its radar system, blinding the vessel. At 7:10pm Captain Cooper of the Arthur M. Anderson radioed McSorley on the Edmund Fitzgerald for an update on their situation to which McSorley replied: "We're holding our own." That was the last time anyone heard from the vessel and 10 minutes later, the Anderson lost the Fitzgerald on its radar. In the words of Steve Ackermen, professor at the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Studies at UW Madison: "It was the weather that brought the boat down."
Sunk in 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald is the most recent Great Lakes shipwreck. Due to being immortalized in song, the Edmund Fitzgerald has a long legacy of being in the public consciousness. A cottage industry has grown around the shipwreck and it is usually the first image that comes to mind when people think: "Great Lakes Shipwreck". The Edmund Fitzgerald has come to be the flagship representing all Great Lakes shipwrecks, that is why the ship is included here on Wisconsin Shipwrecks. Due to the Fitzgerald's Wisconsin connections, it is a Wisconsin shipwreck. The Edmund Fitzgerald of course, is not sunk in Wisconsin waters but on the Canadian side of Lake Superior. The last submersible expedition down to the wreck was on 4 July 1995 to recover the bell from the wreck and replace it with a replica memorial bell with the names of each of the 29 crew engraved on it. On 1 September 1995 divers Terrence Tysall and Mike Zee made the record-breaking dive to the wreck being the only divers to have ever visit the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. They had wanted to prove that it could be done respectfully.

This dive sparked controversy and debate over shipwreck preservation and the treatment of shipwreck sites. It has become a focal point for how all Great Lakes shipwrecks are preserved and respected. The Edmund Fitzgerald is protected by the Ontario Heritage Act. Initially, the act required only activities on registered archaeological sites require a permit. Although the Fitzgerald is a modern shipwreck, a special provision was made to count it as an archaeological site to receive protection. In 2005 a further special amendment was made to the Ontario Heritage Act to specifically protect the wreck site of the Edmund Fitzgerald and strengthen that protection. Enacted in 2006, a 1,640 foot radius was made around the wreck as a buffer to further protect the site as a marine archaeological site. Another amendment in 2009 further protected the wreck site by requiring the same permit for any surveying equipment or remote sensing that could be used on the wreck. The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is a grave site and a no dive zone and its isolated location and great depth has further aided in its continued preservation.