'He would talk about the screeching:' Green Bay man remembers uncle, crewman on Edmund Fitzgerald



GREEN BAY -- Sunday, Nov. 10 was the 44th anniversary of the infamous wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. A vicious storm sank the freighter in Lake Superior, killing all 29 people on board. One Green Bay man's uncle was part of the crew -- and spoke with WLUK about the loss.

"I was young at the time, and he would tell me stories about the sounds that the Fitzgerald would make, and I didn’t know if he was just teasing me, but he would talk about the screeching," Jon Soyring told WLUK.

It's a shipwreck many have heard of. It's well-known for the song named after it.



"As soon as you start playing that song, there's no mistaking that song," said Soyring. "The song always asks that question, you know, 'Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?' That question has haunted many a family member many years."

That mysterious screeching his uncle talked about now haunts Soyring.

"As a young kid, you thought he was just joking, but it makes sense now," said Soyring.

Soyring believes structural failure sank the Edmund Fitzgerald. The shipwreck is still at the bottom of Lake Superior to this day.

"Up until the bell was recovered, you lay your flowers on the shore," said Soyring.

The bell was recovered in 1995.

"Rang the bell in honor of my uncle a few times," said Soyring. "When you look at that bell, you remember. If you ever hear that bell, you remember."

Soyring said he's determined to help the memory of his uncle and the Edmund Fitzgerald's 28 other crewmen live on.

"The gales of November take that extra time," said Soyring. "It will be in the back of people’s minds. Other sailors still out on the water during these fall storms."