The Real Reason Ships Sink in the Great Lakes

On the ocean, a ship has time to recover. On the Great Lakes, it doesn't. Most people assume ships sink in the Great Lakes because of the cold or the storms. But the real reason is a terrifying physics equation unique to these inland seas. From the density of freshwater to the "Fetch" that creates waves unlike anywhere else on Earth, this is the science behind why 6,000 ships have been lost to the lakes. We look at the physics of "Hogging and Sagging," the structural failure of the Daniel J. Morrell, and the conditions that doomed the Edmund Fitzgerald. This is what they saw in their final moments.