DETROIT, MI – During Nov. 7-10, 2026, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum in Detroit, Mich. will host several events to commemorate all mariners who have lost their lives on the Great Lakes and the loss of the bulk freighter Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew on Nov. 10, 1975.
Fitzgerald anchor is displayed at Dossin Great Lakes Museum.
On Saturday, November 7, the Livonia (Mich.) Amateur Radio Club will commemorate the Fitzgerald by sharing the ship’s story with amateur radio operators around the world. Museum visitors are welcome to watch any time between 10:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. ET. The cost, which includes admission to the museum, is $5 per person or free for Detroit Historical Society members, educators or children 5 and under.
On the morning of Sunday, November 8, the museum will host its annual Lost Mariners Brunch from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET. The event will feature a meal and historical presentation followed by a performance by Great Lakes balladeer Lee Murdock. The menu will reflect the culinary traditions of Great Lakes freighters, including the Fitzgerald, and will draw from the recipes found in Ships of the Great Lakes Cookbook by George Yaworski. The cost is $85 per person.
On the evening of Sunday, November 8, the museum, in partnership with the Great Lakes Maritime Institute, will host the annual Lost Mariners Remembrance Ceremony from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET outside on the shores of the Detroit River. Admission is free. During the Remembrance Ceremony, a memorial wreath will arrive by boat and then placed near an anchor from the Fitzgerald. That will be followed by a ringing of a ship’s bell to honor all those lost aboard the ill-fated freighter and on the waters of the Great Lakes. There will then be a procession of an Honor Flotilla of Canadian and United States government and commercial vessels. Following the ceremony, there will be warm beverages served inside, along with a performance of songs of remembrance and the sea by Lee Murdock.
On the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, the museum will commemorate the 51st anniversary of the loss the Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew with a showing of a documentary entitled “We Finished Their Journey” beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. The documentary follows along with the 17 teams of four relay swimmers each that took part in the Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim in 2025. Event organizer Jim Dreyer and David Volk, who served as the ground operations director for the swim, will be on hand for a Q&A session. Admission is $25 per person or $20 for Detroit Historical Society members.
View the events listing page here.
