25th Annual Lost Mariners Remembrance

The Dossin Great Lakes Museum’s annual Lost Mariners Remembrance returns for the 25th consecutive year, recognizing the sacrifices of professional sailors lost on the Great Lakes. The event takes place on the anniversary of the sinking of the S.S.Edmund Fitzgerald.

A lantern vigil at the Fitzgerald anchor starts the evening, followed by a performance by Lee Murdock, Great Lakes balladeer. The wreath ceremony includes a select Honor Guard escorting a memorial wreath to the Detroit River for receipt by an Honor Flotilla of both Canadian and United States government and commercial vessels. 

Following this portion of the program, a short presentation will examine a disaster that took place 150 years ago on the Detroit River, when an explosion aboard the passenger packet Brooklyn claimed the lives of at least nine crewmen and five passengers, and created a hazard to river navigation. Detroit Historical Society curator emeritus Joel Stone will put this catastrophe in perspective, and discuss disparities in the historical record. 

The evening closes with the playing of Gordon Lightfoot’s famous ballad, coupled with a bell ringing. This event is sponsored by the Detroit Historical Society and the Great Lakes Maritime Institute, with cooperation from over 16 regional maritime services and organizations in both Detroit and Windsor. 

Unable to join us in-person? Watch a livestream of the event on the Dossin Great Lakes Museum facebook page. 

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