SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. — The most famous shipwreck on the Great Lakes is being commemorated by two West Michigan museums on its 48th anniversary.
The Michigan Maritime Museum and Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum are commemorating the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald at a special ceremony on Friday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.
The event will take place in the R.B. Annis Gallery at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum on Whitefish Point and will be streamed by the Michigan Maritime Museum.
The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975 on Lake Superior, killing all 29 crew members aboard. The wreck is the largest shipwreck on Lake Superior ever.
The 48th-anniversary commemoration will include the traditional ringing of the bell 30 times, a display of materials from the museum's collections, a guest speaker and a question and answer session with curatorial specialist Eric Harmsen.
The event is completely free, with doors opening at 6 p.m. for museum members and 6:30 p.m. for the general public.
Then, on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m., the Michigan Maritime Museum will host a presentation from guest speaker Ric Mixter for The Edmund Fitzgerald Investigations.
Mixter will share his knowledge of the wreck, stemming from over 20 years of research into the Edmund Fitzgerald. Mixter is best known for his documentary on the Edmund Fitzgerald, which is considered to be the most comprehensive ever made.
"Sharing the Fitzgerald story with Michigan's Maritime Museum is extremely special for me,” said Mixter. “The museum is dedicated to our amazing maritime past and I can't think of a better place to share what I have found about the Fitz."
That event is part of the Working Waterfronts Lecture Series and costs $10 to attend for non-museum members.
You can find out more about the Michigan Maritime Museum's events here.
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