We Finished Their Journey

Nov. 7, 2026

On Nov. 10, 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in the waters of Lake Superior, along with all 29 crew members. Fifty years later, 70 swimmers came together to symbolically finish the freighter’s journey, traversing 411 miles from where the ship went down north of Whitefish Point all the way to Detroit, the original destination. The relay swim started July 26, 2025, and took over a month to finish. All the while, documentary filmmakers from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (where the bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald sits) and Big Fin Pictures were capturing every moment, from sunrises to storms, celebrations to injuries. This Tuesday, Nov. 10, the film, We Finished Their Journey: The Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim, will premiere at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum in Detroit and stream online. Learn more at shipwreckmuseum.com/edmund-fitzgerald and see the trailer at youtu.be/R9blcy2H2BY.

Completing iron ore delivery to Detroit is (left to right) Michael Bell, Maddie Diedo, Barry Alper, Tracie Baker & Event Director Jim Dreyer (kneeling). Photo by David Volk