Annual Maritime Career Day Seeking Partners
TOLEDO, OHIO – The National Museum of the Great Lakes is calling on maritime and Great Lakes–related industries to take part in its second annual Maritime Career Day on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. Designed to connect students and the public with career opportunities across the region, the event provides a unique platform for companies, higher education institutions, and tradespeople to connect with future talent and gain valuable exposure.
Last year’s inaugural event drew over 300 students and more than 30 career partners, including leaders from various fields such as shipping, environmental science, engineering, the military, and culinary arts. This year, in addition to students, the museum is expanding its reach by inviting the broader community to take part, offering career partners an even wider audience to share their work and opportunities.
“Maritime Career Day is about building connections and inspiring the next generation of Great Lakes professionals,” said Sara Smith, Director of Institutional Advancement with the National Museum of the Great Lakes. “With the addition of a community session this year, partners will not only meet eager students but also connect with adults exploring career opportunities or seeking new paths within our region’s vital industries.”
Event Details:
- Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2025
- Student Session: 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (Grades 7–12)
- Community Session: 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (Open to the public)
- Location: National Museum of the Great Lakes, 1701 Front St., Toledo, OH
Career partners will host booths inside the museum and aboard its Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship, offering attendees a chance to interact directly with professionals from diverse fields.
Sponsors of the 2025 Maritime Career Day include:
- Presenting Sponsor: World Group Foundation – the philanthropic arm of The World Group, dedicated to creating meaningful, lasting change in the communities where its people live and work.
- Community Sponsors: The Andersons and International Ship Masters Association Toledo Lodge 9
Organizations interested in participating as a career partner are encouraged to contact Sara Smith at sara.smith@nmgl.org. Space is limited, and early registration is recommended.For more information, visit nmgl.org/careerday.
Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals
DETROIT, MI – You don’t have to live in the Motor City to join the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Its focus includes all the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as well as the ships and sailors keeping the economies of two countries moving.
The 81-year-old non-profit group is now accepting new memberships and membership renewals.
“The MHSD has plenty to offer anyone interested in and concerned with the history of the Great Lakes and its vibrant maritime heritage,” says long-time group President Roger LeLievre. “We have members across the U.S. and Canada and even overseas.”
Membership includes the monthly publication The Detroit Marine Historian, which offers a variety of articles exploring Great Lakes shipping past and present. It also includes an annual, full-color calendar featuring superb, often rare, photos of Great Lakes ships of the past.
Last year the group published the 300-page, hardcover book Ahoy & Farewell III, documenting the vessels built and those that left the lakes during the past 30 years. The book recently won an award for excellence from the Historical Society of Michigan.
In keeping with society’s goal of preserving historical images, the MHSD’s image portal, featuring photos and details of many historic vessels, is now online at www.marinehistorydetroit.historyit.com
The Society has named an annual Historian of the Year since 1969. The award is voted on by past winners and honors those who have contributed significantly to the research, presentation or publication of Great Lakes ships and the shipping history.
Membership is $40 (U.S. and Canada). Join online at www.mhsd.org. To join or renew by mail, please print out the form in the gallery below.
MHSD
Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6
Cleveland’s first annual Boatnerd get together will be at the Whiskey Island Still & Eatery in Cleveland on September 6 at noon. Join us for an informal gathering of food, fellowship and hopefully some boat watching as well. Meet your fellow area boat fans! Food will be ordered off the menu and table service provided by the staff of the restaurant, which is located adjacent to the historic C&P Dock, where the 1,000 footers unload.
Directions and info for the restaurant: https://www.whiskeyislandstillandeatery.net/
Bill Kloss
See “Captain Bob” September 11th
See “Captain Bob” former Captain of the Paul R Tregurtha, in Cheboygan next month for his speaking engagement, GREAT NEWS!! Due to his first show SELLING OUT in record time, they are adding a SECOND SHOW!! Same day but at 5:30pm so if you’re interested, head to the website shown at the bottom of the image (Open it up to see it full size) and grab tickets!! They are only $10 each!! Hurry before this show sells out as well!!
See Photo Gallery below
2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips
Your raffle ticket purchase supports the Great Lakes Historical Society and its National Museum of the Great Lakes whose mission is to preserve, share, and celebrate the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes story.
Details here:
https://nmgl.org/2025lolraffle/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMDBTFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZUGV4UFMxNFFGYUpPbTZ2AR5OikAHiWMuo30CZrAqM9nuK93_xmmqYBsoAerabXJ3sBlZWNxpz7mZwoLuFw_aem_1pxrUONQfReTGS4dlnAgzg
Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released
When Patrick Devine found out, in the summer of 1975, that he was being moved over to the Edmund Fitzgerald as a relief deckhand he was on top on the world. He had gone from one of the oldest boats in the fleet to one of the newest and best. He was devastated when union rules forced him off that September. He had lost his dream job. Then came the sinking and its horrific aftermath. He hasn’t talked about his experience until recently, and he gave Know Your Ships an exclusive interview for the 2025 Know Your Ships EXTRA midsummer magazine, now on sale.
The magazine also includes an interview with Great Lakes top cook Sissy Payment. Find out her recipe for success and learn something surprising about her in the story.
EXTRA 2025 remembers the loss 50 years ago of the EDMUND FITZGERALD with four stories.
- EXCLUSIVE! Meet Patrick Devine, who thought he had found his dream job when he signed on to the Fitz as a relief deckhand in June 1975.
- Explore the Fitzgerald’s influence in popular culture: Music, art, literature and – yes – souvenirs.
- Did you know there were two vessels named Fitzgerald on the Great Lakes, and both were lost in November storms? And yes, their namesakes were related.
- Consider what might have been if the Fitz had not gone down.ALSOCheck out the Great Lakes Lore Museum at Rogers City, MI, where sailors are in the spotlight.
- Read about the William G. Mather, the ‘Ship That Built Cleveland,’ which turns 100 this year.
- Litton on the Lakes: Find out how a group of California upstarts turned the Great Lakes shipping industry upside down in the 1970s with their fancy ideas about 1,000-footers.
- Catch up with the latest Great Lakes/Seaway news.
- Enjoy even more images from readers in the ongoing series FAN-TASTIC PHOTOS.
This is the third year for the Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine, which offers even more ship, sailor and industry stories, recent shipping news and many more of the stunning photos – current and historic – for which Know Your Ships has become known for the past 66 years. Please note that the Extra, which is a feature magazine, does not duplicate the vessel and fleet listings found in the regular Know Your Ships book.
Order at www.knowyourships.com
