Discover the history behind the USCGC Mackinaw WAGB 83 from author Mike Fornes.
He has covered the original ship and its successor for more than 25 years for several media outlets in northern Michigan, including radio, television stations and the Cheboygan Daily Tribune. He has been on board for ice-breaking missions and aids-to-navigation operations. He also has witnessed the crew’s search-and-rescue response. Let Fornes share with you some of the best of his own photographs, along with those from U.S. Coast Guard files and private collections as you learn the history of this stunning ship. Friday, August 14, 10 a.m.
Mike will also be performing his Gordon Lightfoot Tribute concert on Thursday, August 13, 2020 at 7:00pm at the COA Lowe Center. (Learn More)
A member of the Historical Society of Michigan, Mike Fornes is the author of five books on topics including 101 Things That Happened on the Mackinac Bridge, USCGC Mackinaw—An Illustrated History of a Great Lakes Queen, and The story of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. He has taken his programs to Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Ontario and has been a guest speaker in more than 100 communities in Michigan.
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