Greetings Family and Friends,

One of the challenges associated with museum ships is that there are times when they are unavailable due to maintenance and in fact may not even be at their usual location. If they still reside on the water (which most do) then at times over the years they will require some time in drydock for hull maintenance. Such was the eminent case with the USS Cobia (SS-245).

I arrived in Manitowoc, Wisconsin on Lake Michigan in the late afternoon of the day before the submarine’s last day being open for touring before being shut down in preparation for going into drydock. In the early evening, I even did a trial drive over to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum to make sure I could find the sub and that it in fact was still there! It was and there was a gathering of some sort going on at the museum and on the sub – more than likely associated with the fundraising effort for the drydock bill.

Next day, straight over to the boat which is a Gato class submarine of World War II vintage. The sub, like all submarines, is not for those with acute claustrophobia. If one has never been on a sub, the never ending tightness of the boat can be a bit stunning. Couple that with the fact that whatever the number of people on the boat at the time one is on is probably significantly less than the size of the crew, and one may be getting an inkling of the working/living conditions. Oh, and throw in that one is not getting out in the sunshine and fresh air as quickly as one is as a simple visitor! Check out the photos in the gallery for the submarine especially the sleeping bunks for most of the crew with the understanding that most were probably hot racking (not having their own dedicated bed).

Another interesting aspect of museum ships is how the ship came to be associated with its more than likely final location (hopefully for a very long time). In the case of the USS Cobia and Manitowoc, the town had a reputation for solid shipbuilding and approached the federal government about building ships, particularly destroyers, for the war effort. The government requested that they build submarines – the town was dubious as that seemed a bit out of its wheelhouse and initially demurred. Eventually the town relented and started building subs. Quality was high and the boats were delivered considerably ahead of schedule. More boats were requested and built – ultimately 28 were built during the war. The 28 are celebrated to this day by the maritime museum. The USS Cobia, while not being one of the 28, is a method of recognition of and connection to these submarines.

In addition, to the USS Cobia, the Wisconsin Maritime Museum has an extensive collection of maritime artifacts. There seems to be quite a bit of focus on marine engines both in demonstrations and actual engines. Unfortunately I realized during my time in the museum after the sub visit that I was coming down with a cold and not simply an AC induced sinus affliction – museum visiting and picture taking were thus truncated. Do check out the last two photos in the gallery about the dolphins for submariners and the versions of the pins for various navies.

When I started feeling a bit better, took a stroll down by the lakeshore and the marina. Also, did a bit of wandering about downtown checking out the architecture. One aspect of the town reminded me of Golden, Colorado – that of the plant being right next to the downtown. Several photos of both areas are in the gallery below. As to the church pictures, there are in fact two different churches but both look similar especially with the same yellow brick. The first is German Lutheran while the second, I believe, is Roman Catholic.

That’s it for now. As always, feel free to share this link with anyone who expresses an interest. Next stop is none other than The Windy City.

Until later,

Papi