If you see a World War II-era submarine floating through Sturgeon Bay next week, do not panic: it is supposed to be. The Wisconsin Maritime Museum released the itinerary for its USS Cobia this week ahead of its dry dock at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding. After it spends Labor Day in its home port of Manitowoc just outside the walls of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, the USS Cobia will be towed to Sturgeon Bay beginning at approximately 8 a.m. on September 4th. By around 6 p.m., the USS Cobia is expected to complete its 55 nautical mile journey to Sturgeon Bay from the canal and through the city's three bridges to Bay Ship, where it will spend about a month in dry dock for restoration work.
After serving in the Pacific theater during World War II, the USS Cobia was used as a training vessel. In 1986, it was brought to the then-Manitowoc Maritime Museum, where it has hosted thousands of visitors every year for tours and overnight experiences.
Like the Door County Maritime Museum’s Tug John Purves, the USS Cobia spends time docked outside the Wisconsin Maritime Museum year-round. The Wisconsin Maritime Museum raised approximately $1.5 million to tow it to and from Sturgeon Bay for maintenance, which has not happened since 1996. The USS Cobia is expected to be towed back to Manitowoc in early October once the work is completed.
