No matter where you were watching the USS COBIA float along Lake Michigan, Wisconsin Maritime Museum Executive Director Kevin Cullen says you helped ensure they were doing the right thing by protecting its legacy for generations. After high winds prevented the USS Cobia from making its trip to Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding late last week, a tug boat towed the WWII-era submarine from the Wisconsin Maritime Museum early Sunday morning.

It received a fond farewell from its Manitowoc port, with hundreds of onlookers and dozens of boats wanting to participate in the experience. Cullen was a part of a flotilla that included the Sturgeon Bay-built Utopia before he drove up the coast, stopping in communities like Kewaunee and Algoma before eventually greeting the USS Cobia entering the Sturgeon Bay Canal. Cullen says that wherever he stopped, he could feel the excitement of the generational trip.

The USS COBIA is getting its hull pumped before the restoration work can begin later this week. While sitting in freshwater as opposed to saltwater extends the life of historic vessels like the USS COBIA, Cullen says algae and zebra mussels have likely caused some damage.

Cullen expects the USS COBIA to make the trip back to Manitowoc sometime in mid-October, depending on the work that needs to be done.