Manitowoc's USS Cobia at Wisconsin Maritime Museum celebrates its 75th anniversary
MANITOWOC – The USS Cobia is recognizing her 75th anniversary this year, and the Wisconsin Maritime Museum is planning a year-long celebration of the battle submarine.
The Cobia, which was not built in Wisconsin, served six patrols in the Pacific Ocean during World War II, and during that time sank 13 Japanese vessels and rescued seven downed airmen in April 1945. She came to Manitowoc nearly 48 years ago, and represents both the area’s maritime heritage and its history of building sturdy World War II submarines, said Karen Duvalle, submarine curator of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc.
On March 17, 1943, the keel of the USS Cobia was laid down in Groton, Connecticut, and she was launched on Nov. 28 of that year. To recognize the laying down of the keel, the Wisconsin Maritime Museum on Saturday will have live reenactors on hand for self-guided tours of the Cobia, and is offering a discounted admissions price, plus cake and cupcakes.
Wisconsin Maritime Museum Executive Director Rolf Johnson said Manitowoc is fortunate to have the submarine here, noting many were used in dangerous war operations and did not return home.
In 1944, for example, the Cobia attacked a group of enemy ships going to the Japanese island called Iwo Jima. Cobia sank two ships, including a Japanese troop ship carrying 28 tanks. The U.S. Marines felt this sinking was important to their capture of the island six months later, and sent a letter thanking the crew, according to Wisconsin Maritime Museum officials.
The Cobia was given to the Milwaukee Naval Reserve Center in 1959, where she served as a training submarine for the next 11 years. In 1970, the U.S. Navy retired the Cobia, and the submarine was relocated to Manitowoc on Aug. 17, 1970, to serve as a memorial for the men who served on the Manitowoc boats and also the men and women who built them. The Cobia became a National Historic Landmark in 1986 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Cobia’s move to Manitowoc was a catalyst is creating a Wisconsin Maritime Museum here, Johnson said. About 40,000 people visit the museum each year, he said. Scout and school groups, and families, can participate in sleepovers during special events on the submarine, and kids can learn about STEM (or science, technology, engineering and math) while spending time on the Cobia, Johnson noted.
“Tours of the Cobia are popular,” he said. “People get a sense of what the history is. And you have not only the people who built submarines here, but you have a lot of veterans who visit and share their sea stories as well.”
Few people today have links to serving in the military, Johnson said, and the Cobia is a way for the general public to learn that history.
The submarine is one of a handful open to tours throughout the country, and is one of the best preserved, Green said. The Cobia is occasionally pulled out of the water for repairs or to be painted, and for its engines, whistles or hull to be maintained. Its radar has been restored and is one of the oldest in the world, Johnson said.
“It really is fascinating to see and to learn about,” Johnson said. “Manitowoc is lucky to have it.”
Reduced admissions on Saturday will be $7.50 per person. There will be educational displays, crafts and games, a scavenger hunt and a raffle. There will be a cake-cutting ceremony at noon — cut with a saber, as is submarine tradition — and a limited number of cupcakes. Nicole Fuller will perform music at 11 a.m., and 1 and 2 p.m., including 1940s and Irish music in the museum’s Riverview Room. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is at 75 Maritime Drive. Call 920-684-0218 for more details.