MANITOWOC – The USS Cobia is expected to leave Manitowoc’s harbor at 8 a.m. Sept. 4 to begin a weeks-long restoration process in dry dock at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay.
Starting at 7 a.m., the submarine will be made ready for departure and attached to two tugboats.
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At approximately 8 a.m., the boats will tow the USS Cobia out of the harbor and north through Lake Michigan to Sturgeon Bay, a journey that will take several hours, according to the news release from Wisconsin Maritime Museum.
People are invited to watch the process from the shoreline. Any delays will be announced on the Wisconsin Maritime Museum’s social media accounts.
A view of the USS Cobia moored at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Wednesday, February 26, 2025, in Manitowoc, Wis. In September 2025, USS Cobia is scheduled to be dry docked for routine underwater hull inspections and cleaning, according to a submarine curator at the Maritime Museum in Manitowoc.
While in dry dock, the quagga and zebra mussels covering the hull of the USS Cobia will be removed and the entire submarine will be inspected, including flood spaces that can only be accessed while in dry dock.
After any necessary repairs are made and the outer tube gaskets replaced, the boat will be painted and returned home. The process is expected to take four to six weeks. The USS Cobia is expected to make the journey back to Manitowoc in early October.
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The Wisconsin Maritime Museum raised $1.5 million for the dry docking project, the last piece of which was provided by a grant from the state of Wisconsin.
USS Cobia was built in 1943 in Connecticut and completed six war patrols during World War II. After the war, it was used for training until it was relocated to Manitowoc in 1970. Today, it is the most historically accurate Gato-class submarine in the United States.
Alisa M. Schafer is a reporter for the Herald Times Reporter in Manitowoc. She can be reached by email at aschafer@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: When will USS Cobia leave Manitowoc for dry docking in September 2025?