Spectators watch as the USS Cobia returns to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc Oct. 15, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
STURGEON BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The treasured World War II submarine USS Cobia is back home at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum.
She arrived in Manitowoc Wednesday afternoon after leaving Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay in the morning.
Two tug boats assisted the Cobia on her journey south on Lake Michigan. The sub had been in Sturgeon Bay for about five and a half weeks, since the beginning of September, getting repairs and a new paint job.
The Cobia has been missed in her home port.
“This is a huge relief for the entire museum staff and volunteers, and indeed the community, to know that we’ve got to the finish line. Almost. We still have to get her down to Manitowoc. But this is a tremendous relief for all of us,” said Kevin Cullen, the Wisconsin Maritime Museum director. His view from the lead tug gave him the perfect vantage point for the Cobia’s new paint job.
While it might appear unfinished and uneven, this is the true-to-spec scheme as the Cobia would have looked for combat missions in World War II.
“It would basically be camouflaged out on the water. So there’s the shallow line — it’s not even a straight line across the deck there. That is on purpose too. If you were looking at a vessel out on the horizon, it would almost appear like it wasn’t there. There’s a mirage,” Cullen said.
And the 245 on the side, that’s also new. It’s the Cobia’s original hull number.
Bay Ship project manager Kevin Lauder has mixed feelings about the Cobia’s departure. They’re proud of their work, but know that she is one of a kind.
“Bittersweet. It was exciting to have it here. It was exciting to work on it. And it’s exciting to see it go, because you’ve done it. But now, you know, you don’t have the opportunity to see it every day,” Lauder said.
The American flag wasn’t the only thing flying proud on the Cobia’s tower. At the top was a broom sticking up in the air — a naval tradition to indicate the work was a clean sweep — and that she’s all set for her voyage back out into Lake Michigan, and back to Manitowoc.
By all accounts, Wednesday’s trip was a smooth one, with light winds and calm seas — just what the captains were hoping for.
The Cobia won’t be open to the public just yet. Cullen hopes that the first guests will be welcomed on board by Saturday.
Comments