Silversides arriving in Sturgeon Bay on Tuesday. [USS Silversides Submarine Museum]
ORIGINAL REPORT: MUSKEGON, MI — A flotilla of dozens of boats sent off the USS Silversides on a muggy Monday afternoon as the World War II submarine departed Muskegon for the first time since arriving in 1987. The historic submarine disappeared into the Lake Michigan summer haze shortly after 6 p.m. and is now on its way to Wisconsin for restorative work.
Basic Towing, Inc., based in Escanaba, used two 100-foot-plus tugboats — the Nickelena and Erika Kobasic — to guide the 312-foot vessel through the Muskegon Channel and onto Lake Michigan at 5:30 p.m. as onlookers gathered along the waterfront to watch the departure.
The USS Silversides SS-236, one of the most decorated submarines from World War II, has served as a floating museum in Muskegon since 1987, offering visitors a glimpse into naval warfare history. The 312-foot submarine departed Monday afternoon. It will cross Lake Michigan to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, marking its first journey in nearly 40 years as it undergoes a $3.5 million preservation project.
The USS Silversides is being towed across Lake Michigan to a Wisconsin shipyard for a $3.5 million preservation project that museum officials say is critically overdue.
“The submarine hasn’t been in dry dock for over 50 years, so that’s about twice longer than it actually should be,” said Veronica Campbell, executive director of the USS Silversides Museum.
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