The U.S.S. Cobia is docked along the Manitowoc River, adjacent to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, and we were able to sit down with the curator of the ship. Karen Duvalle told us that she started out as a tour guide around 17 years ago, and referred to it as “a summer job that never ended”. She described her experience by saying, “I fell in love with the boat, and the submarine veterans. They are an amazing group of people and I have so much fun working with them. This is my passion. Taking care of the sub, and sharing the history and the knowledge with the people that come through every year.” That number is actually quite large, with an average of 40,000 people visiting the Cobia every year.
We asked Duvalle what question she and the tour guides receive the most, and she told us, “The most common is ‘Was she built here?’ A lot of people assume she was built here, but she wasn’t unfortunately. She is a very good representation of the 28 subs that werebuilt here in Manitowoc.” The Cobia was actually built in Groton, Connecticut, and first arrived in Manitowoc on August 17th, 1970. She was moved to her current location in 1986.
Duvalle says that the Wisconsin Maritime Museum is making plans to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Cobia in 2018, when she will be the theme of Sub-Fest. Duvalle told us, “She was launched on November 28th, 1943, and commissioned in March of ’44. She went on to serve six war patrols in the Pacific Ocean, and during that time she sunk a total of 13 ships, and also rescued 7 downed airmen. One of the ships she sunk was a tank division that was headed for Iwo Jima. The Marines that were on Iwo Jima faced less tanks, and they sent a thank you letter to the Cobia.”
Although the Cobia is nearly 75 years old, she remains in very good condition. Duvalle told us, “We are very very lucky that the Cobia was always been very well preserved. Since day one that she has been here in Manitowoc She has always been well cared for…We are one of the best preserved submarines, and we are fortunate enough to be able to help other submarines with their restoration projects.” Helping maintain the Cobia is an aerator near the sub which help keep ice from forming around the hull.
After its transfer from the east coast, the Cobia was first in Milwaukee where it was used as a training vessel for 11 years, intil it’s final voyage here 47 years ago. For more information on the Cobia, visit www.wisconsin maritime.org, or stop down too the Museum, and take a tour.