Manitowoc Maritime Museum

 We were neither feeling "sub-par" nor "sub-versive" when we took a tour of the USS Cobia submarine docked at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum.  No sub sandwiches were on the menu.  Okay, I digress.   So much for all the puns about subs and on to the focus of this post.  

Twenty eight submarines were built in Manitowoc, Wisconsin during WWII.  The ship building company here employed 7000 workers who worked three shifts 7 days a week during that time.  Before that could be done the company had to figure out how to side-launch the submarines into the narrow bay. Like they say, "Where there is a will, there is a way" and the process was developed and perfected.

The USS Cobia was built in Connecticut and has been dedicated as a National Historic Monument for her service during WWII.  Since 1986 she has safely rested in the Lake Michigan waters by the city of Manitowoc.

Before we did the tour, we sauntered around part of the large museum and came across this photo.  It made me chuckle, so I just had to include it in this post.  That's a teenager for you.

We quickly realized that living in a submarine would be easy if one was young, supple and thin.  For those of us in our older years, it is a real pain going from one area into another!  This was one time I was glad I was short or shall I say "height challenged"?

One of the most used places in the submarine is the head.  The tour guide told us that men had to learn how to correctly flush the toilet and that they hoped the previous person had done it too.  Otherwise they would wind up with brown freckles!  This is one time you hope all the newbies are quick learners.😖  Did you notice how much toilet paper they stored and this was pre-COVID!

Imagine sleeping right above the torpedoes and sharing that bunk with someone else.  This was called "hot-bunking" since the bunk was probably still warm from the previous seaman.  One gentleman on our tour had served time on the USS Cobia and shared many interesting tidbits.  He said you also had to avoid touching the torpedoes since they were highly greased.  I can't imagine trying to get out of those bunks and making it to my morning cup of coffee without getting dirty/greasy.

Eating was done in shifts, with 24 men squeezed into the small eating area.  From the information in the museum, the men in the subs were the best fed guys serving in the war.  The gentleman in our group told us that after 3 weeks at sea there was no milk nor fresh fruits.  When they were at shore they could basically ask for anything they wanted (within reason).  I don't think lobster or sushi would have been available.  After all, what American young guy during the war years even knew what sushi was?  

 

I wonder how many cooks were in this kitchen at one time.  Two?  Possibly three if they were all skinny?

Below is the captain's quarters. The doorway was covered with glass to protect all the memorabilia.  The captain had donated his notes, pictures, shoes and even his cap to the museum so it would look just like it was during his tenure. 

All the men went through intensive cross training during their time onboard. Everyone had to know each job on the ship.  If the sub had to dive quickly or engage in evasive maneuvers, the men in compartments had to stay in place and do the jobs assigned to that area.   

Masks were required on the tour.  COVID is still around unfortunately.  It did feel a bit claustrophobic at times to me since it was warm and there was no air movement.  Roy waited for Don to bend over and get through the doorway. 

As we made our way through the larger bunk area our tour guide told us about the red lighting.  This was used because it was easier for the eyes to adjust if they had to go to other areas that were darkened or had little lighting to conserve energy.

All in all, the tour was quite interesting and enlightening. If you are ever in the area, do the tour!😀