PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
MANITOWOC (WLUK) — A provision in the latest state budget provides the final piece of funding for a Lakeshore landmark to be preserved.
The 2025-27 budget signed overnight by Gov. Tony Evers includes $500,000 for the Wisconsin Maritime Museum to restore the USS Cobia submarine.
The museum had been working to raise $1.5 million for the project. Plans call for the sub to be towed to Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay this fall for the restoration. The restoration is expected to take six weeks.
“We are so grateful to our staff, stakeholders, and elected officials on both sides of the aisle who recognize the importance of preserving USS Cobia as a national WWII historic landmark that enriches the cultural fabric of the City of Manitowoc and the State of Wisconsin,” Kevin Cullen, executive director of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, said in a news release.
“The $500,000 provided in the 2025-27 state budget will fund a portion of the investment necessary to preserve the structural integrity of the USS Cobia and ensure future generations can learn about Manitowoc’s contributions to the Allied forces during World War II,” said Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg.
“This investment will inform thousands of annual visitors about the bravery and sacrifice of the Greatest Generation who fought in the Pacific or labored to build world-class submarines right here in Manitowoc,” said State Rep. Paul Tittl, R-Manitowoc.
Another $500,000 for the project is coming from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
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