MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Share #1 Posted March 9, 2009 Last August I had a chance to visit the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, more specifically their WW2 US Navy submarine the USS Cobia. I have long been an avid reader of anything WW2 US submarine related, I guess I am simply fascinated by those who would spend their lives underneath the ocean, and willingly at that! I took a bunch of pictures, I will be posting a bunch of them here since it appears no one else has done so yet, at least in the case of the Cobia. She spent WW2 in the Pacific of course, then ended up as a Naval Reserve training boat in the Milwaukee area, then when she was finally taken out of service she ended up in Manitowoc as a museum. The Cobia was never converted over to a "Guppy" type sub as many were after WW2, so the Cobia is a very "stock", original submarine. A crew of volunteers takes care of the Cobia, and there are even Naval Reservists who maintain the engines, which actually run. The Cobia also has it's WW2 RADAR, and in working condition no less. The day that I happened to be there was also a day when the WW2 veterans of the Cobia were having a reunion. It was an excellent chance to meet several of them and speak to them about their WW2 service and hear from them firsthand what things were like. Sadly, there are only a handful of them left now. The day after I was there the Navy Reservists were scheduled to fire up the Cobia's engines for the Cobia crew - I so wished I could have been there for that! And finally, the tour did not include access to the bridge or the conning tower. During the tour, I took a ton of photos, and my buddy I was with commented to the tour guide that I was really into the history of the subs. When the tour ended, the guide pulled my buddy and I aside and said "wait here with me". So we stood and waited until everyone else on the tour was inside the main building. He then took us up on the bridge. Cool! Man, I could just visualize those Japanese warships out in front of us on Lake Michigan... While getting on the bridge, we stood on the spot where the Cobia lost a crewmember to Japanese machine gun fire during the war. A plaque there marks the spot, it was sobering to stand there where he was. In fact, one of the vets we also spoke to was the one standing next to him on deck when he was hit, and was the one who carried him down into the boat. Anyway, enjoy the pictures, and if you can make it to Manitowoc, it is definately worth the trip! MW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #2 Posted March 9, 2009 Pressure hull and tanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #3 Posted March 9, 2009 The "business end" of the Cobia... note the diving planes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #4 Posted March 9, 2009 Looking from the front towards the rear. See the person in the picture, back past the bridge / conning tower? Gives an idea of the size. Looking from the rear towards the front... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #5 Posted March 9, 2009 Views from higher up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #6 Posted March 9, 2009 Looking from the rear towards the front. This also gives an idea on overall size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted March 9, 2009 Share #7 Posted March 9, 2009 Great thread Mike. I always new you were a seadog at heart RD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #8 Posted March 9, 2009 Looking from the front towards the rear again... This is where Cobia crewmember Ralph Huston was killed, he was at the 20mm gun. The plaque there commemorates his loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #9 Posted March 9, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #10 Posted March 9, 2009 What the Cobia might have seen during the war... the ship is the SS Badger, a ferry which runs across Lake Michigan to Michigan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #11 Posted March 9, 2009 The forward deck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #12 Posted March 9, 2009 The RADAR mast and periscope shears... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #13 Posted March 9, 2009 Forward torpedo room. I was amazed at home cramped the interior was, no wasted space to say the least. We get used to our large open rooms in our houses, our comfy car interiors, etc, then you see something like this and the words "not built for comfort" come to mind. It is simply a delivery system for torpedos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #14 Posted March 9, 2009 Note the location of the bunk in the 2nd pic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #15 Posted March 9, 2009 A shot looking forward towards more of the forward torpedo room, then a shot of the head at the rear of the forward torpedo room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #16 Posted March 9, 2009 A typical hatchway, and then a shot of one of the gallies, I think this one was a small one for the officers and chiefs, but I cannot remember for sure, sorry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #17 Posted March 9, 2009 The officer's "wardroom" is the 1st pic, the second pic is of the Captain's "cabin", if you can call it that, it has his rack and a small desk and chair, intercom, and a depth gauge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #18 Posted March 9, 2009 The Chief's berthing area / compartment... The Yeoman's office, where the Cobia's many records were kept. Sort of the main office I guess is the best way to describe it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted March 9, 2009 Share #19 Posted March 9, 2009 You sure get the overall picture of the lack of room.Your pics really show how they tried to utilize every space they had. I thought my bathroom was small..... RD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #20 Posted March 9, 2009 Part of the main control room, the large board with the green and red lights is called "the Christmas tree", and it's purpose was to show that everything on the sub was locked down and watertight, when the sub was diving, like the exhaust, the air induction, etc, things that could / would let water in. Yeah, I know, I am sure using non-submariner terms!! More of the control room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #21 Posted March 9, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #22 Posted March 9, 2009 The main crew galley / kitchen, then right next door to it the main crew's mess area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37thguy Posted March 9, 2009 Share #23 Posted March 9, 2009 The RADAR mast and periscope shears... Forgive my ignorance, but do I see a broom up there with the periscope? Looks like one to me, but then I ain't no seadog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #24 Posted March 9, 2009 Looking through the hatch into the main crew berthing area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWalsh Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #25 Posted March 9, 2009 Engine rooms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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