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Subs for America: Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company


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Recently, I was doing a Google Earth search to see what was left of the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company site in Wisconsin. My grandfather was an architect for the company doing work on the subs themselves and actually got a ride on one of them during their shakedowns in Lake Michigan. My mom was born and raised in Two Rivers. Anyways, It is always sad to see what was once a bee hive of activity vanish....so many memories, so many lives. Here is a comparison of the company from WWII to the present day. The industrial site actually had three main areas, each producing a different ship. The Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company built a total of 28 subs and was also responsible for building LCT's. Across the river is Burgher Boats which still exists on site. They built what looked like minelayers. These sites are marked on the current Google Earth map. There still are original buildings on the submarine site, but many of them are of course missing. If you look at the photos, you will see what was railway bridge that is now gone.

 

 

Here is the Burger Boats site during the war.....

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I posted these photos a while back, but if you don't mind, I'll add them here. These were photos I got from my grandfather.....

 

post-3043-0-92901800-1452288080.jpg

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Pretty cool, thanks for the time and effort on it!

 

I have been to the Maritime Museum there and to the USS Cobia a couple times but was never sure where the actual shipyard was in relation to the sub.

 

Now I know what to look for I just checked and found it on Google Earth. They are quite close to each other.

 

Thanks for the thread.

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Happy you like it! I visited the museum years ago when home on leave (I was born and raised in Milwaukee). It is a really cool museum.

 

-Ski

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You mentioned shakedown cruises on Lake Michigan. Were there enough deep water areas to run submerged or was that done elsewhere?

 

areas of LM with depths over 900'

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  • 4 weeks later...

Great photos, thanks for posting them I'll bet the plankowners on the sub with the ice on the water were glad when the formalities were over!

BKW

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Ski,

Thanks for posting. Living close to this area , I have visited the Museum and USS Cobia a few times. I volunteer in my small town museum and one of my co-workers was a welder on the subs. Unfortunately she passed away a few years ago. She was very proud of her job during war times and part of the reason the museum is what it is today. Another thing about the pictures that struck me was that my son worked in that area recently and I did not relate that. In the newer google picture , you can see Broadwind towers right in the middle of the peninsula. They assemble the towers for most of the large wind generators. I'm going to share it with him tonight.

Thanks again, Mitch

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Ski, it is true that Manitowoc Company no longer builds ships and Burger now builds luxury yachts but, both companies are still in business. Manitowoc company built a new facility on the south side of Manitowoc and manufactures one of the best cranes anywhere in the world: http://www.manitowoccranes.com/

The old plant that you showed on the Manitowoc Peninsula is now owned by Broadwind Energy, the largest producer of wind towers in America: http://www.bwen.com/

My grandfather actually worked on the submarines in Manitowoc and was injured in an industrial accident that occurred in a torpedo tube that he was working on. He spent a day in the hospital and went right back to work. He carried the scars on his face the rest of his life and worked there until he retired in 1974. It's cool that your mom was born in Two Rivers, I was born in Manitowoc but have spent most of my life living in Two Rivers.

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