Every dollar counts. Help us preserve Cobia to honor the crew and keep their memory alive for future generations.
SAVE AN AMERICAN TREASURE
Project Dry Dock 2025
As the stewards of USS Cobia, a National Historic Landmark Vessel, we take great pride in our mission to preserve this historic submarine. Our upcoming dry docking at Fincantieri’s Shipyard in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, is a significant step in ensuring her longevity. During this process, Cobia will undergo a comprehensive inspection and essential preventative maintenance.
Preserving Cobia is both an honor and a responsibility that requires the support of our community. The construction of these submarines was a monumental effort, involving the hard work of countless individuals—grandfathers, fathers, brothers, mothers, sisters, and grandmothers. Just as it took a community to build these submarines, it will take a community to ensure their preservation for future generations.
As submarine veteran Wayne Hartlich eloquently stated, “We must do all we can to preserve the history of these diesel boats, the men and women who worked tirelessly during the war years to build them, and, most importantly, to honor the bravery and courage of submariners everywhere.”
Historic preservation and restoration is a never-ending job, especially for vessels in water. Time and the elements are not kind to ships, and USS Cobia is no exception. It takes more than $150,000 every year to keep Cobia “ship-shape” and ready for visitors. Part of our obligation to our veterans is to preserve national treasures like USS Cobia so that future generations can acknowledge the debt we owe to the fallen.
We invite you to be part of this important effort. Your donation will help us maintain USS Cobia in a condition that honors those who built submarines and served aboard her, ensuring that her legacy endures for years to come.
Every dollar counts. Help us preserve Cobia to honor the crew and keep their memory alive for future generations.
USS Cobia in dry dock in 1996
Dry Dock 101
What does dry dock mean and why do we need to do it?
Taking a vessel out of the water to clean, inspect, and repair the underwater hull.
Routine hull maintenance is critical to the longevity of historic vessels. Cobia will be removed from the water, so we can properly clean and inspect the underwater hull. Free-flood areas, such as the spaces around the torpedo tubes, will be cleaned and any wasted metal, if any, will be repaired. Tanks (ballast, fuel, etc.) will be inspected to ensure not only water-tight integrity on the outside, but also on the inside. Vessels can also rust from the inside out, so it is critical to look in all areas that are not easily accessible while the sub is in the water.
When will Cobia go into dry-dock?
Cobia is scheduled to go to dry dock in September 2025. The sub will be towed to Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, WI. Cobia is expected to be gone for four to six weeks.
How much will it cost?
The estimated cost is $1.5 million. This includes work needed to prepare the boat for the trip to Sturgeon Bay, towing, time in dry dock, hull cleaning, coating the sub with an epoxy coating and paint to protect the hull for at least 25 years, and any metal repairs that may be needed. The full extent of repairs will not be known until we can properly inspect the hull.
Thank you to our Supporters!
Every dollar counts. Help us preserve Cobia to honor the crew and keep their memory alive for future generations.