Manitowoc’s Cobia submarine is turning 80. Wisconsin Maritime Museum will celebrate with a party, plus more news in weekly dose.
MANITOWOC - On March 17, 1943, World War II submarine USS Cobia’s keel was laid by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut.
This was the beginning of her journey to service during World War II, ultimately serving six war patrols in the Pacific Theater from 1944 to 1945.
March 17 will mark the 80th anniversary of her keel-laying “birthday,” and on March 18, the Wisconsin Maritime Museum will hold a celebration of Cobia’s 80th “birthday.” The museum will be open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. that day, offering $8 discounted admission, which includes access to the submarine. The museum is at 75 Maritime Drive in downtown Manitowoc.
Submarine veterans and historic reenactors will be on board USS Cobia to share stories and answer questions from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. as part of the festivities.
Patrons are also encouraged to "dress like a welder and catch 'hot rivets' like historic shipbuilders" through an interactive touch-table that will feature real historic tools used to construct ships and submarines in Manitowoc during WWII, a news release said.
At 12:30 p.m., the museum will feature the documentary film “Invisible Warriors,” which tells the story of Black “Rosie the Riveters” working in wartime production during WWII. Historian and producer Gregory S. Cooke will introduce the film and answer questions afterward. The film screening is free and open to the public, but people should register at https://forms.gle/UFgm6xdXCPfuPvzG6.
At 2:45 p.m., Cobia’s birthday cake will be served. Cake is free to all guests while supplies last. USS Cobia will also sound a whistle salute in celebration, weather permitting.
For more information, visit wisconsinmaritime.org or call 920-684-0218.
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Here is more news from throughout Manitowoc County in your weekly dose.
▶ 5-time Emmy winner’s photography coming to Maritime Museum: The Wisconsin Maritime Museum will open its newest exhibit, “Bringing Shipwrecks to Life,” March 16 and running through Nov. 6.
The exhibit will feature the works of world-renowned underwater photographer Becky Kagan Schott and Liquid Productions. Schott is a five-time Emmy Award-winning underwater cameraman and photographer. Her projects have taken her all over the world, from the Arctic to Antarctic and many locations in between. Her biggest passion is capturing haunting images of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes.
Shipwrecks pictured in the exhibit include Vernon, Lakeland, Sandusky, Rouse Simmons and Gallinipper.
Dive deeper into the exhibit with 3D shipwreck models and interactives.
Numerous never-before-seen artifacts from featured shipwrecks will also be displayed.
More details: 920-684-0218 or wisconsinmaritime.org.
▶ Manitowoc Public Library launches Seed Library: A Seed Library, curated by Manitowoc Public Library and Lakeshore Seed Collective and housed at the library, 707 Quay St., is now available for use.
The Seed Library is a collection of open-pollinated and heirloom seeds patrons can “check out” (up to four seed packets per household per visit to the library) to plant and grow at home — at absolutely no cost. It's inside a vintage card catalogue, donated by Manitowoc County Historical Society, on the library’s first floor near the service desk.
People can learn more by calling the library at 920-686-3010 or going to manitowoclibrary.org.
▶ Great Decisions continues with ‘Economic Warfare’: The next in the Great Decisions lecture series at Manitowoc Public Library will feature Beloit College’s Pablo Toral, Ph.D., sharing a deeper dive into “Economic Warfare.”
The lecture will begin at 6 p.m. March 13 in the Balkansky Community Room at the library and will also be streamed live on the library’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Still coming up in the Great Decisions series are “War Crimes,” with Kevin Kelly, J.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School March 20, and “Global Famine,” with Elizabeth Wheat, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Green Bay March 27.
Each session begins at 6 p.m. in the Balkansky Community Room and is also streamed live on the library’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Admission is free and no registration is required.
▶ Historical Society, Holla team up for historic dining experience: Manitowoc County Historical Society and local restaurant Holla are partnering to bring a historic dining experience to life in the Sorenson House, one of the many historic structures in Pinecrest Village at the Manitowoc County Historical Society.
A news release said the experiences are available on a limited number of dates with limited seating. Dates include April 20, July 20 and Oct. 19.
Advance registration is required on the museum’s website at ManitowocCountyHistory.org or by calling 920-684-4445. The cost is $65 and MCHS members receive a 15% discount.
The menu for April’s supper includes Mutton Stew with Soda Bread, with a skillet cake for dessert.
A news release said: “Gather at the Sorenson House table for a delightful, simple, historic supper. Enjoy the sites, sounds and smells of a kitchen from days gone by. At the table, guests will be served a historic menu prepared by the amazing chefs at Holla, in the comfort of the Sorenson home. Guests will be able to take home menus of their own from the print shop, another historic structure at the Manitowoc County Historical Society.”
▶ Rahr-West seeks submissions for fall juried exhibition: Manitowoc's Rahr-West Art Museum is making a call for submissions for its upcoming juried exhibition “Being: A Recognition of Self and Other,” which will be on view at the museum Aug. 20-Sept. 17.
A news release from the museum said the theme of the exhibition “offers a wide scope for artistic interpretation around issues of personal and social identity.”
Art historian Dr. Sam Watson, of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, will serve as the exhibit’s juror.
Artists are encouraged to submit up to three original works executed in the last two years that fit with the theme.
Submissions can be made at the Rahr-West Art Museum website between June 19 and July 3. Cash prizes will be awarded. The first-prize winner will also get a solo exhibition at the Rahr-West Art Museum in 2024.
More details are online, or call the museum at 920-686-2090. Rahr-West is at 610 N. Eighth St., Manitowoc.
▶ Forst Inn presenting ‘A Wrinkle In Time’ starting March 17: Forst Inn Arts Collective will present the James Sie adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s popular novel “A Wrinkle In Time” with weekend performances March 17-April 2.
The production is directed by Gavin Annette and features a cast filled with both Forst Inn regulars and new faces.
Tickets are $20-$32.
Options for light dining are available with tickets.
The pub is open 90 minutes before curtain and features live music for the hour prior to the performance.
Forst Inn is at E2910 County Road BB in Tisch Mills and can be reached at 920-310-7228 or online at forstinn.org.
▶ Tropical Blast raises more than $48K for Woodland Dunes: Woodland Dunes had a “blast” during its Tropical Blast fundraiser Feb. 25, raising more than $48,000 to support nature-based education and habitat conservation efforts.
Nancy Nabak, organizer of the fundraiser, said in a news release: “One of our big hits this year was the Pineapple Coring Station. We raffled off pineapples with a number attached to them for the chance to win either a gas grill or a men’s watch. If participants wanted, they could have their pineapple cored by volunteers and enjoy tropical drinks out of it for the evening.”
There was also a live auction, silent auction and a wine pull.
The goal, according to Nabak, was exceeded because of the passion of the volunteers on the planning committee and the community’s dedication to Woodland Dunes.
Volunteer committee members included Kay Baum, Lynn Burzynski, Doug DeVries, Judy Goodchild, Wendy Lutzke, Wendy Brandt, Lynn Rennert and Jason Ring.
What to expect in 2023
Streetwise reporter Patti Zarling shares the big developments to expect in Manitowoc County in 2023 in her look ahead. Click here for the full article.
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This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc Cobia submarine at Wisconsin Maritime Museum is 80 years old
