Estimated timeline and costs given on Batfish relocation

Cathy Spaulding, Muskogee Phoenix, Okla.
·2 min read

Jul. 13—Moving the USS Batfish could take about 14 weeks and cost about $20 million, an engineering company intern said.

BKL Structural Engineers intern Brian Kerr discussed logistics of moving the submarine from the Port of Muskogee to Three Forks Harbor during a Thursday meeting of the War Memorial Park Authority. The Authority board approved the scope of work.

The plan must be approved by Port Muskogee Trustees and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, then it must be funded.

The USS Batfish, credited with sinking 14 enemy vessels during World War II, was dislodged from its moorings near the Port of Muskogee in the 2019 flood. The submarine must move from its present site by the Port because a flood mitigation project will shrink the amount of space available for the War Memorial Park and Museum.

Kerr said it could take three and a half months, or 14 weeks, "just to get it moved."

The company would work with the heavy transport firm Mammoet to lift the 4.5 million-pound sub onto a 200-foot barge, Kerr said. The sub would move down the Arkansas River and be installed at the harbor, overlooking the river.

The submarine's periscope would have to be removed to enable the barge and sub to go under the U.S. 62 bridges over the Arkansas River, he said.

At Three Forks, the submarine would be set up on a slab. Other outdoor War Memorial displays, including tanks, torpedoes and part of the USS Oklahoma's mast also will be moved.

Kerr said there will be ramps beside and into the submarine. He said the $20 million covers everything except for a proposed new museum building.

Authority board president James Gulley said the board's vote is the first step to get everyone's approval.

"I'm excited about getting this project started," he said.

Gulley said the next step is to secure funding.

He said the board is waiting to hear from the Federal Emergency Management Agency about reimbursement costs related to the flood.

"Once we find that number, then we'll start reaching out to the private entities for donations, then we'll reach out to our city, state and federal agencies," Gulley said. "Hopefully, we'll get a little money from each pot and we'll get it done."

Kelly Bolding, a board consultant working with FEMA said she expects to hear from the agency in about a week.