This MCP Boat Blog is presented by Aquastar Cruises, aquastarcruises.com, and the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum, www.masoncountymihistory.org.
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
MUSKEGON — Today was one of those epic moments that history buffs and boat nerds simply had to experience.
My daughter, Sloane, and I joined my friend Shane and his daughter aboard the Aquastar excursion vessel at the Mart Dock (West Michigan Dock and Market Corp.), on Muskegon Lake, hoping to witness the departure of USS Silversides for its once-in-a-generation preservation project. We couldn’t have timed it any better.
As the Aquastar departed the dock and headed down Muskegon Lake toward the channel, dozens of recreational boats were already gathering along the route. Then, just as we entered the Muskegon Channel, the World War II submarine began moving for the first time in nearly four decades, assisted by the tugboats Nickelena and Erika Kobasic.
The timing was perfect.
Boats from the Muskegon County Sheriff’s Office escorted the convoy while spraying water in a ceremonial salute. The Aquastar joined dozens of other vessels sounding their horns as the submarine slowly made its way toward Lake Michigan, marking the beginning of an emotional farewell for one of the Great Lakes’ most treasured historic ships.
Once on Lake Michigan, the Aquastar continued about two miles offshore, allowing the 100-plus passengers to watch as the tugs and submarine headed west toward Wisconsin. It was a fitting sendoff for the 84-year-old submarine, which began a more than 20-hour tow to Sturgeon Bay, where it will enter dry dock at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding for its first comprehensive preservation project in more than 50 years.
Watching the convoy disappear over the horizon was a reminder that preserving history sometimes means temporarily saying goodbye to it.
Commissioned in December 1941, just weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, USS Silversides (SS-236) went on to become one of the most successful submarines in U.S. Navy history. During 14 war patrols in the Pacific, the Gato-class submarine was credited with sinking 23 Japanese vessels totaling more than 94,000 tons while damaging numerous others. Her crew rescued 18 survivors from the torpedoed cruiser USS Helena in 1943, an operation still regarded as one of the Navy’s most remarkable submarine rescues.
For her wartime service, Silversides earned 12 battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation, finishing the war as one of America’s most decorated submarines.
Since arriving in Muskegon in 1987, the submarine has served as the centerpiece of the USS Silversides Submarine Museum, welcoming generations of visitors while preserving the stories of the sailors who served aboard her.
The estimated $3.5 million preservation project is considered essential to the vessel’s long-term survival. Much of the submarine’s hull has remained below the waterline since arriving in Muskegon, preventing engineers from conducting complete structural inspections. Once in dry dock, preservation specialists will clean the hull, inspect and repair steel components, remove marine growth and apply new protective coatings designed to extend the submarine’s life for decades.
Patrick McKee, president of Aquastar Cruises.
The work is being managed by Valkor Energy Services, the same firm that helped oversee the restoration of Battleship Texas. Funding includes a $750,000 Save America’s Treasures grant administered by the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior, along with private donations and sponsorships.
The Silversides is expected to return to Muskegon in mid-October. While the submarine is away, the museum will remain open with exhibits and educational programming, and plans are underway to host a visiting tall ship as an additional waterfront attraction.
For those of us fortunate enough to witness today’s departure from the deck of the Aquastar, it was more than watching a vessel leave port. It was seeing history underway once again — a sight that may not be repeated for another half century.
I would like to thank Patrick McKee, vice president of Sand Products, Inc., which owns and operates the Aquastar, for welcoming us aboard; Patrick serves as president of Aquastar Cruises.
Sloane and I with the Silversides behind us in Lake Michigan.
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Visit www.aquastarcruises.com to book a Muskegon Lake cruise.
Visit www.masoncountymihistory.org to buy tickets for the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum.
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