Hundreds of people watched two tugboats tow the USS Silversides submarine through the Muskegon Lake channel and into Lake Michigan.
“Today is a culmination of a lot of years of planning, preparation. Today, she’s going to dry dock in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.”
Veronica Campbell is executive director of the USS Silversides Submarine Museum. For the first time in over 50 years, the World War II sub will receive restorative work including hull cleaning, structural inspection, steel repair and protective coatings.
“It’s definitely a labor of love. There’s some very passionate people on our staff and on our board, and our community support has just been absolutely amazing.”
Larry Pike and Peggy Barber came out to watch the 86-year-old Silversides depart on a 20-hour voyage across Lake Michigan. They’re excited to see it return looking better than ever.
“Oh, I’ve been doing this for years, coming to watch it. That needs to be redone, and it’s awesome that they’re doing it.”
“I’m sure it’ll be beautiful. The museum is great, so hopefully that’ll even be possibly expanded and a lot more people coming to go through it.”
The sub is expected to return to Muskegon in mid-October.
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