Cobia Museum Sub Tow Set for Thursday Morning
The departure of the museum submarine U.S.S. Cobia to Sturgeon Bay for restoration is scheduled for Thursday morning.
A provision in the latest state budget provided the final piece of funding for the Lakeshore landmark and historic World War II submarine to be preserved. The project’s price tag sits at approximately $1.5 million.
On Sept. 4, the Cobia is scheduled to be towed to Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay for dry docking. That means taking a vessel out of the water to clean, inspect and repair the underwater hull.
7:00 AM – Preparations Begin on Cobia
8:00 AM – Tugboats begin towing Cobia out of the harbor
Weather Backup Date: Friday, Sept. 5th
The USS Cobia is a tribute to Manitowoc’s submarine history, where between 1941 and 1945, 28 submarines were built as part of the war effort during World War II.
While the USS Cobia itself was built in Connecticut, it shares its design with those crafted here: it’s a Gato-class submarine. It arrived in Manitowoc in 1970, and has been a National Historic Landmark since 1986. She is credited for sinking13 ships and earned four battle stars in World War II.
Polsteam Adds 2 New Vessels To Laker-Class Fleet
The Polish Steamship Co, (POLSTEAM), Szczecin, Poland, has added two new vessels to its Laker-class fleet of ships. They are Polsteam Insko (IMO 9984833) and Polsteam Weltyn (IMO 99848450), Both were built at the Shanhaiguan, Quinhungdao Shipyard in China and are registered in Portugal. Each is 199.99 meters in length (656 feet) with a beam of 23.700 meters (78 feet).
The vessels are the seventh and eighth added to the Polsteam Laker-class since the fleet’s renewal program began in 2024 with the addition of Polsteam Dabie.
Polsteam Insko and Polsteam Weltyn have yet to visit the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway system. Polsteam Insko is expected to be making an inland voyage before the end of the 2025 shipping season.
Denny Dushane
Federal Yoshino Sold, Renamed BH Ocean
The Federal Yoshino (IMO 9218416), built in 2001, has been sold and renamed. She now sails as the BH Ocean of Panamanian registry As the Federal Yoshino, the vessel was a regular Great Lakes visitor and a member of the Fednav Laker-class fleet of ships.
Federal Yoshino first visited the lakes in 2001 and last visited in 2024. She has four sisterships all about the same size both length and width:190.43 to 190.44 meters in length or 625 feet long and 23.600 meters in width or 77 feet wide. So far of the five ships that made up the series (the others are Federal Shimanto, Federal Kushiro, Federal Katsura and Federal Sakura) the Federal Yoshino is the only one to be sold
Denny Dushane
Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals
DETROIT, MI – You don’t have to live in the Motor City to join the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Its focus includes all the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as well as the ships and sailors keeping the economies of two countries moving.
The 81-year-old non-profit group is now accepting new memberships and membership renewals.
“The MHSD has plenty to offer anyone interested in and concerned with the history of the Great Lakes and its vibrant maritime heritage,” says long-time group President Roger LeLievre. “We have members across the U.S. and Canada and even overseas.”
Membership includes the monthly publication The Detroit Marine Historian, which offers a variety of articles exploring Great Lakes shipping past and present. It also includes an annual, full-color calendar featuring superb, often rare, photos of Great Lakes ships of the past.
Last year the group published the 300-page, hardcover book Ahoy & Farewell III, documenting the vessels built and those that left the lakes during the past 30 years. The book recently won an award for excellence from the Historical Society of Michigan.
In keeping with society’s goal of preserving historical images, the MHSD’s image portal, featuring photos and details of many historic vessels, is now online at www.marinehistorydetroit.historyit.com
The Society has named an annual Historian of the Year since 1969. The award is voted on by past winners and honors those who have contributed significantly to the research, presentation or publication of Great Lakes ships and the shipping history.
Membership is $40 (U.S. and Canada). Join online at www.mhsd.org. To join or renew by mail, please print out the form in the gallery below.
MHSD
Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6
Cleveland’s first annual Boatnerd get together will be at the Whiskey Island Still & Eatery in Cleveland on September 6 at noon. Join us for an informal gathering of food, fellowship and hopefully some boat watching as well. Meet your fellow area boat fans! Food will be ordered off the menu and table service provided by the staff of the restaurant, which is located adjacent to the historic C&P Dock, where the 1,000 footers unload.
Directions and info for the restaurant: https://www.whiskeyislandstillandeatery.net/
Bill Kloss
See “Captain Bob” September 11th
See “Captain Bob” former Captain of the Paul R Tregurtha, in Cheboygan next month for his speaking engagement, GREAT NEWS!! Due to his first show SELLING OUT in record time, they are adding a SECOND SHOW!! Same day but at 5:30pm so if you’re interested, head to the website shown at the bottom of the image (Open it up to see it full size) and grab tickets!! They are only $10 each!! Hurry before this show sells out as well!!
See Photo Gallery below
2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips
Your raffle ticket purchase supports the Great Lakes Historical Society and its National Museum of the Great Lakes whose mission is to preserve, share, and celebrate the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes story.
Details here:
https://nmgl.org/2025lolraffle/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMDBTFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZUGV4UFMxNFFGYUpPbTZ2AR5OikAHiWMuo30CZrAqM9nuK93_xmmqYBsoAerabXJ3sBlZWNxpz7mZwoLuFw_aem_1pxrUONQfReTGS4dlnAgzg
Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released
When Patrick Devine found out, in the summer of 1975, that he was being moved over to the Edmund Fitzgerald as a relief deckhand he was on top on the world. He had gone from one of the oldest boats in the fleet to one of the newest and best. He was devastated when union rules forced him off that September. He had lost his dream job. Then came the sinking and its horrific aftermath. He hasn’t talked about his experience until recently, and he gave Know Your Ships an exclusive interview for the 2025 Know Your Ships EXTRA midsummer magazine, now on sale.
The magazine also includes an interview with Great Lakes top cook Sissy Payment. Find out her recipe for success and learn something surprising about her in the story.
EXTRA 2025 remembers the loss 50 years ago of the EDMUND FITZGERALD with four stories.
- EXCLUSIVE! Meet Patrick Devine, who thought he had found his dream job when he signed on to the Fitz as a relief deckhand in June 1975.
- Explore the Fitzgerald’s influence in popular culture: Music, art, literature and – yes – souvenirs.
- Did you know there were two vessels named Fitzgerald on the Great Lakes, and both were lost in November storms? And yes, their namesakes were related.
- Consider what might have been if the Fitz had not gone down.
ALSO
- Check out the Great Lakes Lore Museum at Rogers City, MI, where sailors are in the spotlight.
- Read about the William G. Mather, the ‘Ship That Built Cleveland,’ which turns 100 this year.
- Litton on the Lakes: Find out how a group of California upstarts turned the Great Lakes shipping industry upside down in the 1970s with their fancy ideas about 1,000-footers.
- Catch up with the latest Great Lakes/Seaway news.
- Enjoy even more images from readers in the ongoing series FAN-TASTIC PHOTOS.
This is the third year for the Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine, which offers even more ship, sailor and industry stories, recent shipping news and many more of the stunning photos – current and historic – for which Know Your Ships has become known for the past 66 years. Please note that the Extra, which is a feature magazine, does not duplicate the vessel and fleet listings found in the regular Know Your Ships book.
Order at www.knowyourships.com
