Author Topic: LAST MANITOWOC SUBMARINE  (Read 12512 times)

Offline K0EFV

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LAST MANITOWOC SUBMARINE
« on: March 22, 2008, 11:07:46 AM »
As you may know Manitowoc built 28 Subs during WWII.  The last remaining sub available for the museum was the USS REDFIN SS-272.  You may also recall that when enough funding was not raised the Redfin was scrappred.  The USS Cobia SS-245 was almost identical in construction to the Manitowoc subs, and was accepted by the Museum.  The USS Rasher SS-272, was decommisioned in the 70's and scrapped however the conning tower was removed and used for display on the east coast somewhere.  Due to consruction of that site the conning tower was offered to the Wisconsin Museum.  I remembered that I had taken some photos of it shortly after it arrived.  It is now in temporary storage and the Museum plans to place it as a memorial some place at the museum location.  The peiriscope of the Rasher is permanently installed in the museum for visitors to look thru.  They also have her Bell and several other items on display.  The Rasher ,I believe, had the 2nd highest record for tonnage sunk in WWII, and continued to serve thru the Korean War and beyond.  I thought I would share this bit of history with you.
K0EFV Tom USMC   
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chris

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Re: LAST MANITOWOC SUBMARINE
« Reply #1 on: March 22, 2008, 11:40:54 AM »
A sub vet once told me that the people at Manitowoc did not like the look of the Redfin as she looked nothing like a WWII Fleet Boat.To many changes to her.They took Cobia and we know what happened to the Redfin.The 272 boat had a very good war record but the people at the museum wanted a sub with the Fleet Boat look.

Offline K0EFV

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Re: LAST MANITOWOC SUBMARINE
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2008, 04:59:10 PM »
Chris:
Thank you for the reply.  I don't know who is righr or wrong.  I have talked with old timers up there as well as some of the Redfin crew one time when they held a reunion at Manitowoc, and they belieive also it was lack of funding.  In fact I still own two of the JIM BEAM Redfin decanters that were sold at the time as part of the fund raising campaign. Yes they're both empty now.  I guess it's academic now and finding the Cobia was like finding a diamond in the rough  thanks again.
K0EFV Tom USMC
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Offline Fred Tannenbaum

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Re: LAST MANITOWOC SUBMARINE
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2008, 05:09:07 PM »
I believe the major consideration was that the Cobia was just down the lake shore in Milwaukee when the organizers there were looking for a boat to put on display. An added bonus is that it looked just like a wartime Manitowoc boat. 

The Menhaden was available too, however, it did not see wartime service and was heavily modernized (Guppy). Like the Redfin, she was no where near the Great Lakes. Menhaden spent the rest of its career as a target boat for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Keyport, Washington, painted yellow.

chris

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Re: LAST MANITOWOC SUBMARINE
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2008, 05:20:09 PM »
ARE THERE ANYMORE SUBS OUT THERE THAT WERE SOLD TO ANOTHER COUNTRY THAT THE U.S. MIGHT GET BACK.I THINK I HEARD THE 1950'S TANG WAS SOLD,MAYBE SHE IS AROUND.

Offline Lance Dean

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Re: LAST MANITOWOC SUBMARINE
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2008, 05:41:25 PM »
There are still some subs in possession of other countries right now yes.  But I doubt there will ever be another submarine museum opened in the USA.  It will have to be a unique one with lots of sponsors to get going.

Look at the Trout for example.

chris

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Re: LAST MANITOWOC SUBMARINE
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2008, 05:51:50 PM »
THE TROUT,YES SHE WAS A 50'S TANG CLASS.THERE IS TALK OF THE USS LOS ANGELES AND ANOTHER WANTED BY PEOPLE FOR A MUSEUM.IT SOUNDS GOOD BUT THE START UP MONEY IS HUGE NOT TO MENTION MOVING,BERTHING WHATEVER.SOME MUSEUM BOATS LIKE THE TORSK DID GET SOME TOOLS AND WHAT NOT FROM TROUT I THINK.

Offline Fred Tannenbaum

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Re: LAST MANITOWOC SUBMARINE
« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2008, 06:05:44 PM »
There are two Tangs in Turkey and two Tenches in Taiwan. Getting anything back from a foreign navy is difficult but not impossible as the Razorback has shown.
I hate to say it but there is probably no way the Navy is going to release any more nuclear subs for display beyond the Nautilus. And Lance is right: the Navy requires much more funding and organization than 30 years or so ago before it gives a museum ship to a group.

Offline AVGWarhawk

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Re: LAST MANITOWOC SUBMARINE
« Reply #8 on: March 22, 2008, 10:24:28 PM »
The Trout is going to scrap.  The Torsk crew was able to grab some things before she was on the block for sale at the scrapyard.
CHRIS GOSSWEILER/USS Torsk Volunteer/You will find me in the engine rooms.

Offline Paul Farace

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Re: LAST MANITOWOC SUBMARINE
« Reply #9 on: April 09, 2008, 11:06:41 AM »
I can't remember which boat it was, and my Alden book is upstairs right now, but the last Manitowoc sub was in the Turkish Navy as of the big earth quake at Golchuck (sp?), Turkey. Unfortunately noone was in line to ask for it when it was stricken and with hundreds of dead bodies still being recovered from the rubble of the Turkish sub base, it was deem inappropriate to ask. It was later scrapped.

Now if we can get the Tench boats from Taiwan!  Wow!  Just have to replace the rice cooker with the deep fryer (any wonder they're healthier than we are?) and the tea machine with the Joseph Collona coffee maker. 
 :smitten:   They're Beautiful boats, according to Rich Pekelney, who visited them a few years ago.

Paul
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