Well this year is going to be a busy and exciting year for Cobia. This week a local shipbuilding company, Burger Boat, started working on the vent risers. Burger is well known for building multi-million dollar yachts these days, but back during WW II, while Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company was building subs, Burger was just across the river building minesweepers and sub chasers.
They will be replacing most of the vent risers that have rusted through from sitting in water, solving the issue of the standing water, cleaning/repairing all tanks covers, and repairing structural supports underneath the conning tower. Years ago steam from an old boiler system created alot of problems in that area, which is one of the reasons we wanted to remove the 40mm for repairs...there is not much left to suport the gun!
The original plan for this year was to dry dock, but we are currently pursuing a company in the state that may be able to do underwater hull cleaning and repairs, which will hopefully save us some money.
I will post updates as work progresses through out the year.
Karen