WWII submarine returns to Michigan after extensive restoration

A piece of World War II naval history has officially returned home to Muskegon, Michigan, looking like a brand new ship. On October 31, the USS Silversides arrived back at its museum after a 15-hour journey across Lake Michigan. The submarine was in Wisconsin for three months for its dry dock preservation in over 50 years. The endeavor involved completely removing the nearly 312-foot-long Gato-class submarine from the water in order to inspect and repair its lower hull.

Although workers noted the highly decorated vessel was holding up much better than anticipated, vessel curator Scott Hardin explained that the USS Silversides still required a sizable amount of attention. The $3.5 million repairs included welding a reinforcement steel to its underside, as well as multiple other fixes across all portions of the ship.

“Literally, from top to bottom, she got refurbished,” he told Michigan Live in a recent interview.

Built within one year and launched on August 21, 1941, the USS Silversides patrolled the Pacific theater armed with 10 torpedo tubes, a .50 caliber deck gun, as well as 40 mm and 20 mm cannons. It completed over 90,000 long tons of shipping and sank 23 enemy ships during that time. The U.S. Navy decommissioned the Silversides in 1946, and it later served as a Naval Reservist training ship in Chicago. It was later transferred to the Great Lakes Naval Memorial & Museum in 1987, before receiving its own USS Silversides Submarine Museum in Muskegon, Michigan.

“World War II vets in general are few and far between. And so what we have left from that generation are some of the machines that these guys used,” Hardin added. “It served the entire length of World War II. A man died on board, and it’s a piece of American history.”

During its dry docking earlier this year, workers also discovered another bit of unexpected U.S. history aboard the Silversides. Amid inspections, an attendant noticed a flood valve stamped with “Trigger” next to an accompanying serial number. A further review revealed the ship part is the only surviving piece of the USS Trigger, a nearly identical Gato-class submarine that sank during WWII. The Silversides and Trigger were constructed next to one another at California’s Mare Island Navy Yard, and many of their components were interchangeable with one another.

The USS Silversides is now receiving an interior cleaning before once again opening to public visitors on Saturday, November 7. However, there is still that $3.5 million repair bill to tackle. Hardin and his colleagues encourage supporters to help fund the ongoing preservation work through donating directly to the museum online.