Historic WWII Submarine Arrives at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding for Repairs

The historic WWII submarine USS Silversides has arrived at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding for a much-needed drydocking. The sub's last yard period happened during the Cold War, and she needs preservation in order to continue in service as a museum ship. For the first time in 50 years, this decorated icon of the Pacific Theater will come out of the water for steel renewal, sandblasting and painting.

Silversides is a Gato-class diesel-electric attack submarine commissioned on December 15, 1941. The boat entered service eight days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and swiftly deployed to join the war in the Pacific. Over the course of 14 patrols, Silversides attacked and sank 23 Japanese ships and damaged many more. Credited with destroying more than 90,000 tons of Japanese shipping, Silversides ranks in the top-five most successful U.S. Navy submarines of the war. She received 12 battle stars for her wartime service, along with a Presidential Unit Citation, the military's highest honor.

After the war, Silversides retired to a berth in Chicago and became a stationary training vessel. After finishing her service to the Navy, she was taken over by a volunteer-led historic preservation association in 1973, and was gradually restored to habitable condition. She relocated to Muskegon, Michigan, home of the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum, and has been welcoming visitors there ever since.

Silversides got under way for a long-awaited drydocking on July 13, under tow on a 20-hour voyage to Sturgeon Bay. (Her propellers were removed long ago, but her Fairbanks-Morse diesel engines still run.) Having arrived at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, she will undergo a $3.5 million preservation project led by Valkor Energy Services. The National Parks Service is contributing $750,000 to the cost of the work, but private donations make up most of the budget. The museum is still raising funds to close a small gap, but has achieved most of its fundraising goals; donations may be made at https://silversidesmuseum.org/dry-dock-uss-silversides/