(Cleveland, OH) - The USS Cod scheduled to return to Cleveland on Wednesday evening after undergoing two months of repairs from an EriE, Pa. drydock.
The USS Cod has been a tourist attraction on Cleveland’s lakefront for more than 62 years, but was sent to Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair Co. in Erie for 63 days of repairs to its underwater hull. The Cod's 10 torpedo tubes were refurbished, along with its ballast tank plating. The Sherwin-Williams Company donated a new hull coating system for the sub.
The $1.4 million makeover was funded by an endowment, a National Parks grant, and donations.
The June departure of the Cod to Erie was not without a little drama as a collision took place between the Cod and the Coast Guard ship Morro Bay. Officials say that the collision caused only superficial damage to the hull and superstructure of the USCGC Morro Bay. June's departure of the Cod marked the first time that it had sailed in over 50 years.
The Cod will reopen for tours once its 2-ton steel brow is set in place on Thursday to allow the public to safely board the ship.
A homecoming ceremony will take place at Cod’s dock on Sunday, August 22 at 1 p.m.
The event will feature a ribbon cutting and donor recognition, followed by a welcome home cake cutting (rain or shine).
The USS Cod was launched in 1943 during the height of World War II. The submarine is credited with sinking more than 12 enemy vessels totalling more than 37,000 tons, and damaging another 36,000 tons of enemy shipping.
All seven of her war patrols were considered successful and the Cod was awarded seven battle stars.
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