MUSKEGON, Mich — After more than three months away, the USS Silversides is back home in Muskegon.
People gathered along the waterfront Saturday morning to watch the World War II submarine return to the USS Silversides Submarine Museum after undergoing repairs and restoration in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.
For some, the homecoming completed a journey they watched begin over the summer.
“I watched her take off on my boat over the summer, but now my boat is away, so now I’m here to watch her come back,” one person said.The Silversides spent roughly three and a half months away from Muskegon, but getting the submarine to dry dock was a project decades in the making.
Museum officials had been working toward the project for more than 30 years, according to vessel curator Scott Hardin.
“This will be the first time that she’s been there in 72 years,” Hardin said. “I know the museum has been working on this, and it’s been their goal for over 30 years. So being able to have this happen is absolutely incredible.” Hardin started as a volunteer with the submarine more than a decade ago before becoming the museum’s vessel curator.
For him, seeing the Silversides return marked the end of a long process.
“I love her to death, but it’s been a long go,” Hardin said. Much of the work in Wisconsin happened beneath the surface.
Hardin said crews completed a full inspection of the submarine’s hull to determine what needed to be repaired or replaced.
“We replaced quite a bit of steel plating, and just literally freshened her up and made her safe for future generations,” Hardin said. And some of those future generations were already there waiting Saturday morning.
Children, families and longtime supporters watched as the Silversides made its way back to the museum, where its horn announced its return to Muskegon.
For the museum, the homecoming closes out a three-and-a-half-month journey and a restoration effort it had spent decades working toward.
For the people who came out to watch, it was also a chance to witness a little bit of history.
“We want to be a part of history,” one person said. The USS Silversides is now docked back at the museum in Muskegon, ready to welcome visitors once again.
