Some years back, my wife and I used to visit the Port City of Muskegon, Michigan We discovered this gem on the "Big Lake". A very neat place to visit indeed! We made acquaintenances with a variety of people in the area. There were many neat things going on. The powers that be in Chicago didn't like the idea of a WW II US Submarine sitting in a berth. That is, a berth that could be occupied by a yacht owned by a wealthy Chicago resident! The Muskegon residents got wind of the Chicago city leadership. I guess they wanted that ancient relic hauled out of their waters. There are a lot of patriotic minded people in Muskegon. They teamed up and explored the possibility of acquiring it from the owners. The legal owners just happened to be the US Navy. To make a long story short, the US Navy arranged to have the vessel towed away. That is to the Port of Muskegon. A place where she would be appreciated. The patriotic minded people in Muskegon established a museum for this submarine. Quickly it became all hands on deck. The people of Muskegon had "volunteers coming out of the wood work". They refurbished this "boat" to prime condition. It is a tribute to the people of the area that made a place literally and figuratively in their hearts and their community! As time goes by, another ship from days of the past gone by from Muskegon, was in peril. It had been towed to the South end of Lake Michigan to be converted into scrap iron. The ship had a grand history on America's Great Lakes. The people of Muskegon got wind of the mighty vessel's pending perilous fate. This would be a very daunting challenge. Did they dare try to rescue such a huge ship? A number of people in the region put their heads together. The decision came back as Yes! The challenge would be enormous. Again the leaders and citizens of the area said yes! This project did not happen overnight! It was a number of years reaching the success desired! Some of the people in town, business people also, have whispered quietly about the secret. The secret that is spoken quietly among the locals is that the old ship is very haunted! My wife and I were onboard one day some years ago. It was a very interesting tour. The tour was given to us by principals in the restoration and ongoing ship's association. It was a very interesting hands on excursion. Saying the very least. Fascinating was the time that we spent onboard. After the "cooks tour", we wandered around the ship on our own. It is amazing, having the freedom to soak in this ship and what it must have been like. In the glory days aboard this magnificent ship, I would have really enjoyed travelling! There were many visitors drifting about. It appeared they too were caught up in the wonders of this amazing vessel from the past. One of the fellows who was involved in doing restoration work, gave us an insight. Amid the majesty and beauty of this ship, there is a secret. A really deep secret! This ship has strange things going on. In a pleasant way, he described some of it. One night, recently ( during the time of our trip ) he was working quite late. He was working deep in the bowels of the ship. He was an electrician. Everyone else had since long gone home. It was quiet and peaceful. He was doing neccessary work deep in the lower parts of the ship. He was consumed with his work. Suddenly, in the dark behind him, came something peculiar. There were several men speaking in the distance. He said he really didn't think much about it. Again, he resumed his job. As he was working, he noticed some womens voices. He continued trying to get his work completed. His job was once again interrupted. This small group of people began laughing among themselves. It was just a little momentary distraction. He began realizing that this group had slowly walked up behind him. They were still speaking in a normal voice among themselves. Now, his curiosity was getting the better of him. He turned around to see who they were. In the low lights he had running in this part of the ship, there was no one to be seen! He told my wife and I that he gathered up his tools. He made his way up to the main entrance of the ship. He locked up the ship and went home! He had a very disturbing late night working on the ship. My wife and I listened intently to his story. I really don't believe he made this up. The sincerity in his voice, combined with the look on his face was all I needed to believe him. PHOTO BELOW FROM HER TIME OF SERVICE ON LAKE MICHIGAN 
BELOW: SHIP UNDERWAY TO PORT OF MUSKEGON MORE PHOTOS OF THE SHIP She was thoroughly scrubbed and lovingly refurbished by the citizens of Muskegon, Michigan 
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