Plan Approved To Move USS Batfish, But More Funds Are Needed

The USS Batfish submarine in Muskogee is getting a new home but plans on how exactly to move the vessel are just now advancing after the Muskogee War Memorial Trust just approved a plan.

This World War Two submarine has been sitting here for over 50 years and survived two major floods, but its time in its current location is coming to an end.

The USS Batfish stands as a memorial for heroes who gave their lives during World War Two.

"One in Five sailors who signed up for submarine duty did not come home," said museum Curator James Erb.

He says preserving this piece of history is the best way to remember those sailors.

"It's got a little bit of wear and tear on it, but with the proper preservation with what we can do know, we can keep this thing open for another hundred years,” said Erb.

Flooding in 2019 shifted the 311-foot sub from its mooring, but an even bigger move is coming to make room for Port Muskogee and other business development.

"Our sublease has expired, and they are needing those properties for some expansion and for another manufacturer that is already on site," said James Gulley, Chair of the War Memorial Trust Authority.

The War Memorial Trust Authority that oversees the sub approved a plan Thursday to move the batfish to the Arkansas river where it would be put on a barge and floated to it's new home at the Three Forks Harbor.

Gulley says the move and repairs could cost $20 million.

"It's a 4-and-a-half million-ton boat. It's a lot of weight that we have to negotiate, and it's 311 feet long, so it's not just an easy task to pick it up and move it,” said Gulley.

He hopes to use FEMA funding to cover part of that cost but says other private and public money will be needed. The plan to move this giant sub still has to be approved by Port Muskogee and the army corps of engineers before it can go anywhere.