Manitowoc, Wisconsin ~ Submarines and Sputnik

Note:  By the way, when we crossed the border in Lake Michigan from Michigan into Wisconsin, we also passed from the Eastern Time Zone into the Central Time Zone. So we are now an hour behind most of you. 


We left Kewaunee in fog hovering above the water. Again, it was flat water for our trip to Manitowoc. 


Once past the fog, it’s so calm that you can see the reflections of the lighthouse and channel marker in the water.


For those of you on Fred’s nuclear reactor tour, I know it’s been a while since we passed by one. So for today, we have two for you! This picture is Kewaunee Nuclear Power Station in Kewaunee, Wisconsin.  It was built in 1974 and decommissioned in 2013. 

Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant in Two Creeks, Wisconsin.  It was built in 1970 and is still operating today.

Now we need to discuss the difference in the water on the western side of Lake Michigan.  The water on the Michigan side of this Lake was very clear. You could easily see several feet down to the bottom.  
So far, the water on the Wisconsin side is not as clear.


All I have to say about this picture that was taken in our marina tonight is, now THAT’S a boat launch!

We went to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. We learned about Wisconsin’s part in WWII. Many ships were built in Wisconsin that were used in the War. Note the torpedo tubes.

Also, they have the Cobia Submarine, which is actually a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater, according to our tour guide.

The deck is made of teak with tar on it

Now that’s a big cleat


Because a submarine is different from other types of watercraft, there are instructions posted for sailors to remind them what to do. So for your next party, post these instructions in your bathroom

Sputnik Crashed Here!  In 1960,  Russia launched Sputnik II. When the re-entry rockets fired 5 days later, something exploded. It orbited uselessly for two years. Then in 1962, most of the station burned up in the atmosphere, except for a 20 lb. hunk of metal.

That piece of Sputnik landed in the middle of the road about a mile from our marina. The city of Manitowoc installed a brass ring in the road where the piece of Sputnik fell 3 inches into the pavement.  NASA made replicas of the piece before returning the piece to the Soviets. One of the pieces was given to Manitowoc where it resides today in an art museum that is at the site.  







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