Muskogee War Memorial Park Needing Funds To Restore, Move USS Batfish

City leaders worked on plans to move and restore the USS Batfish in Muskogee. The submarine has been closed to tours because of damage from the 2019 flood.

For several years, the USS Batfish has been closed for touring. With plans to restore it and move it downstream, city leaders looked forward to letting the public back inside, but a lack of funding was holding them back.

A submarine that once held 88 sailors during World War II sat empty in a field in Muskogee for years.

“The Batfish is the only submarine in history to sink three enemy submarines in 76 hours, so it's a national artifact,” said James Erb, executive Director of the Muskogee War Memorial Park. 

The USS Batfish was closed off to tourists because of historic flooding in 2019, but Erb remembered a time when it was full of visitors.

“At our high point, we used to get about 40 to 50,000 a year, right now we're down to about 6-7,000 a year. We're looking to get back up to those records,” he said. 

At a meeting, the Muskogee War Memorial Trust Authority discussed its plan to help bring those numbers back up again. 

“We have an approved plan that this board has approved to move the Batfish about two miles down the Arkansas River and put it at Three Forks harbor,” said James Gulley with the War Memorial Trust Authority. 

The Trust was working on securing money to make repairs and move the batfish to its future location.

“To move the Batfish is going to be several million dollars, and of course to rebuild the museum is going to be several million dollars,” Gulley said. 

In September 2024, the city and museum were waiting on FEMA for assistance in the restoration process.

“With the flood which flooded a lot of our static outside displays, and a lot of stuff inside the batfish so we're asking FEMA for some support on that side, plus support to move the batfish,” Gulley said. 

In the meantime, the museum did what it could to teach people about U.S. war history, and the significance of the Batfish.

Donations to help restore and move the USS Batfish can be dropped off at the Muskogee War Memorial Park. 

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