# Will The Master follow up on my Lake Michigan Submarine Question? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [January 20, 2023, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-master-follow-up-on-my-lake-michigan-submarine-question/978509 "2023-01-20T14:28:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2023, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-master-follow-up-on-my-lake-michigan-submarine-question/978509/1 "2023-01-20T14:28:50Z")
Years ago, I asked **Unca Cecil** about the Mystery Submarine found in Lake Michigan & nearby waters. Sadly, the original column may not be online anymore. ☹ But I have also heard that _yet another_ mystery submarine may have been located! Wassup with the submarines? Is Aquaman opening a driving school? {Heh. “School”.} ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2023, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-master-follow-up-on-my-lake-michigan-submarine-question/978509/2 "2023-01-20T23:40:53Z")
Hey! Long time no see/hear/read/whatever! I remember that column from years ago. Somehow it was teasered on Google News and after reading the article I found that the link at the bottom brought me here. I participated quite enthusiastically for a while and then got swamped with administrative duties at my work. It’s great to see you’re still around, great to see he’s coming back, and it’s great to be wandering through again. –G! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2023, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-master-follow-up-on-my-lake-michigan-submarine-question/978509/3 "2023-01-20T23:42:40Z")
I’m a 99er here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![2nd\_Law](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f475e1/32.png) [@2nd\_Law](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2nd_Law)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2023, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-master-follow-up-on-my-lake-michigan-submarine-question/978509/4 "2023-01-21T00:36:53Z")
Are you talking about the German WWI U-boat sunk 20 miles off Highland Park, IL? > **[SM UC-97](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM_UC-97)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > SM UC-97 was a German Type UC III minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. > A German Type UC III submarine, UC-97 had a displacement of 491 tonnes (483 long tons) when at the surface and 571 tonnes (562 long tons) while submerged. She had a length overall of 56.51 m (185 ft 5 in), a beam of 5.54 m (18 ft 2 in), and a draught of 3.77 m (12 ft 4 in). The submarine was powered by tw... ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2023, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-master-follow-up-on-my-lake-michigan-submarine-question/978509/5 "2023-01-21T15:44:33Z")
There were several subs found. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2024, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-master-follow-up-on-my-lake-michigan-submarine-question/978509/6 "2024-07-26T02:03:33Z")
Bump. ---
**Author:** ![DETXL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/detxl/32/19366_2.png) [@DETXL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DETXL)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2024, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-master-follow-up-on-my-lake-michigan-submarine-question/978509/7 "2024-08-09T07:36:36Z")
Someone I know pretty well has [been writing extensively about the “Foolkiller”](https://cohost.org/kojote/post/1652545-foolkiller-friday-c). That one, at least, was “solved” in 2022 and wasn’t a submarine at all, it was an experimental lifeboat. I asked about recent updates and got: > Working on a book, actually! Spoiler: Cecil Adams was right from the very start, naturally. It was always a hoax. There was also the Tym Barge, a WW2 project, but that was relocated and apparently destroyed quickly by water action: [https://news.wttw.com/2014/09/10/ask-geoffrey-910](https://news.wttw.com/2014/09/10/ask-geoffrey-910) ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2024, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-master-follow-up-on-my-lake-michigan-submarine-question/978509/8 "2024-08-09T22:09:34Z")
So my new favourite podcast has being going deeeeeep into this. The Constant: > **[The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong](https://www.constantpodcast.com/)** > > A podcast about humanity's long history of mistakes and misapprehensions. He did seven 1-2 hour podcasts on the foolkiller. > **[The Foolkiller](https://www.constantpodcast.com/the-foolkiller.html)** > > Welcome to The Foolkiller Saga. Below you'll find the audio from our (currently) seven part series detailing its history.  He originally came to the conclusion it was a submarine invented by Louis Gathmann, eccentric Chicago inventor. But then (after being sent a magazine article about it from 1906) changed his conclusion, and decided it was in fact not a submarine but a lifeboat. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2024, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-master-follow-up-on-my-lake-michigan-submarine-question/978509/9 "2024-08-09T23:16:56Z")
There were 28 subs built [Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitowoc_Shipbuilding_Company#Submarine_building_program) during WWII. They performed their trials in Lake Michigan. After that they sailed to Chicago and were put on dry docks and tugged to New Orleans. Link: [HOW MANITOWOC-BUILT SUBMARINES REACHED THE SEA](http://www.ssn509.com/Menhaden/Float.htm)