War Memorial Park Authority releases renderings, plans to move USS Batfish

The War Memorial Park Authority in Muskogee is releasing how it plans to relocate the USS Batfish, and what a new museum could look like.

The WWII submarine has been closed to the public since being damaged in the historic 2019 flood.

Aside from movement caused by the floodwaters, the USS Batfish has sat still since the 70s.

The park authority said there are now plans for a new home, just a couple miles away at Port Muskogee Three Forks Harbor.

"We've got a plan to raise it up, put it on a trailer, float it down the Arkansas River,” War Memorial Park Authority Chair James Gulley said.

The move will cost millions.

Right now Gulley said there is not a timeline for when the sub will be moved, but said the lease has ended at the current location, so the authority hopes to move the sub as soon as possible.

We're told The Port Muskogee approved the plans. The project still needs approval by the Army Corps of Engineers, which Gulley said is studying the Three Forks Harbor area and determining if there are any Indian artifacts there.

Before the flood, Gulley said the sub and museum averaged 50,000 visitors a year. With the boat closed to the public, it's now seeing about 500 visitors a year.

News On 6 got a look inside the sub and will have that story later today.