WWII items found on USS Cobia

MANITOWOC - Workers at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc recently made a surprising discovery: the possessions of a World War II sailor left aboard the USS Cobia, a submarine on exhibit at the museum.

Those possessions have gone untouched for nearly 70 years. And it turns out the sailor who left the items is alive and well.

Building Supervisor Paul Rutherford has worked the USS Cobia for more than 30 years. And while performing routine maintenance in the torpedo room next to some bunks, he made a once-in-a-lifetime discovery.

"I thought, what if something was up there? That's what I said to myself before I even looked up, and I put my hand up, and was like, there's something up there," Rutherford explained.

An old leather bag was found tucked away in a small space near the top of the sub.

It held two Navy poems, a cocktail recipe book, a small red velvet pouch, and a stamp with the name of former sailor, Hersey Williams.

"I was 18 years old at the time, and staying in that bunk during my first war patrol," said Williams over the phone.

"(Williams) boarded the boat in February of 1945 and was on the Cobia's fourth war patrol and he stayed on until the end of the war.  He served three war patrols on the Cobia," said Submarine Curator Karen Duvalle.

Turns out, Williams lives in North Carolina, and slept in that part of the sub during the war.

He visited the Cobia 18 years ago; that was the last time he stepped foot on the vessel.

"I'm one of the last survivors, I'm sure. I was one of the younger ones on the ship," Williams said.

Employees say they have found a few other items on the sub, from bullets to tools to old candy wrappers and receipts, but nothing as unique as this.

Now 85, Williams says he's not sure why he put that bag and those items up in that small space.

"If I saw it, maybe it would ring a bell," Williams said. "That's a long time, darling."

Despite the unanswered questions however, museum officials are happy to have made the discovery.

"It's like it was meant to be found, and I hope that's what it was," Rutherford said.

As for the items, Williams says he'll enjoy seeing pictures of them, but he doesn't necessarily need them back.

Museum officials anticipate they'll put them on display during the sub reunions next summer.