
A historic Second World War submarine has taken to the waters for the first time in nearly 50 years after heavy rains flooded its military museum home - causing it to refloat.

The USS Batfish, a 77-year-old Balao-class submarine, was placed on display at the Muskogee's War Memorial Park in Oklahoma - a region that has experienced flash flooding and tornadoes this week - causing rivers to flood and banks to spill over.

Dry docked in a park alongside the Arkansas River since 1973, flooded water brought the USS Batfish - best known for sinking three Japanese Imperial Warships during a 76-hour period in 1945 - back to life as it floated comfortably once more.

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‹ Slide me › Before and after: A historic Second World War submarine took to the waters for the first time in nearly 50 years when heavy rains flooded its military museum home - causing it to refloat

Wartime prime: Dry docked in a park alongside the Arkansas River since 1973, flooded water brought the USS Batfish - best known for sinking three Japanese Imperial Warships during a 76-hour period in 1945 - back to life as it floated comfortably once more (pictured in 1943)

The devastating flooding in Oklahoma wreaked havoc across the state and prompted workers at the museum to hurriedly remove Second World War artifacts for safekeeping.

Local firefighters were brought in to fill ballast tanks to level out the vessel, although it remains to be seen if the old sub - named after a fish found off the coast of Peru - will remain watertight for much longer.

The USS Batfish remains an enormous source of local pride having proved itself a devastating part of America's Navy arsenal during the war.

Launched from Kittery, Maine on May 5, 1943, the sub steamed off to join the ferocious battle taking place in the Pacific sea.

It quickly joined the Pacific Fleet and ran patrols in the Philippine and South China Seas - sinking nine Japanese ships and three submarines during its 21-month tour.

Because of the near historic flooding in Muskogee the USS Batfish is once again floating. I wonder if this is the first time it has been floating since it was last in military service? Perhaps someone can research this to find out. KOTV - News On 6 #okwx Posted by Darren Stephens - News On 6 StormTracker on Wednesday, 22 May 2019

Storms: The devastating flooding in Oklahoma wreaked havoc across the state and prompted workers at the museum to hurriedly remove Second World War artifacts for safekeeping

Watertight: Local firefighters were brought in to fill ballast tanks to level out the vessel, although it remains to be seen if the old sub - named after a fish found off the coast of Peru - will remain watertight for much longer

Flooded: The USS Batfish remains an enormous source of local pride having proved itself a devastating part of America's Navy arsenal during the war

The three Japanese submarines sunk in the 76-hour period proved one of the high-points of the US Navy operations by using the Japanese's radar against them - zoning in on their shielded positions and destroying them in remarkably quick succession.

This accomplishment has not since been matched and USS Batfish to this day remains the most successful submarine killing sub in history.

The vessel and its crew received a Presidential Unit Citation and six battle stars for their efforts.

At its prime, it was capable of diving more than 400 feet below the surface and staying submerged for 48 hours.

The 311ft diesel-electric submarine was armed with 24 torpedoes and several large-caliber deck guns as it set out on months-long patrols.

WWII: The three Japanese submarines sunk in the 76-hour period proved one of the high-points of the US Navy operations by using the Japanese's radar against them - zoning in on their shielded positions and destroying them in quick succession (pictured in 1943)

Valiant effort: This accomplishment has not since been matched and USS Batfish to this day remains the most successful submarine killing sub in history. The vessel and its crew received a Presidential Unit Citation and six battle stars for their efforts

Retirement: Following its distinguished service, the USS Batfish was decommissioned in 1946 and re purposed as a training vessel, only to be brought back into service at the height of the Korean War in 1952 and stationed in Caribbean as part of the Atlantic Fleet

Following its distinguished service, the USS Batfish was decommissioned in 1946 and re purposed as a training vessel, only to be brought back into service at the height of the Korean War in 1952 and stationed in Caribbean as part of the Atlantic Fleet.

However, it would never see combat again and spent the rest of its days as a trainer before being mothballed in 1969.

In that same year, a group of military veterans living in Arkansas approached the Navy to acquire a decommissioned sub for a permanent memorial waterfront park in Muskogee.

At great difficulty, workers moved it from its berth in New Orleans to the park in Oklahoma via the Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers. A bowl was dug into the lawn and then flooded. The project was finally finished in 1973.