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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW:

WISCONSIN'S MARITIME HERITAGE ATTRACTIONS

MADISON, Wis. (Feb. 15, 2008) - From the canoe-paddling French voyageurs of the 17th century to ultra-sophisticated Navy shipyards of the 21st, Wisconsin has a deep and enduring maritime heritage. This season, that legacy can be experienced at museums and historical sites across the state, as well as on Milwaukee's lakefront, where the nation's newest and most high-tech battleship will be commissioned. Of course, it will also be evident on the state's 15,000 lakes and 33,000 miles of rivers and streams - where anglers, boaters, divers and paddlers from across the nation pursue their summer passions.

Fishing and Maritime Museums

Starting May 24, the Door County Maritime Museum's "The Freshwater Fury" exhibit will shed light on the 1913 storm that has been called the most destructive storm system the Great Lakes ever experienced. The exhibit presents historic photographs, artifacts, interactive components, newspaper articles and the personal accounts of lake masters and their crew to examine how and we why the ships sank. With the help of WLUK meteorologist Tara Hastings, a weather model recreates the storm's development and path as it happened in 1913. Based in Sturgeon Bay, the museum also has a location in Gills Rock, at the county's far northern tip, and operates historic Cana Island Lighthouse near Bailey's Harbor.

Manitowoc County is another a maritime history hotspot, as the Wisconsin Maritime Museum hosts daily tours of the U.S.S. Cobia, a World War II submarine. On July 19 and August 9, families can spend the night aboard the Cobia. While aboard the sub, guests are divided into "watches" and take part in activities such as unscrambling enemy codes, sinking enemy vessels, aiming the 40 mm deck gun, writing letters home and handling K.P. duty. Children must be six or older to participate. Inside the museum, visitors can see a recreation of the city during the shipbuilding era of the 1840s and learn how Manitowoc shipbuilding assisted in the nation's growth throughout the 20th century, and its defense during World War II. Just north of Manitowoc, in Two Rivers, the Rogers Street Fishing Village features four historic buildings that contain exhibits on America's most dangerous profession - commercial fishing - as well as the 1936 wooden fishing tug BUDDY O; an antique Kahlenberg Marine oil engine; the 1886 Two Rivers' North Pier Lighthouse; and the Great Lakes Coast Guard exhibit "SHIPWRECKS!" That exhibit features artifacts rescued from Lake Michigan's most famous shipwrecks including the legendary Christmas tree ship, ROUSE SIMMONS.

Berthed on Lake Superior, the SS Meteor is the last remaining whaleback ship, a ship noted for its unique rounded hull and revolutionary design that allowed it to carry maximum cargo at a minimum depth. From 1896 to 1972, the SS Meteor carried a variety of cargos on the Great Lakes, including iron ore, grain, cars and oil. Now, she remains located in Superior where visitors can tour the pilot house, crew cabins, cargo holds and see the original 1896 steam engine up close. Tours are available mid-May through mid-October.

Fishing is also the focus of a unique museum in Wisconsin's Northwoods - the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame. Here visitors can experience the history and highlights of recreational fresh water fishing in a four-story building shaped like a muskellunge (with an observation tower in its gaping jaw). Also included on the seven-acre site is a museum housing about 100,000 sport fishing artifacts and memorabilia, including more than 1,000 antique outboard motors.

USS Freedom Commissioning

History isn't the only maritime attraction on display in Wisconsin this year. Visitors here can also catch a glimpse of our naval future. In Fall 2008, the US Navy will officially commission the USS Freedom Littoral Combat Ship at Veteran's Park in Milwaukee. Built in Marinette, Wisconsin, the USS Freedom will be the Navy's fastest and most cutting-edge battleship, featuring shallow-draft jet propulsion and technologically advanced weapons, sensors and systems. As the first launch of a Navy ship in the Great Lakes since World War II, the USS Freedom commissioning is expected to be a blockbuster event, drawing as many as 8,000 people to the public ceremony. The ship will arrive in Milwaukee a week before its commissioning, with public tours given in the afternoons immediately prior to and following the ceremony.

Wreck diving in Wisconsin

Adventurers who'd rather find their historical displays under water are also at home in the Badger State - Wisconsin offers scuba divers more than two dozen diveable shipwreck sites, most of them extremely well-preserved and in relatively shallow water. Divers have the opportunity to explore many types of ships including schooners, barges, steamers, tugs and yachts. The cold, fresh water of the Great Lakes has left the remains of these vessels in surprisingly good shape. Additionally, most of the sites are close to shore and easy to find, marked with mooring buoys.

One of the most popular of Wisconsin's dive sites is right in Milwaukee County. The Appomattox, believed to be the biggest wooden bulk steamer ever built on the Great Lakes, lies just off Shorewood's Atwater Beach. However, tourist havens like Door County and the Bayfield/Apostle Islands area also have a large number of easily accessible shipwrecks. For instance, in Buffalo Bay, north of Bayfield, the remains of the steamer Fedora lies in five to 10 feet of water - shallow enough that even kayakers can view the wreckage. In Door County, the 19th century schooner Christina Nilsson lies in 20 feet of water near Bailey's Harbor. It is one of 10 excellent dive sites in Door County and the surrounding area.

Diving guides detailing the specifications and history of all the vessels are available from www.wisconsinshipwrecks.org.

A Mecca for Freshwater Fishing

For visitors who'd like to create their own history (and stay above water while doing it) Wisconsin offers a cornucopia of fishing opportunities. With its 15,000 lakes, anglers are never more than 15 minutes from fishable water - which is probably why Wisconsin ranks second nationally in days spent fishing by out-of-state residents. From "big water" trolling for salmon and trout on lakes Michigan and Superior, to casting for musky and bass on piney Northwoods lakes, jigging for delicious walleye or fly-fishing a pristine trout stream, Wisconsin offers anglers just about every kind of freshwater fishing experience imaginable.

The state's fishing season starts on the first Saturday of May on most bodies of water; however, there are specific dates for some species. Visitors are advised to check with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to find a complete list of fishing rules and regulations.

Learning to fish, or teaching someone else how? Parents, grandparents, friends and novice anglers will want to take advantage of Free Fishing Weekend, June 7-8. That weekend, all waters in the state are made available to residents and non-residents alike to fish on without a license. Wisconsin's state parks also cater to novices and parents teaching kids to fish; a number of state parks offer visitors a free fishing equipment loan program, which includes reels, rods, hooks, lines and sinkers on a day-use basis.

For free Wisconsin travel information and travel-planning guides, including the 2008 Wisconsin Spring/Summer Event Guide or the Wisconsin Activity Guide, visit travelwisconsin.com or call the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's toll-free number 1-800-432-TRIP/8747. Travelers can also obtain guides and information at the Wisconsin Welcome Centers, located in select state-border cities.

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Door County Maritime Museum

http://www.dcmm.org; 920/743-5958

Wisconsin Maritime Museum

http://www.wisconsinmaritime.org; 920/684-0218

Rogers Street Fishing Village

http://www.rogersstreet.com; 920/793-5905

S.S. Meteor

http://www.superiorpublicmuseums.org/ssmeteor/; 715/394-5712

National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame

http://www.freshwater-fishing.org; 715/634-4440

USS Freedom Littoral Combat Ship

http://ussfreedom.org; 847/844-9025

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

http://dnr.wi.gov; 1-888-936-7463

Free Fishing Weekend

http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/kidsparents/freefishingweekend.html; 608/ 266-2272