Muskegon's three museum ships are three different visits

Muskegon’s museum ships are easy to mix together, so start with the short version:

• The Milwaukee Clipper is a 1904 civilian passenger steamship at 2098 Lakeshore Drive. It no longer sails. Tours and events follow a changing calendar.
• USS Silversides is a World War II submarine normally displayed at 1346 Bluff Street. It left Muskegon for dry-dock preservation work in July 2026 and is expected back in mid-October. The museum building remains open, but you cannot tour the submarine while it is away.
• USS LST 393 is a World War II tank landing ship at 560 Mart Street downtown. It offers seasonal tours on its own schedule.

None of those ships is today’s ferry to Wisconsin. The active crossing is Lake Express, which uses another terminal on Lakeshore Drive.

Why the submarine matters

Silversides made 14 war patrols. Its National Historic Landmark record credits it with 23 confirmed sinkings, a Presidential Unit Citation, and 12 battle stars. The submarine museum says the current dry-dock project is meant to inspect and preserve parts of the hull that cannot be reached while it is afloat. Check the museum’s live notice before visiting because the return date is still an expectation, not a promise.

Why the landing ship matters

LST 393 served in the European theater, including the invasions of Sicily, Salerno, and Normandy, and earned three battle stars. Its museum describes it as one of two remaining from 1,051 LSTs built during World War II. Treat that as the museum’s carefully bounded ship-type count, not as a claim that only two landing ships of every kind survive.

Where the lumber fits

Muskegon became a port city through fur trading and lumber. At the industry’s mid-1880s peak, 47 sawmills surrounded Muskegon Lake, and the city became known as the “Lumber Queen of the World.” The Hackley and Hume houses show where part of that wealth went. The adjoining Queen Anne homes were built between 1887 and 1889 for lumber partners Charles Hackley and Thomas Hume. They are at 484 W. Webster Avenue and are open for tours on a seasonal schedule.

That gives you four separate history stops, not one museum complex. They share a harbor story, but they do not share an address, ticket window, or timetable.