They just can’t get rid of these things
June 4th, 2009 | Ships | Posted by Phil Ewing
Navy
Have you ever tried to unload an old car and, no matter how many posts you put online, or pull-tab fliers, or signs in the window, you just couldn’t get rid of it? That goes for highly experimental, one-of-a-kind stealth research ships, too.
After trying and failing to get somebody to take the Lockheed-designed stealth ship Sea Shadow and its dry dock, HMB-1 to turn them both into a museum, Naval Sea Systems Command announced Thursday it was revising its requirements. People can now take them both and use the HMB-1 for “commercial purposes,” if they want.
That will take a bit of creativity: HMB-1 was designed to help salvage a sunken Soviet ballistic missile submarine from the Pacific seabed, and, at least in our amateur understanding, there isn’t much call for that kind of work anymore.
Then again, it has already been re-purposed once in its career: When Lockheed (this was before it added the “Martin”) needed a covered, flood-able barge to covertly build and test Sea Shadow, the Navy had just the thing lying around.
Do you have some waterfront space that could accommodate Sea Shadow and HMB-1? What would you use ‘em for?
Comments
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Popeye Says:
June 5th, 2009 at 8:37 amWhy don’t they give it to me? It should be useful in picking up women! What gal wouldn’t want to go for a ride on my stealth ship?