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The Lockheed Sea Shadow and the Hughes Mining Barge

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Re: The Lockheed Sea Shadow and the Hughes Mining Barge

#11

Post by brandur »

CalChris wrote: post #4

The Hughes Mining Barge (HMB-1) was originally developed by the CIA to salvage the Soviet submarine K-129 from the ocean floor. It then had a second life 25 years later as the hanger for the Sea Shadow . Then they were both put in mothballs in the Suisan Bay fleet. Someone broke in and photographed it. http://scotthaefner.com/beyond/mothball-fleet-ghost-ships/ The Sea Shadow was sold for scrap to Bay Marine for somet…

It's too bad the _Sea Shadow_ is gone, but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to go and see the _HMB-1_.

It's docked at Bay and Ship right next to the ferry terminal on Alameda. Here's a picture I took of it [1].

If you're in the Bay Area, it's probably not worth making the trip out there for just the ship, but it's neat to walk around the old naval base close to there, and I'd recommend a stop off at Rock Wall Wine Company along Monarch St. There's a spacious outdoor area with a very unique perspective of downtown San Francisco.

[1] https://drop.brandur.org/hmb-1.jpg

Re: The Lockheed Sea Shadow and the Hughes Mining Barge

#12

Post by jonathankoren »

I had read that the Sea Shadow was actually too stealthy. Sure you're radar couldn't see it, but it also left a boat shaped hole in the ocean.

When it was sold for scrap, it went really really cheap. Like $100,000 I was tempted to put a bid on it until I learned I would be contractually obligated to destroy it.

The Sas Shadow was sold for scrap.

Re: The Lockheed Sea Shadow and the Hughes Mining Barge

#13

Post by CalChris »

brandur wrote: post #11
CalChris wrote: post #4

The Hughes Mining Barge (HMB-1) was originally developed by the CIA to salvage the Soviet submarine K-129 from the ocean floor. It then had a second life 25 years later as the hanger for the Sea Shadow . Then they were both put in mothballs in the Suisan Bay fleet. Someone broke in and photographed it. http://scotthaefner.com/beyond/mothball-fleet-ghost-ships/ The Sea Shadow was sold for scrap to Bay Marine for somet…

It's too bad the _Sea Shadow_ is gone, but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to go and see the _HMB-1_. It's docked at Bay and Ship right next to the ferry terminal on Alameda. Here's a picture I took of it [1]. If you're in the Bay Area, it's probably not worth making the trip out there for just the ship, but it's neat to walk around the old naval base close to there, and I'd recommend a stop off at Rock…

Yeah, that's the Alameda Ferry Terminal. I said Bay Marine and I should have said Bay Ship; same parent company.

Anyways, this is a Google Maps satellite photo.

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.7912901,-122.2931087,173m/da...

The HMB is now used as a floating dry dock which was its original purpose.

https://web.archive.org/web/20131224162647/http://www.bay-sh...

I remember reading the Sea Shadow itself went for $400,000 and yeah, you had to break it. You pay $400,000 to ship break a 572 ton boat; at $.20/lb that isn't gonna work. I suppose that only makes sense if you get the HMB-1 for a decent price and you can use it. Apparently that was the case for Bay Ship.

Re: The Lockheed Sea Shadow and the Hughes Mining Barge

#14

Post by nonbel »

atemerev wrote: post #3

The CIA has invented an entire fake scientific field to cover this: manganese nodules deep sea mining (it is actually not commercially sustainable). More than that, they have posted hundreds of peer reviewed (and completely fake) papers to convince Russians that it is a feasible idea, so they launched their own deep sea mining programs (completely abandoned after the nature of the operation leaked).

>"they have posted hundreds of peer reviewed (and completely fake) papers"

Source?

Re: The Lockheed Sea Shadow and the Hughes Mining Barge

#16

Post by rjsw »

rl3 wrote: post #8

> Time is almost up for the Sea Shadow and the Hughes Mining Barge. Sadly if a miracle does not come to pass immedietly these relics of American ingenuity will be turned into rebar and Pepsi cans very soon… Setting aside the fact it's a complete tragedy that no one has picked these two vessels up as museum pieces, I wonder how radioactive those Pepsi cans would be—considering the entire point of the operation was to…

The barge wouldn't be radioactive, it was just used to get the recovery device into the Glomar Explorer before it set out to recover the submarine.

Re: The Lockheed Sea Shadow and the Hughes Mining Barge

#17

Post by 6stringmerc »

jbapple wrote: post #10
atemerev wrote: post #3

The CIA has invented an entire fake scientific field to cover this: manganese nodules deep sea mining (it is actually not commercially sustainable). More than that, they have posted hundreds of peer reviewed (and completely fake) papers to convince Russians that it is a feasible idea, so they launched their own deep sea mining programs (completely abandoned after the nature of the operation leaked).

> they have posted hundreds of peer reviewed (and completely fake) papers Were the authors that were listed on these papers CIA employees with a fake cover job, or just completely made-up names?

Hah, ghost-writing peer reviewed papers for yourself on the CIA payroll? Clever.
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