Hughes Mining Barge
The Hughes Mining Barge, or HMB-1, is a submersible barge about 99 m (324 ft) long, 32 m (106 ft) wide, and more than 27 m (90 ft) tall. The HMB-1 was originally developed as part of Project Azorian (more widely, but erroneously, known as Project Jennifer), the top-secret effort mounted by the Central Intelligence Agency to salvage the remains of the Soviet submarine K-129 from the ocean floor. The HMB-1 was designed to be submerged under the Glomar Explorer to conceal any salvaged remains from Soviet observers.[1]
After the conclusion of Project Azorian, the HMB-1 was mothballed at the Todd Shipyard in San Francisco, California until November, 1982. At that time, the United States Navy towed the huge barge to a Lockheed Martin facility in Redwood City, California, where it became a floating drydock for the construction and sea trials of the Sea Shadow, an experimental stealth ship being tested by the Navy. Sea trials of the Sea Shadow continued until 1986.[1]
Fate
The HMB-1 currently sits in the reserve fleet in Suisun Bay near San Francisco, not far from where the Glomar Explorer itself once sat. It is easily visible from the I-680 freeway.[1] 38° 4'9.82"N 122° 6'5.41"W [2]
External links
- AZORIAN The Raising of the K-129 / 2009 - 2 Part TV Documentary / Michael White Films Vienna
- Photos and details of HMB-1
- Overview of Project Jennifer
- "The Navy Has a Top-Secret Vessel It Wants to Put on Display" by Barry Newman - Wall Street Journal - February 24, 2009
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Newman, Barry (February 24, 2009). "The Navy Has A Top-Secret Vessel It Wants To Put On Display; Sea Shadow and Its Satellite-Proof Barge Need a Home; Plotting in Providence". Wall Street Journal: p. 1.
- ↑ http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=38.069407,-122.10153&spn=0.00095,0.001317&t=h&z=19
- Roy Varner and Wayne Collier "A Matter of Risk: The Incredible Inside Story of the CIA's Hughes Glomar Explorer Mission to Raise a Russian Submarine", 1978
| 40px | This article about a specific naval ship or boat is a stub. You can help Ship Spotting World by expanding it. |
