Yes I know, it has been ages since I did a Motorboat Monday, but this story got my attention, so I thought you should know about it as well. From a June article in Telstar Logistics, we learn that the experimental US Navy Stealth Boat, that goes by the name Sea Shadow, is about to go to the wrecking yard after being mothballed for a number of years. The reasoning behind this move is telling, but you will have to make the jump to find out why.

According to all things Wikipedia:

Sea Shadow was built in 1984 and used in secret but normal service until her public debut in 1993, to examine the application of stealth technology on naval vessels. In addition, the ship was designed to test the use of automation to enable the reduction of crew size. The ship was created by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the U.S. Navy and Lockheed. Sea Shadow was developed at Lockheed’s Redwood City, California, facility, inside the Hughes Mining Barge, which functioned as a floating drydock during construction and testing.

The vessel was until recently mothballed at Suisun Bay, near San Francisco. Over the course of several years, the Navy made the ship available to any museum that wanted to take it over, but there were severe restrictions. Only one application was filed, and after review, the Navy stated that it was not viable. The stealth ship was made in secrecy, stored in secrecy and constructed for secrecy, and cost the United States Navy over $195 million to build and operate. It has outlived its usefulness, and without a viable caretaker it will most likely be cutup for scrap.

This is the ship that was used as inspiration for the “Stealth Boat” in the 1997 James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies”, which I feel was one of the worst Bond Films ever but at least this ship was somewhat believable. So what are your thoughts about the possibility of having a modern research vessel reduced to scrap metal? Let me know what you think.

[youtube width=”700″ height=”386″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5hT1UTUMRQ[/youtube]