Hughes Mining Barge (HMB-1)
One of the interesting sights in the Oakland Estuary is the HMB-1, which has a connection to Cold War history.
HMB-1 at Bay Ship & Yacht, Alameda, California. 2 August 2024.
In early 1968, Soviet submarine K-129 sank in the Pacific Ocean, northwest of the Hawaiian Islands. The United States Navy located the submarine on the ocean floor and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was charged with recovering it. This top secret effort was named Project AZORIAN. The Hughes Mining Barge or HMB-1 was built and used to facilitate the covert construction and transportation of the equipment that was used to retrieve part of K-129.
Fast forward to 2012. The US government put HMB-1, along with the stealth vessel Sea Shadow (IX-529) which was laid up inside it, up for sale by auction. Bay Ship & Yacht Co. of Alameda, California won the bidding and currently uses the barge as a dry dock.
HMB-1 at Bay Ship & Yacht, Alameda, California. 2 August 2024.
A note related to the Falls of Clyde. The Friends of Falls of Clyde were ready to bid on HMB-1 with the hope that the ship could be hauled out and restored on it. Unfortunately, the bids exceeded what the organization could afford.
You did a nice job of abbreviating a very complicated story to make it understandable!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Aloha George! Happy Thanksgiving to you too.
The story of Project AZORIAN is a fascinating one. I only know the bare bones of it and it’s beyond the scope of this website. Hopefully, those who are interested will look into it further.