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West Coast Shipyards: 2022 Update

W hether it’s a ferry carrying passengers to work in the Bay Area or a U.S. Navy vessel supporting military missions in the Pacific, chances are that the vessel was designed, built and/or repaired by a West Coast shipyard.

Up and down the coast, there’s a bevy of craftspeople working on a number of major projects for public and private sector clients such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Navy, Crowley Maritime, Foss Maritime and the cruise industry.

Here’s a look at the projects being worked on by a handful of West Coast companies.

AL LARSON BOAT SHOP

The longtime shipyard based in San Pedro Bay has been hard at work on major repair projects up and down the West Coast, Al Larson Boat Shop President Jack Wall said.

2022 has been very busy for the company, which recently completed two large welding jobs for Manson Construction on a pair of sister barges: the Northport and Eastport .

Both dump scows received a total of 105,000 pounds of combined new steel plating and internal structural replacement, as well as extensive preservation packages.

Manson Construction also has commissioned the shipyard on a repowering project. The yard is in the middle of working on the vessel Pup , an anchor-handling tug that has been getting a complete overhaul with new engines and extensive modifications, Wall said.

Al Larson Boat Shop has also finished several projects for Marine Spill Response Corporation, including routine maintenance of several vessels and barges such as MSRC’s 65-foot aluminum spill response boats and 200-foot barges.

The shipyard continues to serve its returning customers, including the Jankovich Company, which has had several barge dry dockings such as the Tyler J and Payton J . These fuel barges received water jetting preservation with new paint coatings, Wall said.

There also have been various dry dock projects for the dinner cruise industry, including Hornblower Cruises for its vessels Entertainer, Mojo, Just Dreaming and Icon . The shipyard also worked on Harbor Breeze Cruises’ vessel Sir Winston and Fantasea Yacht Charters’ vessel Dandena .

Returning tugboat companies such as Crowley Maritime, Foss Maritime, Sause Bros., Bay Delta, Centerline Logistics Corporation, Starlight Marine and Brusco Tug & Barge have been utilizing the shipyard’s services “in order to maintain our local fleet to be ready for services around the ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles and the Port of Hueneme,” Wall said.

The shipyard’s work also has benefited the local commercial and sport fishing fleet, including 10 dry dockings from vessels spanning from San Diego to Ventura, Wall said. Catalina Express was supported with drydocking for the vessels Starship, Catalina Express and Super Express . Catalina Island also sent two mooring floats to be refurbished.

The shipyard expects to be just as busy next year, Wall said.

“We have the first half of 2023 already booked with back-to-back tugboats in our drydock,” he said.

The shipyard recently secured another three-year contract with the Port of Long Beach Maintenance Department for work that would encompass its entire fleet. That includes the port’s two Voith-powered fireboats.

“Al Larson Boat Shop’s current workload looks steady for the rest of the year and the first half of 2023,” Wall said.

BAY SHIP & YACHT CO.

When Bill Elliott founded Bay Ship & Yacht (BSY) in 1977, it was a start-up that operated out of a mobile shipping container in the Bay Area.

Forty-five years later, the “Shipyard in a Box” has grown into a major maritime firm specializing in ship repair and refit for the public and private sector, including the Bay Area’s ferry system, network of barges, superyachts and other projects. The company now includes its main facility in Alameda, Svendsen’s Marine & Industrial Supply and Richmond, Calif.-based Svendsen’s Bay Marine, which specializes in commercial and recreational vessels.

As the company continues to evolve and grow, Bay Ship & Yacht founders Bill Elliott and Alan Cameron decided to step back earlier this year, promoting Assistant General Manager Gerona Goethe to general manager and Chief Naval Architect Joel Welter to chief executive officer.

The leadership change, according to the company, allows Elliott and Cameron to develop business opportunities outside of BSY with the various endeavors of Bay Maritime Corp.

For Bay Ship & Yacht, a big part of its success lies in its ability to serve customers and offer skilled craftsmanship and expertise on every project.

“The majority of BSY’s customers have a long-standing relationship with the yard,” spokesman Michael Stoecker said. “We have found that providing high quality work and ensuring that we live up to our motto of ‘Absolute Customer Satisfaction’ is the best way to develop repeat business.”

This year, the company has completed a number of projects, including a dry docking of the NOAA vessel r/v Fairweather, which involved extensive corrosion repairs, a full paint job and equipment upgrades.

“NOAA vessels are a good fit for our yard, both in size and typical job complexity,” Estimating and Contracts Manager Michael Kelley said. “They are a great customer to do business with.”

This company also worked on a “Tugz” class tug repower, the third repower for this vessel class. The trickiest part of the repower, Lead Design Engineer Frank Rogosich said, was finding a good machinery access path in and out of the vessel.

“The normal pathways, upwards or sideways, are blocked by accommodations and major systems installations,” he explained. “In this case, going through the vessel’s double bottom fuel tanks proved to be the most sensible option. We were also able to use our level land transfer system to move the whole boat sideways to facilitate the placement of engines and access cut-outs under the vessel.”

The company also completed many excursion boat dry dockings for routine U.S. Coast Guard certificates of inspection, including vessels from Hornblower Cruises, Alcatraz Cruises, Blue and Gold, Red and White and Commodore Cruises.

Currently, BSY is working on four Army vessels, which are undergoing major overhauls.

“We find that the Army is a great organization with which to do business,” Goethe said. “The vessels arrive with a very knowledgeable and experienced survey crew who is backed up by an excellent contracts and engineering group at headquarters. This combination leads to a competent and present customer ready to work with the yard.”

Meanwhile, Bay Ship & Yacht is working on plans for newly won contracts with NOAA and the U.S. Navy and is actively bidding jobs for the fourth quarter of this year and 2023.

EVERETT SHIP REPAIR

Three years ago, Everett Ship Repair (ESR) was created to serve the maritime industry on the West Coast.

Since then, the company—which is owned by Ice Cap Holding, LLC and is a sister firm of Nichols Brothers Boat Builders—has been busy building its business in the region.

In March, the company announced that it bought a pair of new 40,000psi ultra high-pressure water blasting systems, which have been sent to the shipyard and put to use as a cost efficient and sustainable alternative to abrasive solid blasting material, ESR said.

“This system allows ESR to deploy up to four water blasters simultaneously in a wide variety of applications including internal tank hydro blasting for cleaning and coatings removal,” the company said, adding that the new system reduces noise, labor, risk of personnel injury and waste stream created by traditional grit blasting.

ESR also plans to use the system outside of the shipyard, offering surface prep services for removing unwanted or contaminated surface materials and pipe and tank cleaning for customers.

In May, the company celebrated the opening and naming of its newest drydock, the Emerald Lifter .

The Emerald Lifter —which was named to honor the Puget Sound—did maintenance and preservation work as the Zidell 220 before moving to the company’s Port of Everett facility and going into service with its first drydocking, according to the company.

Its 2,000-ton lifting capacity and 220-foot by 62-foot working deck will go hand in hand with the facility and the company’s current 430-foot by 110-foot, 8,000-ton capacity dry dock Faithful Servant , which has been in operation since 2019.

Everett Ship Repair also obtained a 150-ton link belt crane positioned on a 180-foot by 49-foot barge from Nichols Brothers to serve both dry docks.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony in May, Everett Ship Repair CEO Gavin Higgins said he was excited about the opportunities the new dry dock brings to the facility, including the local jobs it has the potential to generate and the skillsets it adds to further enhance the shipyard.

“We have built up our team over the last two years to approximately 80 full-time staff,” he said. “We look forward to the new dry dock grabbing the attention of local tradesmen as we can continue to grow our team and serve the industry in a larger capacity now with two dry docks.”

Port Director and CEO Lisa Lefeber lauded the company’s presence and its desire to expand.

“This has been a critical asset for our region” in keeping jobs and vessel repair here and supporting local commercial fishing, ferries and the Navy base, she said.

GENERAL DYNAMICS NASSCO

Thanks to a new $600 million award in U.S. Navy contract modifications, San Diego-based General Dynamics NASSCO has plans through 2027 to work on vessels in the John Lewis-class fleet oiler (T-AO) and the Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) programs.

Construction is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2023 for the shipbuilder on lending the long lead-time material needed to construct the T-AO’s seventh and eighth vessels ($500 million) and ESB’s sixth vessel ($100 million), the company announced in June.

General Dynamics NASSCO President Dave Carver noted the honor of working on the vessels.

“The NASSCO team is excited to work with our Navy partners to ensure the success of both historic programs, which are critical in supporting the Navy’s forward presence,” he said.

The company is no stranger to the T-AO program, having designed the first six ships in the John Lewis-class, 742-foot vessels created to move fuel to U.S. Navy carrier strike group vessels at sea. T-AO vessels can carry as much as 157,000 barrels of oil and have a full load displacement of 49,850 tons, according to NASSCO.

Also, the company in late June christened the 784-foot USNS John L. Canley , the fourth ship in the Navy’s reclassified Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) program, named after the Medal of Honor recipient. Canley in 1968 rescued more than 20 Marines under enemy fire during the Battle of Huế City in Vietnam. He was also given the Bronze Star with Combat “V” and the Purple Heart.

“This ship represents his courage, selflessness and strength,” Carver said at the ceremony. “On behalf of the 3,500 men and women of General Dynamics NASSCO, I am proud to present the USNS John L. Canley for christening.”

ESB vessels are mobile sea bases with platforms created to support various missions including Air Mine Counter Measures and Special Operations Forces, according to the company.

The USNS John L. Canley has a 52,000 square-foot flight deck that can help MH-53, MH-60, MV-22 tilt-rotor and H1 aircraft operations.

Meanwhile, the seventh vessel in the ESB program, the USNS Robert E. Simanek , is under construction.

PACIFIC FISHERMEN SHIPYARD

Washington-based Pacific Fishermen Shipyard and PFI Marine Electric recently commemorated their 75th anniversary with the retirement of Doug Dixon as general manager and the appointment of Chris Johnson. This coincided with the 150th anniversary in Ballard’s Salmon Bay of Norwegian heritage shipbuilders at T.W. Lake’s shipyard and the old Ballard Marine Railway.

The company also received a $556,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration. The money is expected to fund FYE 2022 capital improvements to the yard’s drydocks.

The No. 2 marine railway is being modified to service fishing vessels with sponsons and the new, wider Kitsap County fast ferries, the company said.

Meanwhile, the No. 3 Rowe lift dock is being converted from a 350 Chevy V-8 engine that ran on propane to an electric motor drive with 20 lift gearbox rebuilds, which lowers the company’s fossil fuel usage.

Drydock capability was down during the dredging of the No. 3 Rowe lift dock in which 3,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment was removed. This sediment accumulated over the years mainly from Seattle’s upstream sewage outfall from Sunset Hill at the foot of 24th Avenue NW, the company said.

A two-foot sand cap was put on to prevent further leaching.

“While this dredging activity was a necessary and ecologically responsible maintenance item, it also increased drydock draft capacity from an impaired 10 feet back to the original design 15-foot depth,” the company said.

The shipyard also has been busy with drydocking, engine changeouts and electrical work in Seattle and at its shop in Dutch Harbor. The vessels include North Sea, Ocean Leader, 4 Daughters, Sea Storm, Green Hope, Southern Wind, Columbia, Polar Sea, Marcy J. Arcturus, Pacific Mariner, Early Dawn, Northwestern, Billikin, Lilli Ann, Kirsten Marie, Northern Ram, American Beauty, Pacific Challenger, Elsie M, Lorelei, Pacific Wind, Arctic Bear, Aldebran, Pacific Viking, Royal Viking, Royal Atlantic, Nordic Mariner, Wizard, Oceanix, Erla N, Mary B, Angie, Commodore, Starbound and Starfish.

Last spring, Vigor finished its biggest project to date: modernizing the USS McCampbell , an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, at its Swan Island facility in Portland, Oregon.

The project took 18 months and more than $155 million to complete before delivering the vessel to its new homeport at Naval Station Everett. About 250 Vigor employees, contractors and Navy service members worked on the project, which involved hull improvements, updates to mechanical and electrical technology and critical warfighting improvements.

“Our skilled workers at Swan Island were honored to support the U.S. Navy and get USS McCampbell back into service,” said Adam Beck, the company’s executive vice president of ship repair. “This was the largest and one of the most complex projects our ship repair workers have ever completed. It says a tremendous amount about the skill and dedication of our workers throughout the process, and their ability to rise to the occasion on these major projects.”

The USS McCampbell is the latest in a series of the company’s recent wins, which have included working on the USS William P. Lawrence and USS Wayne E. Meyer in Hawaii and the USS Coronado and USNS Mercy at Swan Island.

Meanwhile, Vigor is conducting maintenance and modernization work on the USS Chosin at its Harbor Island facility. The company also is expected to start work on the USS Tulsa when it arrives in Portland this month.

“Our skilled workers keep stepping up on these projects of increasing complexity,” Beck said. “Specifically on USS McCampbell , they came to work every day throughout the pandemic, adhering to health protocols and consistently bringing their best efforts to get this vessel back in service for our Navy customer.”

In May, the company’s facilities in Ketchikan, Vancouver, Swan Island and Hawaii netted recognition from the Shipbuilders Council of America of safety performance last year. All four facilities scored the “Excellence in Safety Award.”

Vigor’s Hawaii team garnered the “Significance in Safety Achievement” Award, one of four in the country to obtain the honor bestowed on shipyards with zero fatalities and a total recordable incident rate of under 1.0.

“This recognition is a testament to the incredible effort of our skilled workers to be safe every day,” CEO Jim Marcotuli said. “Our top priority is ensuring each person who comes to one of our work sites leaves the same way they arrived, by anticipating and preventing hazards.”    

KAREN ROBES MEEKS, a Southern California native, is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years’ writing experience. Her articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Orange County Register and Long Beach Press-Telegram , where she worked as a reporter for nearly 14 years. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association, the Associated Press News Executives Council and the Los Angeles Press Club.

Published on December 6th, 2016 | by Editor

Bay Maritime Corp. buys Svendsen’s Boat Works

Published on December 6th, 2016 by Editor -->

Alameda, CA (December 6, 2016) – Svendsen’s Boat Works and its divisions of Svendsen’s Marine Distributing, Svendsen’s Metal Works, Svendsen’s Chandlery and Svendsen’s Marine International, an Alameda-based, family owned and operated company since 1963, have been acquired by Alameda’s Bay Maritime Corp.

Bay Maritime Corp. is parent company to Bay Marine Boatworks, Bay Ship & Yacht and its affiliates of Bay Propeller, Bay Engineering & Design, Bay Machine & Fabrication, the Fleet Services Division and Bay Industrial & Marine Supply.

Now in its 53rd year of operation, Svendsen’s will continue to operate under the Svendsen’s name and provide full-service boat repair at its boatyard located at the Alameda Marina, as well as supply name-brand marine products to commercial customers through its established distribution network and Chandlery.

Sean Svendsen will continue as General Manager of Svendsen’s. “Our customers will find that it’s business as usual with our friendly staff and excellent service team,” Svendsen said. “We’re also very excited about the opportunity for growth and expansion of our Svendsen’s brand through synergy created with the Bay Maritime group of companies.”

Established in 1977, Bay Maritime and its affiliates are owned and operated by President Bill Elliott and General Manager Alan Cameron, and include a full-service ship repair facility in Alameda (Bay Ship & Yacht) and a full-service boatyard in Richmond (Bay Marine Boatworks).

President Bill Elliott said, “Svendsen’s has been one of our chief product suppliers for decades, so we know the company and its employees well, and intend to continue the innovative path established by the Svendsen family for the past five-plus decades.” Source: Bay Maritime Corp.

Tags: Bay Maritime , Industry , Svendsen

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Enclosed Dry Dock Opened on U.S. West Coast

Yachting Journal

Bay Ship & Yacht Co., an American service, refit and new construction yards for superyachts and commercial vessels, recently expanded its capacity and capabilities by unveiling a new covered dry dock that accommodates vessels displacing up to 6,300-long tons with a maximum beam of 76 feet. Currently the only dry dock on the West Coast to be fully enclosed by a retractable roof, this new high-tech facility on San Francisco Bay is a conversion of the submersible Hughes Mining Barge (HMB-1), which played a role in a covert Cold War operation. According to CIA documents declassified in 2012, the HMB-1 was built in the 1970s by the U.S. Navy as part of Project Azorian, a top-secret plan to salvage the Soviet submarine K-129, which sank while reportedly carrying three nuclear-armed ballistic missiles, from the floor of the Pacific Ocean. The ruggedly built HMB-1 was designed to submerge to 160 feet and sit on the seabed during the transfer of heavy equipment required to retrieve the sub. After Project Azorian’s successful conclusion, the HMB-1 was transferred to Lockheed Martin, where it became a floating dry dock for the Navy’s experimental 164-foot SWATH vessel Sea Shadow, a test bed for stealth technology. Today, the new HMB-1 dry dock, which has a 69-foot retractable roof, offers Bay Ship & Yacht clients a covered environment for commercial ship and superyacht service, repair and refit projects. This unique facility offers several major benefits: •The dry dock’s roof prevents lost workdays due to inclement weather, helping projects stay on time and on budget. •The covered facility ensures maximum quality control for paint and other marine coatings applications. Bay Ship & Yacht has earned QP-1 certification from the Society for Protective Coatings, a nationally recognized standard. •Projects carried out in the enclosed dry dock are “greener”, since the facility keeps materials, fluids and emissions that may be potentially hazardous to the environment safely contained inside. The HMB-1 facility has expanded Bay Ship & Yacht’s dry dock capacity by 18 feet in width, while its lifting capability has more than doubled. This allows the yard to service commercial and pleasure vessels that are much larger, beamier and heavier than ever before. “Under the direction of Alan Cameron, Bay Ship & Yacht’s General Manager, the HMB-1 dry dock was completely transformed in almost every aspect, meeting all environmental requirements with minimal impact on marine life,” said Anthony Del Gavio, Business Development Manager. bay-ship.com  

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Enclosed Dry Dock Opened on U.S. West Coast

MarineLink.com August 5, 2013

Bay Ship & Yacht Co., an American service, refit and new construction yards for superyachts and commercial vessels, recently expanded its capacity and capabilities by unveiling a new covered dry dock that accommodates vessels displacing up to 6,300-long tons with a maximum beam of 76 feet. Currently the only dry dock on the West Coast to be fully enclosed by a retractable roof, this new high-tech facility on San Francisco Bay is a conversion of the submersible Hughes Mining Barge (HMB-1), which played a role in a covert Cold War operation. According to CIA documents declassified in 2012, the HMB-1 was built in the 1970s by the U.S. Navy as part of Project Azorian, a top-secret plan to salvage the Soviet submarine K-129, which sank while reportedly carrying three nuclear-armed ballistic missiles, from the floor of the Pacific Ocean. The ruggedly built HMB-1 was designed to submerge to 160 feet and sit on the seabed during the transfer of heavy equipment required to retrieve the sub. After Project Azorian’s successful conclusion, the HMB-1 was transferred to Lockheed Martin, where it became a floating dry dock for the Navy’s experimental 164-foot SWATH vessel Sea Shadow, a test bed for stealth technology. Today, the new HMB-1 dry dock, which has a 69-foot retractable roof, offers Bay Ship & Yacht clients a covered environment for commercial ship and superyacht service, repair and refit projects. This unique facility offers several major benefits: •The dry dock’s roof prevents lost workdays due to inclement weather, helping projects stay on time and on budget. •The covered facility ensures maximum quality control for paint and other marine coatings applications. Bay Ship & Yacht has earned QP-1 certification from the Society for Protective Coatings, a nationally recognized standard. •Projects carried out in the enclosed dry dock are “greener”, since the facility keeps materials, fluids and emissions that may be potentially hazardous to the environment safely contained inside. The HMB-1 facility has expanded Bay Ship & Yacht’s dry dock capacity by 18 feet in width, while its lifting capability has more than doubled. This allows the yard to service commercial and pleasure vessels that are much larger, beamier and heavier than ever before. “Under the direction of Alan Cameron, Bay Ship & Yacht’s General Manager, the HMB-1 dry dock was completely transformed in almost every aspect, meeting all environmental requirements with minimal impact on marine life,” said Anthony Del Gavio, Business Development Manager. bay-ship.com  

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• December 07, 2016
• Shipyard News

Bay Maritime acquires Svendsen’s Boat Works

DECEMBER 7, 2016 — Svendsen’s Boat Works and its divisions of Svendsen’s Marine Distributing, Svendsen’s Metal Works, Svendsen’s Chandlery and Svendsen’s Marine International, an Alameda, CA, based, family owned and operated company since 1963, have been acquired by Alameda’s Bay Maritime Corp.

Bay Maritime Corp. is the parent company to Bay Marine Boatworks, Bay Ship & Yacht and its affiliates of Bay Propeller, Bay Engineering & Design, Bay Machine & Fabrication, the Fleet Services Division and Bay Industrial & Marine Supply.

“Our customers will find that it’s business as usual with our friendly staff and excellent service team. We’re also very excited about the opportunity for growth and expansion of our Svendsen’s brand through synergy created with the Bay Maritime group of companies.”

Now in its 53rd year of operation, Svendsen’s will continue to operate under the Svendsen’s name and provide full-service boat repair at its boatyard located at the Alameda Marina, as well as supply name-brand marine products to commercial customers through its established distribution network and Chandlery (open seven days).

Sean Svendsen will continue as General Manager of Svendsen’s.

Svendsen said, “Our customers will find that it’s business as usual with our friendly staff and excellent service team. We’re also very excited about the opportunity for growth and expansion of our Svendsen’s brand through synergy created with the Bay Maritime group of companies.”

Established in 1977, Bay Maritime and its affiliates are owned and operated by President Bill Elliott and General Manager Alan Cameron, and include a full-service ship repair facility in Alameda (Bay Ship & Yacht) and a full-service boatyard in Richmond (Bay Marine Boatworks).

President Bill Elliott said, “Svendsen’s has been one of our chief product suppliers for decades, so we know the company and its employees well, and intend to continue the innovative path established by the Svendsen family for the past five-plus decades.”

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Bay Ship & Yacht opens dry dock with retractable roof

The following is the text of a press release from Bay Ship & Yacht Co.: 

(ALAMEDA, Calif.) — Bay Ship & Yacht Co., one of America’s leading service, refit and new construction yards for superyachts and commercial vessels, recently expanded its capacity and capabilities by unveiling a new covered dry dock that accommodates vessels displacing up to 6,300-long tons with a maximum beam of 76 feet. Currently the only dry dock on the West Coast to be fully enclosed by a retractable roof, this new high-tech facility on San Francisco Bay is a conversion of the submersible Hughes Mining Barge (HMB-1), which played a role in a covert Cold War operation.

According to CIA documents declassified in 2012, the HMB-1 was built in the 1970s by the U.S. Navy as part of Project Azorian, a top-secret plan to salvage the Soviet submarine K-129, which sank while reportedly carrying three nuclear-armed ballistic missiles, from the floor of the Pacific Ocean. The ruggedly built HMB-1 was designed to submerge to 160 feet and sit on the seabed during the transfer of heavy equipment required to retrieve the sub. After Project Azorian’s successful conclusion, the HMB-1 was transferred to Lockheed Martin, where it became a floating dry dock for the Navy’s experimental 164-foot SWATH vessel Sea Shadow, a test bed for stealth technology.

Today, the new HMB-1 dry dock, which has a 69-foot retractable roof, offers Bay Ship & Yacht clients a covered environment for commercial ship and superyacht service, repair and refit projects. This unique facility offers several major benefits:

 • The dry dock’s roof prevents lost workdays due to inclement weather, helping projects stay on time and on budget.

• The covered facility ensures maximum quality control for paint and other marine coatings applications. Bay Ship & Yacht has earned QP-1 certification from the Society for Protective Coatings, a nationally recognized standard.

• Projects carried out in the enclosed dry dock are “greener” since the facility keeps materials, fluids and emissions that may be potentially hazardous to the environment safely contained inside.

The HMB-1 facility has expanded Bay Ship & Yacht’s dry dock capacity by 18 feet in width, while its lifting capability has more than doubled. This allows the yard to service commercial and pleasure vessels that are much larger, beamier and heavier than ever before.

“Under the direction of Alan Cameron, Bay Ship & Yacht’s General Manager, the HMB-1 dry dock was completely transformed in almost every aspect, meeting all environmental requirements with minimal impact on marine life,” said Anthony Del Gavio, Business Development Manager. “The ability to close its roof makes working conditions ideal for delivering the best-quality product Bay Ship & Yacht is known for, and it is something our painting and vessel refinishing will surely benefit from. I am quite proud of this new facility of ours, and I know our customers will be delighted with our new expanded capabilities.”

By Professional Mariner Staff

Massive Barge at Treasure Island Holds Secrets

The military built the submersible barge for a secret mission., by jean elle • published august 2, 2012 • updated on august 3, 2012 at 7:20 am.

A football field size barge with a retractable roof recently docked on Treasure Island is getting lots of attention.

Workers with Bay Ship and Yacht say they are getting emails about the barge and people are stopping by the security fence asking questions.

NBC Bay Area News stopped by as well and got permission to board. 

The barge is the Hughes Mining Barge or the HMB-1.

The military built the submersible barge for a secret mission. It carried a tool called The Claw, that the CIA used to grab a Russian submarine off the ocean floor. After that mission the HMB-1 docked at Lockheed Martin in Redwood City where another secret mission launched.

This time Bay Area engineers helped the military build a stealth ship called the Sea Shadow. It looks like a sci-fi movie prop. But experts say it pushed the limits of technology in an attempt to make a ship that could not be detected by radar.

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The cold war relics were recently declassified and put up for auction. Bay Ship and Yacht paid $2.5 million dollars for the pair but had to agree to scrap the Sea Shadow.

Workers are beginning that process in the privacy of the HMB-1.

"It's a new experience, everyday we find something new -- little secrets here and there. A tremendous amount of technology went into this. The engineering is astounding," said worker Paul Pegan.

Bay Ship and Yacht general manager Alan Cameron has big plans for the HMB-1. He will restore it and use it as a dry dock.

He says ship work can be harmful to the environment and the retractable roof makes it possible to make it a completely closed space.

"Being able to control the environment and weather is huge in ship repair it's a smoke stack industry and it doesn't have to be," Cameron said. 

A military relic will soon be a maritime marvel.

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$50 million stealth ship sold for $2.5 million, headed to scrap heap.

If any of you out there were still holding out to buy the first ever stealth ship, then your boat has set sail. The IX-529, or Sea Shadow to its friends, has been sold for a measly $2.5 million . Sadly, the once top secret experimental vessel won’t be plying the seas anymore: It’s headed to that big scrap heap in the sky .

Originally built in 1985 by Lockheed Martin, the Sea Shadow was intended to test whether the same technologies that spawned the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter could be applied to naval vessels as well. Built in secret for $50 million , the Sea Shadow demonstrated that it could not only evade radar and sneak up on other ships, but that it could survive intense storms thanks to its twin-hull design.

Finally unveiled to the public in 1993, the Sea Shadow never went into production and was little more than an (extremely cool looking) experiment. Interestingly, its fate intersected another storied secret naval craft, the Hughes Mining Barge or HMB-1 . A submersible drydock barge, the HMB-1 was used to house the Sea Shadow during construction, and ferried the secret boat to and from sea trials far from prying eyes.

For the HMB-1, its time with the Sea Shadow was an encore career. It had already made its name being used in  Project Azorian (incorrectly referred to as “Project Jennifer”), a top secret CIA operation which raised the downed Soviet submarine K-129 in 1974.

With limited space onboard and no real practical use beyond experimentation, the Navy attempted to give the  Sea Shadow to any interested museum. However, they found no takers and the two craft were sent to the Suisun Bay mothball fleet. Then in April, the  General Services Administration’s auction site listed the two craft for sale for an opeing bid of $100,420 under the condition that the Sea Shadow be scrapped .

In the end, the California-based Bay Ship & Yacht Co. won the auction with a final bid around $2.5 million. In an interview with the Sacramento Bee , Bay Ship & Yacht Co. general manager Alan Cameron described his dismay in scrapping such a unique vessel.

“We don’t think we’re going to make money on Sea Shadow at all […] In fact, it would have been wonderful if we could have just floated it out of there and given it to somebody.”

The HMB-1, however, is free to be repurposed which the Bay Ship & Yacht Co. apparently intends to do. According to the Bee, HMB-1 will become a floating drydock for servicing ships.

But though the Sea Shadow will be gone, it will sure not be forgotten. It will live on in our dreams, in our memories, and as the inspiration for that stealth ship in Tomorrow Never Dies .

( Sacramento Bee via NOSInt , image via Wikipedia )

Relevant to your interests

• Here’s our original coverage of the Sea Shadow sale
• Interested in buying a secret, underground submarine base?
• Or perhaps you’d rather live in one of these missile silos
• Or maybe this 1954 flying car

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Bay Ship & Yacht Co. 2900 Main Street #2100, Alameda, CA 94501

Phone: (510) 337-9122 | fax: (510) 337-0154, lat 37:47:29:5n   lon 122:177:30:8w.

Mike Stoecker Sales & Marketing Manager Phone: (510) 337-9122

Cell:  (510) 390-8144 [email protected]

Joel Welter Chief Naval Architect Phone: 510-337-9122 [email protected]

• Guided tour

River Cruise on Luxurious Radisson Boat

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Equipped with ice-breaking technology, these huge fancy yachts are the only river cruisers running all year around. The round trip journey takes two and a half hours and floats past all the big sights like the White House, Novodevichy monastery and the Kremlin. There’s a large open air observation deck up top, while the main body of the ship houses a restaurant with a dance floor for a romantic post dinner dance. For a particularly romantic experience take one of the evening boats and admire the bright lights of the city skyline at night.

The most relaxing and picturesque tour that Moscow can offer: a great way to see the city center and its main attractions. This is a perfect alternative to exploring the city by car, if you only have time to do sightseeing during weekday rush hours.

Your English-speaking guide is eager to share every bit of their knowledge about the surrounding landscape, the architecture and historical details.

We conduct Moscow river tour on Radisson Flotilla boats all year around!  It’s warm inside during winter months, while there’s air conditioning during hot summer days. You may also treat yourself to drinks, lunch or dinner on board (drinks and food are not included in tour price).

The cost of an excursion with a personal guide for 1 person

Quay at Radisson Collection Hotel

Government Headquarters ("the White House")

Kievsky Railway Central

Novodevichy Convent

Luzhniki Stadium

Academy of Sciences

Monument to Peter I

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

Moscow Kremlin

St.Basil's Cathedral

Novospassky Monastery

U-turn and back to Quay at Radisson Royal Hotel

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Restaurant-Yacht Chaika

Ratings and reviews, location and contact.

Pleasantly surprised, service is good so is the food. Great selection of Fusion food, a mixture of Italian, Japanese, European, Asian etc. A pleasantly nice dining experience, highly recommended, a must try!

Thank you for your feedback and invite you to have lunch or dinner again aboard the ship in an atmosphere of high standards of yacht hospitality.

everything was perfect - the food, the service, the desserts were the best, nice atmosphere and the location - magical

Best food, best view in Moscow. absolutely faultless from arrival to finish. Best risotto i had for many years absolutely perfectly cooked. The view on Ukrainian hotel and the white house by night is amazing

Had to wait for the food for 1.5 hours and then another 20 minutes for the check. Finally called for the manager and he offered... a 10% discount as a compensation. Simply pathetic! The food is mediocre at best. Not bad per se, but one... would expect something better considering the prices. There are many places to eat in area that are much better. Avoid this one at all costs. More

Hello, Alexander Your comment is extremely important for us, thank you a lot for it. We are terribly sorry for your time that you`ve spent waiting your order and we have already taken actions to improve quality of our service and it would be realy... More

Food is very expensive,very pretentious, doesn't worth that money. Portions are very small. We ordered ravioli and there were 4! Four raviolis! For almost 15 euros. Then we asked to bring us dessert menu but nothing, they didn't even bothered, so we payed and left... without dessert. Very poor service for that price. More

This is a very good restaurant. The food is really good, maybe the best in Moscow. The service is also good. The view from the restaurant is great. The prices are very high.

I often visit this restaurant and must say it’s one of the best in Moscow in terms of quality and service. Staff really try hard to make sure that you are happy and satisfied. Customer service is a huge problem in Moscow but Chaika sets... a great example for others in the industry! Food is delicious and the menu has lots of options for everyone! Atmosphere is great and view is beautiful on the embankment. Special thanks to German & Oleg! More

Thank you for your feedback! Again aboard the yacht restaurant "Chaika" in accordance with the high standards of yacht hospitality.

Highly recommended, great location in the city center of Moscow with a superb atmosphere. Too many menu choices, though all delicious!

Thx a lot for your review! We are looking forward to see you in our restaurants.

Visited this lovely restaurant with a friend of mine. It was relaxingly warm August evening - so the place on the river seemed like a good idea. We came quite early and the restaurant was not full. The hostesses kindly offered several places to sit... and we chose to sit on the sofas. We had some wine, which was good. We struggled a bit when deciding about the food as few options (scallops) were not available. Fish on ice on display did not look very fresh. To be honest it was an unusually hot August and it is probably understandable that some see food options were not available. However, we did manage to order something and sat waiting and looking onto the river. My long-legged friend struggled sitting at the low sofa and the manager noticed that, offering as a very good, proper table beside the open window. It was nice touch and I was very pleased by their polite observations and immediate reaction to solve the problem. Food was quite good and presentation was perfect. Perhaps I can something about the food, but 1 visit is not enough to criticize or make a definitive opinion. Overall, quality place, which of course, does not come cheap. I would recommend this restaurant without hesitation. More

Good afternoon! Thank you for your detailed feedback! We are looking forward to seeing you again, we are sure that you will be delighted with our dishes!

I've been here several times during two business trip in Moscow. The overall quality for both service and food is absolutely top-notch, plus the location is very unique.

Hello! Thank you for your feedback! We are looking forward to visiting again!

Located on a boat at Krasnopresenskaya River Bank this 5 Star Restaurant transforms into a party location due to multiple groups hosting events. Impressive wine selection, Asian and European kitchen...

Thx a lot! We are waiting for you!

It is a nice place to gather specially at the lounge The service and staff very good I like the river view The food is almost like all restaurants in Russia they serve different cuisine. Staring Russian appetizer till Asian dishes Presentation and taste amazing... I consider it overpriced little bit More

Good location. Nice views. Good choice of food and drinks. European and Asian menu. Nice service. Pricey enough.

Had a large group dinner here. Food was above average and service quite good. The real attraction is the view of Moscow from the river on a nice night. Great place for a larger group dinner. More

Hello, John We are really pleased by reading that you and your friends were satisfied by our service, client`s experience is the highest value for us. We will be happy to see you again, come and enjoy some new dishes from our chef and nice... More

The luxurious atmosphere of this place, the view and the location make it quite outstanding. We had dinner here with friends and the dishes were amazing, accompanied by a chilled bottle of Chablis, it really made me feel as if it was a part of... the classic Russian movie. More

RESTAURANT-YACHT CHAIKA, Moscow - Presnensky - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

• Service: 4.5
• Atmosphere: 4.5