Hughes Mining Barge

The Hughes Marine Barge, or HMB-1, is a submersible barge about 324 feet long, 106 feet wide, and more than 90 feet tall. The HMB-1 was originally developed as part of Project Jennifer, the top-secret effort mounted by the CIA 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.

After the conclusion of Project Jennifer, the HMB-1 was mothballed at the Todd Shipyard in San Francisco, California until November, 1982. At that time, the 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; the existence of the Sea Shadow was made public in 1993.Fact|date=April 2008

Fate

The HMB-1 currently sits in the Reserve fleet in Suisun Bay near San Francisco, California, USA easily visible from the I680 freeway, not far from where the Glomar Explorer once sat itself.

External links

* [http://w3.the-kgb.com/dante/military/hmb1.html Photos and details of HMB-1]
* [http://www.fas.org/irp/program/collect/jennifer.htm Overview of Project Jennifer]