A sign posted on San Diego’s Embarcadero near the Maritime Museum of San Diego indicates their Russian Foxtrot Class attack submarine B-39 has continued to rust, causing the historic vessel to near the end of its life.
A storm this winter that tore away sections of the outer metal skin has accelerated the submarine’s degradation. I believe it was the storm that I recorded back in January here. You can see waves in usually calm San Diego Bay breaking against the submarine.
It’s hoped that as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, museum visitors will have one more chance to take a look inside the B-39. I learned that once the submarine has reached the end of its life, it will likely be taken to a shipyard to recover whatever might be salvageable. I also learned the Maritime Museum has thoroughly recorded the interior of the vessel, to preserve a very important part of Cold War history.
Learn more about this submarine by checking out the museum web page concerning it here.
I enjoyed a self-guided tour inside the Foxtrot-class submarine nearly five years ago, and posted some interesting photographs. If you’d like to see them, click here.
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Sad to see this submarine is now approaching the end of its time. It offers a rare insight into this Cold War period, lets hope when the COVID restrictions ease people will get a chance to see this vessel one more time.
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I just seen this. 🙁 Hopefully she can be ‘Reefed’, rather than scrapped? 😔
Also, I run the ‘Save the Scorpion’ group, for B-427 in Long Beach, to the best of my knowledge, she’s still looking for a home? Someone may want to get in touch with the city if the Museum is interested? 🤔 (B-427 is still salvageable, the damage to her ballast tank was from a collision during her service. Surprisingly, the old Scorpion is apparently in better shape than the QM!)
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