Hughes Mining Barge, Military submarine recovery vessel in Alameda, United States
Hughes Mining Barge is a large recovery ship with an opening in its hull bottom, now docked in Alameda harbor in California. The craft was designed so that heavy objects from the sea could be lifted through a central well into the interior hold.
The ship was built in 1973 as a cover for a secret operation to recover a sunken Soviet submarine from the Pacific floor. After the mission ended, it was converted into a floating drydock and now serves commercial purposes at the shipyard.
The vessel represents the technological advancement of maritime engineering during the Cold War period, demonstrating American naval capabilities.
The ship can be viewed from outside the Bay Ship & Yacht Company grounds but is not open for public access. It sits on the western shore of Alameda Island, across from San Francisco Bay.
A moving roof system allowed large objects to be lifted invisibly from the water surface into the interior. This design made it possible to carry out operations without observers seeing anything from outside.
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