PORT ANGELES — A prototype 1960s-era submarine made its way through Port Angeles on Tuesday to be dismantled at Platypus Marine Shipyard.
The U.S. Naval Undersea Museum in Silverdale removed the submersible Deep Quest after having it on display for 20 years in its parking lot.
Vessel’s background
The submarine, built in Sunnyvale, Calif., was launched in 1967. It was designed for salvage, seafloor survey and inspection, including coring, shear strength measurement, ocean bottom mapping, color photography and other assignments.
Deep Quest was developed by Lockheed Martin and was never a U.S. Navy submarine, according to the museum.
Its condition was deteriorating and it would require extensive financial resources to properly preserve, so the museum chose to focus funding on Navy vessels.
“Without a full ship-check to ascertain possible environmental concerns, we in good faith cannot offer it to another museum, and therefore have made the decision to recycle it,” according to an email from the museum.
