A Southern California city faces a multimillion-dollar bill involving a rotting Cold War artifact.
Long Beach officials have taken initial steps toward removing a 299-foot Russian submarine docked beside the historic Queen Mary since 1998.
Municipal leaders are seeking contractor proposals regarding logistical methods and costs to transport the deteriorating vessel to a disposal site.
The decommissioned Soviet attack submarine B-427, known as the Scorpion, was launched in 1971 before decommission in 1994.
An Australian maritime museum leased the sub before buyer Ed Skowron purchased it for $970,000 and relocated it to Long Beach.
Between 1998 and 2015, the attraction welcomed nearly 8,000 tourists per month during peak summer seasons.
Public tours ended in 2015 after a ruptured hull tank flooded the vessel, allowing rust and raccoons to take over.
Public works spokesperson Jocelin Padilla detailed the municipality’s official decision regarding the vessel.
“In the interest of safety, water quality, and to mitigate any risk of damage to the Queen Mary, the vessel has been identified by the City as an abandoned asset for removal, pending any future legal or administrative actions required for its removal,” Padilla said.
Padilla noted that technical analysis remains necessary to evaluate safety risks and financial impacts.
Submarine ownership remains legally unclear after Australia-based owner NEWCO Pty Ltd dissolved in 2020.
Preliminary estimates place removal expenses between $8.6 million for land transport and $22 million for waterside removal.
Marine salvage expert Ralph Botticelli identified hazards including asbestos insulation, batteries, and thinned steel.
“There’s no rule of thumb,” Botticelli said.
Botticelli explained that salvage crews must select a strategy deemed most appropriate, safe, and cost-effective.
“Thirty years in this business and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Botticelli added.