UK Daily Mail
By Ian Garland
It was the world’s first stealth boat, a top secret experimental vessel built for the US Navy in the 1980s at a cost of $190million.
Now the Sea Shadow, which was the inspiration for the villain’s boat in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, could be yours for a fraction of that price after being put up for sale on an eBay-style website.
But don’t expect to sail off on any undercover missions – the 563-ton vessel is being sold for scrap.
Bidding for the Sea Shadow from salvage dealers had reached $100,420 (£61,000) yesterday, and the auction closes this coming Thursday.
Production on the vessel was completed in 1985, but the public weren’t aware of its existence until 1993.
Measuring 164ft by 70ft and capable of cruising at a maximum of 14 knots, it was developed for the US Navy by an agency of the US Defense Department and Lockheed Martin.
But the Navy never commissioned the ship and it was later used to evaluate new technologies in a realistic at-sea environment before languishing in dry dock in California.
The authorities hoped to find a museum to house it, but it is now for sale on the GSA Auctions website for military products.
Cut price: Bidding on the eBay-style website has stalled at £61,000
Anyone who wants to join the sale must also lay down a hefty £6,000 deposit.
Production on the groundbreaking vessel began in 1982 and was completed three years later - but the general public weren't aware of its existence until 1993.
It was taken out of service in September 2006.
Will it fit in my boathouse?
Weight: 563 tons
Length: 164 feet (50 metres)
Width: 68 feet (21 metres)
Hull: 15 feet (4.6 metres)
The groundbreaking boat measures 164ft by 70ft, weighs 563 tons and was capable of cruising the seas at a maximum of 14 knots.
It was which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Navy and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space Company.
Sea Shadow has a Swath Water Plane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) design, where the vessel's angled sides extend below the waterline to torpedo-shaped hulls which gave it exceptional stability in bad weather.
Once veiled in secrecy, the vessel later came into the open and was used as a tool for testing and evaluating new technologies in a realistic at-sea environment.
However, for the last few years it has been holed up in a dry dock in California with authorities hoping to find a museum which could rehome it.
After exhausting all channels it is now resigned for the scrapheap and is offered for sale on the GS Auctions website - an eBay-style website for military products.
The auction closes on May 4.
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