Historic Nuclear Cruiser Headed to Scrap Heap
The USS Long Beach, the first nuclear-powered surface warship, went around the world in a 1964 tour designed to showcase the possibilities of nuclear propulsion.
The sleek, one-of-a-kind cruiser made stops in Pakistan, New Zealand and Brazil over two months and didn’t need a single refueling.
Now, the ship, which is docked in Bremerton, Wash., is saying its final goodbyes. But there won’t be a ceremonial sinking; instead, the Navy is sending the ship off for scrap.
This summer, the cruiser was sold online by Government Liquidation, a Web site that allows buyers to bid for the Pentagon’s surplus and scrap assets. The winning bidder, Tacoma Metals, will now haul away millions of pounds of steel, aluminum and other raw materials.
For some of the Long Beach’s former crew, it will be a sad farewell to the historic ship, which was built as the Navy was experimenting with nuclear propulsion.