''B-39'' was a Project 641 () diesel-electric attack

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

of the

Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...

. The "B" (actually " Б") in her designation stands for большая (''bolshaya'', "large")—Foxtrots were the Soviet Navy's largest non-nuclear submarines. ''B-39'' was culled from a group of ex-Soviet diesel electric submarines in Vladivostok, and eventually sold to a group of western businessmen. In 2002, the ''B-39'' was put on display in Seattle, Washington in Elliot Bay along Pier 48. On April 21, 2005, ''B-39'' became a

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

on display at the

Maritime Museum of San Diego The Maritime Museum of San Diego is a maritime museum in San Diego, California. Established in 1948, it preserves one of the largest collections of historic sea vessels in the United States. Located on San Diego Bay, the centerpiece of the museum' ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States, encountering harsh winds and storms on its journey. In October 2021 the decision was made to withdraw the deteriorating submarine from the collection and scrap her. She departed the

on February 7, 2022, for Ensenada, Mexico to be scrapped.

History

Service history

Her

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

was laid down on 9 February 1962 at the Admiralty Shipyard in Leningrad (now known as

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

). She was launched on 15 April 1967 and commissioned on 28 December 1967. Transferred to the 9th Submarine Squadron of the Pacific Fleet, ''B-39'' was homeported in Vladivostok. She conducted patrols and stalked U.S. warships throughout the North Pacific, along the coast of the United States and Canada, and ranging as far as the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

and the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceanic divisions. It spans an area of approximately and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, ...

. After the end of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, she often made port visits to Danang. During the early 1970s, ''B-39'' trailed a Canadian

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

through Strait of Juan de Fuca to

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

. In 1989, in the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

while charging batteries on the surface, ''B-39'' came within of an of the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. Both crews took pictures of each other.

Post-USSR history

''B-39'' was decommissioned on 1 April 1994 and sold to

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. She made her way from there through a series of sales to

in 1996 and to

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, in 2002 before arriving in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, on 22 April 2005 and becoming an exhibit of the

. During her sequence of owners she acquired the names "Black Widow" and "Cobra", neither of which she had during her commissioned career. When ''B-39'' was made a museum, the shroud around her attack

periscope A periscope is an instrument for observation over, around or through an object, obstacle or condition that prevents direct line-of-sight observation from an observer's current position. In its simplest form, it consists of an outer case with ...

was cut away where it passes through her control room. As built, a Foxtrot's

s are only accessible from her conning tower, which is off-limits in the museum. With the shroud cut away, tourists could look through the partially raised periscope (which is directed toward the museum, some away). However, the unidentified and unexplained change gave the false impression that one periscope could be used from the control room. In 2000, while stored in Vancouver, ''B-39'' was used as a stage for scenes in the ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction Adventure fiction, adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate, ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wrig ...

'' episode " Small Victories" (S04E01). In 2010, ''B-39'' was proposed to be sunk to create an offshore diving reef, but an outcry from teachers and enthusiasts ensured the sub would stay on display a while longer. In 2012, ''B-39'' was a stage for the film ''Phantom'' (2013). During the 2010s, ''B-39'' had become badly rusted with large holes visible in the outer hull and upper deck. In October 2021, the Museum decided to withdraw the submarine from its collection. On February 7, 2022, she headed out to Ensenada, Mexico, to be scrapped.

References

External links

Submarine ''B-39''

(in Russian) *
B-39
' at the Maritime Museum of San Diego

at Historic Naval Ships Association {{DEFAULTSORT:B-039 Foxtrot-class submarines Ships built in the Soviet Union 1967 ships Cold War submarines of the Soviet Union

History

Service history

Post-USSR history

See also

References

External links