Sea Shadow is a stealthy ship that Lockheed built as an experiment for the United States Navy. The ship's design was to be low in radar and have a stable hull. It never served a combat mission. It was also built inside an enclosed dry dock. It was also built without rudders.
Sea Shadow was an experimental stealth vessel
Sea Shadow was built for the Navy as a test platform for stealth technology. The ship came with a SWATH HUB and sonar and radar control systems. To keep the ship stable when moving at high speeds, the hulls were fitted with hydrofoils. A propeller and hull stabilizer were also included on the ship. Sea Shadow was used near Santa Cruz Islands for nighttime testing after being delivered in March 1985. For repairs and maintenance, the ship was eventually kept inside HMB-1. The crew noticed huge wakes from the ship during its initial trials. This was the result of the propellers being installed in the backward position. The Sea Shadow's hulls were revealed to the general public in 1993. It was later put up in a maritime museum.
It wasn't mission-capable.
Sea Shadow wasn't mission-capable but performed heroic feats while under the protection of the government. Its design included numerous advanced automation systems and a bunk-style interior that included a fridge, microwave, and table. At the time, it was the most expensive dorm room ever built. Despite its high price tag, it was never completed and was never made mission-capable.
It was built in a floating dry Dock
Sea Shadow is a prototype for a stealth ship. The design of the ship was inspired from the stealth vessel used by CIA to recover downed Soviet submarine K-129. Today, the Sea Shadow sits on a barge in Suisun Bay, California. The ship is up for sale for $100,420
It didn't have any rudders
Sea Shadow was never designed to be mission-capable. However, it was a success in Navy's stealth program. Lacking traditional rudders, the submarine relied on stabilizers to steer. The ship was built to test and prove stealth fighter jet capabilities. The Sea Shadow was the first ship to be seen by the general public in 1993. It was destroyed in 2006.
It was without a weather deck
This article includes information from the Naval Vessel Register, the U.S. government publication. The entry for Sea Shadow can be viewed here.
It was dismantled for scrap
The Sea Shadow was the prototype stealth submarine. Despite being designed to avoid Russian spy space satellites, it was never ordered and ended its life in the Navy's mothball squadron near Benicia. Crew soon found out that the propellers had been installed in the wrong direction. The ship was only used to test stealth technology.