Navy to auction off once-secret stealth warship

The U.S. Navy is hoping to find a bidder for the Sea Shadow, a 164-ft ship built to be invisible. The auction, looking to get just the value of the vessel’s scrap metal is set to end on Friday. If you are interested, you better act fast. Bidders must submit their intentions by 1 p.m. CST May 4.

The $50 million, once-secret stealth warship was built nearly 30 years ago by Lockheed Martin in 1985 in Redwood City as a way to test radar-cloaking technology at sea.

Two years before the military deployed the F-117 Nighthawk, a stealth attack jet, and the Navy was interested to see if the technology could work in the ocean.

The lessons learned from the vessel, which from the front looks like letter "A,'' are used in modern warship design.

A Navy spokesman said a museum home for Sea Shadow was sought for several years, but no one was interested.

To take a Sea Shadow virtual tour:http://www.hnsa.org/seashadow/

To bid:http://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/aucdsclnk?sl=31QSCI12129001

To read the Sacramento Bee's extensive article:http://www.sacbee.com/2012/04/29/4450648/scrap-heap-may-be-last-stop-for.html

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