Soviet sub's remnants have to go

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Aug. 13, 2008) The former Soviet submarine-turned-museum, Juliett 484 is moored at her sanking point in Providence. The submarine was raised from the bottom of the Providence River in July using lift bags and pontoons in combination with eight dewatering pumps by Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2, a U.S. Army Dive Company and a Naval Sea Systems Command support unit. This training exercise is part of the Department of Defense Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) program. Through IRT, military divers receive training by taking part in real-world, community-based projects. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class RJ Stratchko/Released)

A Rhode Island court has ordered a scrapyard to remove the remnants of a Russian submarine from the Providence River.

The hull of the submarine, known as Juliett 484, rests just a few feet from the shore in Providence.

After the Cold War, the sub was sold and used as a restaurant and vodka bar in Helsinki, Finland, and, after some extensive fiberglass transformation to resemble Soviet sub K-19, became the set for the 2002 Ford movie "K-19: The Widowmaker.” After that, it became a floating museum. In 2007, it sank during a storm and was sold for scrap.

Nothing had really been done with the remains since then. This past December, a Superior Court judge ordered Rhode Island Recycled Metals LLC to begin removing its scrapped vessels from the river.

The sub wound up in Providence because the Rhode Island-based USS Saratoga Museum Foundation bought it and opened it to the public as a floating museum in 2002.

Juliett 484 K-19: The Widowmaker Military Vehicles Magazine Providence River Rhode Island Rhode Island Recycled Metals LLC Soviet submarine USS Saratoga Museum Foundation

Mike EppingerAuthor