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.
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