The IX-529 "Sea Shadow": The Stealth Ship That Revolutionized Naval Warfare

[@megaprojects9649]

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[@Av-vd3wk]

Are you effing kidding me? *THREE* full minutes of bs/ads before the content starts? Come on…

[@SatanKarma1]

Game has turned into garbage. A big do not play this is coming from a long time player

[@jeffbudd7678]

Been playing since day 1 (going on 7 years ago). Game has definitely turned into a Pay to Win game, still fun though.

[@a36538]

As several others have mentioned, do not play World Of Warships. I’ve been playing since the closed beta test and there are core fundamentals that they refuse to fix

[@StanKelvin]

Ahhhahahaaha, World of Warships is not fun. That's a proven lie, even the community managers have stated it as a fact that its not fun to play the game at its current state. 15,000 games in and more than 300 ships in port. Dont touch it, you will just be more enraged than anything else.

[@lanceferraro3781]

Towards the end of my Navy career I followed the Shadow. I remember one test where the seeeking airplane radioed to the Shadow, asking if they had gone back to the pier, because they hadn't located the Shadow. They replied, Nope, you've flown over us six times, your'e dead, six times.

[@adamloverin231]

Noice!

[@seanc6754]

Lmfao 😂🤣 that's fkn awesome! Thanks for sharing that

[@paulstewart6293]

Bollocks.

[@Awzn123]

I’d called bs that the conversation happened like that if I haven’t experienced radio watch before 😂. Funniest thing ever ntc late at night and just hear people say hey this is xyz reaching you about your car’s extended warranty

[@lanceferraro3781]

@@Awzn123 Some things just don't have to be ver batim. I was just making a point on the Sea Shadow's effectiveness..

[@gadget6623]

In Steve Rich's book skunk works, he did detail one flaw the vessel had. It was TOO good. Scan the water looking at the ocean waves and look for the negative space. There's your ship. But you really had to be looking for it specifically. Super cool though, like pretty much everything skunk works did.

[@chrismaggio7879]

While on a Reserve weekend in SD Myself and four of my shipmates were at the pier where she was tied up, marveling at the oddness of it... and for some lucky damned reason the engineer at the dock invited us aboard! It was as crude as an experimental vessel could be, spartan in the crew accommodations and litter with tools, instruments, and long wires harnesses... totally opposite from the smooth sleek exterior. You would expect it to be like a spacecraft inside but it was more like a cobbled together homebuilt design. They explained that because it was not intended to deploy but to be a research platform that none of the systems was designed to be pretty, just accessible and functional. The view from the bridge was crazy because you saw no real bow in front of you (like looking out the cockpit windows in a plane) and yet there was a whole ship behind you, so it seemed to just drop off and was a long ways down. Went into the engine nacelle on the port side via a very narrow ladder inside the blade that connected the ship and the engine pod. Have to admit it freaked me out. I have the picture they gave us when we went ashore and still am amazed at that rare opportunity and the way it "just happened"... The only way it could have been better was to have had them throw the lines and take us out for a day of stealth sailing!

[@marcalvarez4890]

Amazing story...Youre very lucky.

[@JMurph2015]

Projects like these definitely fall into the category of "no known descendants _that we know of_". I feel like it's quite likely that the concept was so successful that further development needed to be taken back into the shadows.

[@mattf9096]

I have zero facts to support this but I would assume it was about the benefit vs. the cost of production. Similarly to why car manufacturers will produce a concept car to flex their muscle but never bring it into production.

[@Vaeldarg]

@@mattf9096 Not to mention, by the "end" (as we're seeing w/cyberattacks, it never really ended) of the Cold War and the Soviet Union's collapse, the U.S also didn't really have any enemy that really scared it anymore. It becoming the "world police" meant that it WANTED everyone to be extremely aware whenever U.S ships appeared in their waters. (like with the "freedom of navigation" exercises around Taiwan)

[@mattf9096]

@@Vaeldarg I dont think youre wrong but it never hurts to have a hidden weapon while your enemy is distracted by the obvious.

[@recoil53]

@@mattf9096 Concept cars aren't just a flex, it's also to see what catches interest at shows. A some features make it into production cars. Catamarans aren't new, so that wasn't something learned. But as Simon said, the Zumwalt is a practical use of stealth - you just aren't putting that kind of mass and space onto a catamaran that isn't huge. And now we have stealth periscopes on subs.

[@Pyronar]

I think if that was the case, they wouldn't publicly sell their prototype. Not the best move for your top secret project.

[@claytondennis8034]

I remember seeing Sea Shadow going in and out of port when i was Stationed at Point Loma in San Diego. It was a really cool ship.

[@peterhineinlegen4672]

They had it in a big floating shed at the last pier on the 32nd street base for many years. I never got to see it move.

[@ImpmanPDX]

My dad worked on a support boat out of San Pedro in the 90s. They would ferry the naval techs out to San Nicholas Island for the initial radar cross-section tests. He wasn't allowed to talk about his deployment for like 6 months that year. It was pretty wild to see it in a Bond film a couple years later.

[@timengineman2nd714]

When I was aboard the FFG-23 (USS Lewis B. Puller) we almost rammed the Sea Shadow by accident while we were returning to port (at night) we were using normal navigation radar, but we didn't know where they were until they turned on a light! We had to use our quickly reversing Controllable Pitch Propeller and had our Gas Turbines (basically a pair of large jet engines (similar to the ones that some DC-10s & 11s used) quickly going to full speed to avoid contact!

[@SparkBerry]

In 1997, Elliot Carver used this very ship to try and bring the UK and China to war. Luckily James Bond saved the day.

[@Wh0isTh3D0ct0r]

Well.....almost this very ship.

[@ek8710]

*Elliot Carver

[@Christian_Johansson]

@@ek8710 *Barkboat Carver

[@Wh0isTh3D0ct0r]

@@Christian_Johansson Carver McCarverface

[@paulinejackson5861]

EXCLUSIVE BROADCASTING RIGHTS IN CHINA FOR THE NEXT 100 YEARS

[@sebastianucero7535]

Even if failed in every step of its mission, it proved dozen of new technologies and ideas. This is the kind of ideas that pushes humanity foward. Thank you for the video!

[@zisnec]

I talked with a gentleman who worked on this! The Navy worked with the Coast Guard for narco intercepts off the coast of Southern California. The Sea Shadow would be stationed between the intercept ships and the narco boats, with the intention of blocking the radar signature of the intercept ships in the Sea Shadow's shadow. It worked for a little while until seagulls started searching on the top of the Shadow, ruining the stealth shadow. Something had to be done. This gentleman designed several iterations of deterrence. Air poppers positioned vertically would frighten the birds for a little while. Eventually they became used to it and resumed resting on the Shadow. High pressure water guns were effective until they remembered that they like water. They finally landed on motorized rods with whips that would twirl around, whipping the seagulls ankles or whatever.

[@ultimate_pleb]

I heard recently someone invented a super efficient tunnel bore. I'm told it was *"ground breaking"*

[@mukkah]

take ur Like and GIT lol

[@earnestbrown6524]

I served on DD-968 USS Arthur W. Radford and in 97" we had the Advanced Enclosed Mast/Sensor (AEM/S) installed. I don't remember by how much but we had a smaller profile after. We use to tell people that asked that it was a water tower and we never had to go on water hours.

[@liddz434]

I was as obsessed with this ship as I was the F-117 when I was younger! So frikken cool

[@nsbat755]

That thing was side by side with USS John C. Stennis CVN-74 in North Island, San Diego while I was station onboard the Stennis around 2001-2002. I still remember coming back late, drunk and by myself fm the bowling alley and suddenly find that shit on the corner. Woke up the next day and check just to make sure I didn’t imagine it.😂

[@moerow8215]

In 1999 I was working at pier 39 and watched the Sea Shadow slowly maneuver north past Alcatraz while surrounded by several nuclear submarines. 🥳

[@ericmason349]

It doesn't surprise that the US Navy bureaucracy did not think a sonar stealthy submarine was worth it. I seem to remember Admiral Rickover had a rough time with that same bureaucracy when he proposed powering submarines with nuclear energy.

[@nathanahubbard1975]

Making a submarine stealthy from active sonar isn't as useful as this seems to imply.

[@Cailus3542]

@@nathanahubbard1975 Exactly. It isn't worth the tradeoff of speed when that means the subs take twice as long to go anywhere and are too slow to catch other ships or subs. I do wonder how the design worked for passive sonar too,

[@jessicacolegrove4152]

@@Cailus3542 the trade off might be worth it for a Boomer they tend to go very slow to hide anyway and as there primary task is hide, hide, hide, and perhaps but hopefully not launch a bunch of SLBM's

[@kolinmartz]

@@Cailus3542not to mention all that geometry is sure to make it more vulnerable to detection by passive sonar. People tend to forget that the nighthawk wasn’t very aerodynamic because we didn’t have the technology to make something stealthy and have awesome flight characteristics just yet at that time… and a sub designed the same way would’ve crated a lot of hydrodynamic turbulence. Which translates to more noise.

[@kolinmartz]

@@jessicacolegrove4152boomers have to be able to quickly but quietly slip through the water to win against the never ending cat and mouse game they have with attack subs.

[@philrabe910]

8:45 it almost sounded like '''testing on the Oakland seas" with that shot of the Bay Bridge in the background, it made sense. Also, we have thick fog cover in the Bay Area all summer, so the Moon phase wasn't that big an issue.

[@pamelamays4186]

Simon's blazer and blue sweater. I've seen it so much lately, I'm beginning to be that it's his favorite go to outfit.

[@AugmentedGravity]

I am already familiar with this story but the part about the Polaroid still amazes me so much.

[@seanbrazell7095]

The Sea Shadow: the biggest Bond Girl we've ever seen...

[@ricdale7813]

I was wondering when this one would hit. Well Done. She was a Advanced Electronics Mule. Bristling with capabilities.

[@kellybrincks]

I remember getting a glimpse off the forward of the CV64 while docked in North Island Naval base CA

[@Domazsakalauskas]

First time I heard of ‘Sea Shadow’ was in a video game called ‘Soviet Strike’ on ps1. Great memories.

[@andyberry2025]

I remember that game as well, Fast forward years later I ran right into it at one of the naval yards I was stationed at. It was a pretty cool ship to see. We didn't have the clearance to go aboard.

[@ianadlyiskandardzakurnain3910]

Nuclear Strike for me. Pretty cool ship.

[@Domazsakalauskas]

@@ianadlyiskandardzakurnain3910 jaja, played that one too. Both fun games.

[@charlesbakston7414]

Urban Strike had a couple

[@sonofeyeabovealleffoff5462]

It's in Dawn of the Tiberium Age. It's The Brotherhood of Nod's stealth artillery capital ship. Fires off vertically launched napalm cluster missiles. At heroic rank, it launches tiberium chemical cluster missiles that poison areas.

[@nrsrymj]

I remember this as home base in mission one of Nuclear Strike

[@zaco-km3su]

This ships was very interesting. It's truly a game changer. Currently any modern ship that's designed and even attempts to keep up has a stealthy design.

[@DanSoloha]

Man it’s honestly almost tragic that it was just… dismantled like that 😢

[@MuffinManUSN]

Yeah....tragic 😮

[@bmw328igearhead]

"The Avro Arrow" has entered the chat...

[@LordInter]

​@Scooter McAwesomeness TSR2, APTE, Skylon are all looking on at what could of been 😢

[@vic5015]

Actually it makes sense. If the Navy couldn't get it preserved, abd it couldn't, then it needed to be destroyed because of all of the sensitive technology in it.

[@Hathur]

@@bmw328igearhead That was no tragedy, it was an outright act of hostility and aggression against Canada ☹

[@wombatsauce]

I was always fascinated by this thing. Had hoped to be able to get on board and check it out one day. Was tragic looking at photos of it being literally torn to shreds.

[@greenman8]

I live on Treasure Island, in the San Francisco Bay 1/2 way between Oakland and SF. They had this docked at our Marina back around 2010. Kinda sad to hear its life is over.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:10 - Mid roll ads 3:05 - Chapter 1 - The invisible dream 6:20 - Chapter 2 - Silent waves 11:15 - Chapter 3 - Legacy

[@WallaceTheRed]

I was moored up next to this thing for 4 years. I cant recall how many times I saw it get underway...

[@sceema333]

Oh wow she's almost exactly 30 tears old now, yet she looks so incredibly sci fi

[@paulthebaker]

You can see a modern variant of the ship, primarily for littoral class operation. The Sea Fighter, based here in Panama City Beach Florida.

[@WasabiSniffer]

ahhh the tomorrow never dies ship. it's interesting how incredible projects may not see operational use themselves but act as a proving ground/proof of concept for things that have an operational future

[@onlyme219]

Fascinating, this channel never fails to be watch worthy

[@Theshropshireratter]

Reminds me off early iron clad shapes

[@ImpmanPDX]

Yeah wierd how the tumblehome is making a comeback :)

[@madcat247]

My father used to watch the Sea Shadow in SF bay from the office building he worked at.

[@WTDoorley]

Thank you. I always wondered about the Sea Shadow. My reasoning was the U.S. Navy already had stealthy ships: submarines. Now I have a better idea of what this funny-looking ship was for. Too bad she was scrapped. Would have made a nice addition to a museum somewhere (if one could be found that was big enough).

[@recoil53]

But subs don't operate on the surface very long. We actually do have museum ships, battleships & aircraft carriers.

[@travisinthetrunk]

Ben Rich’s memoir, Skunk Works, is a really good book.

[@evanwilliams3645]

I found Kelly’s not too long ago as well. So far it’s good as well

[@travisinthetrunk]

@@evanwilliams3645 Really? I didn’t know he had one published. It’s now next on my reading list.

[@evanwilliams3645]

@@travisinthetrunk it’s called “Kelly More than my share of it”

[@sakkra93]

I've always thought the Sea Shadow to be such a cool design! I can imagine her as a sort of quick-striker, sneaking upon her prey through the dead of night, like a predator on the prowl, before unleashing an anti-ship missile or a torpedo on her target and slipping away into the night before they even know where it came from.

[@breckhollis1089]

I came across this ship shortly before it "came out of the closet". I was making a delivery to the Port of Redwood City ( Probably the least busy harbor in the country), and there was this...thing tide up at the pier. Just a long angled wall with nothing sticking out or up. A dark red brown color. The thing is there was no visible security. No guards, no fences , nothing. They were hiding it in plane sight.

[@williamreynolds2475]

Ha! That Hughes Ming Barge is in Alameda California. Just to the right of the picture is the ferry station that will take you into San Francisco. In fact, the blue catamaran dry docked in the background is one of those ferries, They've had all kinds of crazy shit in that dock.

[@michaelhowell2326]

Wow. I wouldn't have thought the ship was so old. I would have bet it was built on the early to mid '90s.

[@Zenwonders]

I remember seeing her for auction, what a smugglers boat she would make

[@pamelamays4186]

Sea Shadow is such a cool name!

[@jasontaylor168]

The US Navy played around with the SWATH design before - the USS Pigeon class Sub Rescue ships are a prime example.

[@erichloehr5992]

I had no idea this thing was made in our backyard just up the peninsula. Redwood City had more to offer the world than just a lot of doctors offices.

[@danteaubert3645]

Lockheed Marine built the recovery vehicle for the CIA's Project Azorian in the same facility as the Sea Shadow many years before. The building was torn down in the early 2000's and a unrelated building was constructed there (100 Cardinal Dr, RWC)

[@pamelamays4186]

What, a Megaproject that didn't go over budget? Inconceivable!😉

[@m.richmond9839]

While serving as a Command Duty Officer at Naval Station San Diego I was able to board this ship one evening. INTERESTING is an understatement

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

Skjold-class corvette, the world's fastest warships, stealth missile coastal corvette in service with the Royal Norwegian Navy. Visby-class corvette, a stealth ship currently in service within the Swedish Navy.

[@ImpmanPDX]

I'd include the Zumwalt: though it is best those are just forgotten about.

[@dundonrl]

I took a tour of her during a San Diego Fleet Week, interesting ship.

[@Jaysin412]

Had to take these out in the old ps1 games jungle strike and desert strike where you're a helicopter pilot and have to fly different helicopters during different wartime operations

[@michaelgautreaux3168]

Fabulous! Many thanx Simon. 👍👍

[@Nathan-vt1jz]

What an appropriate sponsor for the video!

[@MrAbraxus666]

Video really starts at 2:51 :)

[@MuffinManUSN]

Elementary homes! 😂 Now do the USN Improved Navy Lighterage System please. Not stealthy, not fast, not cool, not fun, no skunks works even. But 5.5 Million Tons of Relief Aid to Haiti in 30 days the year they officially entered service is what I consider a Mega Project. I'm just a simple Engineman though. Unimpressed by flash, flare hype and most certainly acronyms😊 You will not be disappointed in your research. NOTE: NL or Mavy Lighterage had been around since the 1950s;arguably earlier than that. But the INLS system in all its applications was seemingly unaltered for over 50 years. I'm not here to argue whether they got it right or not when they "improved" the "system". But there is no doubt that when Amphibious Construction Battalions are called up to put these to work there is no mistaking what we do and no one group "Can Do" everything we do in every aspect. We're waiting....🎉 SEND IT!

[@dereksollows9783]

Thanksmuch for this!

[@easel2502]

Made famous by OO7 tomorrow never dies

[@penskepc2374]

Cool movie. Love the begining with the military equipment fair for terrorists and the L39 dog fight 😂

[@danielhenzphotography]

​@@Atomicriffmaster yes same. Best Bond and love Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies.

[@jp1041041]

"the difference between genius and insanity is only measured by success" - Elliot Carver

[@Theshropshireratter]

​@@Atomicriffmasteragreed one the best bond openings

[@Theshropshireratter]

​@@penskepc2374the Russian general saying how Moscow will not tolerate any loss of life how times change

[@EAcapuccino]

01:13 - Yep, I play that regularly if any of you are interested in teaming up - PS5 🚢 - Although it's the - Legends variant -

[@serpico1616]

I learned about this ship from the helicopter game for the Playstation called Nuclear Strike

[@brockwilkie6022]

similar boat "The Ghost" up in Portsmouth New Hampshire. Navy needs to take a second look at these cool boats

[@cikame]

This ship has occupied a place in my brain ever since i first saw it in Urban Strike.

[@charlesbakston7414]

And Nuclear Strike , and Soviet Strike

[@DiabloDBS]

Ah .. so this stealth sub is probably at least partly the inspiration for the Tuatha de Danaan from FMP... damn they should really build that.. :-X

[@EAcapuccino]

01:07 Wasn't that the 1 in the 1997 Bond film Tomorrow Never dies 🤔 Although from its interior, it looked more like a harmless cargo ship, save for a massive remote controlled drill!

[@marsaustralis6881]

It's kind of ironic that only now are world militaries looking at "stealthfying" submarines again, beyond the anechoic tiles. It's just a matter of who will be the first to actually produce a large stealth submarine, given it'll be a dramatic change to operational procedures and docking standards.

[@nunya___]

Good topic. I had never heard of this.

[@dhawthorne1634]

I'm surprised the Naval Museum in RI or the Naval submarine museum in CT didn't want to take her in. It's a shame. I'd love to have set foot in such a unique vessel.

[@GankbotShuk]

Always seemed like a perfect covert ops delivery vehicle or a good way to quickly get missile support to a coast undetected for suppression or first strike needs. Shame it was dismantled. Nowadays it would have become someones private yacht.

[@SIX-SH00T3R]

This is the second thing you are advertising that I already own :P

[@takingbacktheplanet]

very cool. i hadn't heard of this before.

[@jennycraigadventures3314]

I put together a purchase proposal to use it for smuggling narcotics into the U.S. and was shocked, shocked I tell you, when the government rejected it.

[@Ecosse57]

i highly suggest reading ben rich's book "skunk works". he mentions this ship.

[@mho...]

I never understood how this ship never ended up in the Smithonian or some other museum, as testbed for stealth afterall!

[@whiteakumanight]

Stealth boats.... Bring back the zebra stripes...

[@ImpmanPDX]

Haha seeing that thing painted in Dazzle Camo would be a riot!

[@Lanka0Kera]

How about a video of Bradley IFV? If the movie Pentagon Wars is to believe it had interesting history of re-re-re-re-designs.

[@ryanhamstra49]

My favorite part of WOW is the international espionage

[@hankjustice9136]

I remember blowing this thing up in Commanche 4

[@Crioten]

Starfishes love

[@johnfitzaffee5605]

I remember playing Nuclear Strike and landing on this ship.

[@P3x310]

Oh, right! This gave me a pretty nice nostalgia trip back to the good old times of playing games at my neighbor's place, 3 kids surrounding one computer and yelling tips and advice at the one currently in control.

[@Ulani101]

An example of how advancing technology would regress other technologies. If both sides had stealth ships that didn't show on radar, no missiles, no radar fire control, no turrets to show on radar. Naval combat would revert to ships getting in close enough for visual spotting, and exchanging broadsides from guns, aimed by the gun crews.

[@chrisrautmann8936]

Gotta wonder if there were any secret projects that just were not advertised. I mean, what would you do with a sub that obody could ever hear? Sneak up to a coastline and drop off some SEALs? Track some Chinese aircraft carriers? Maybe some RUssian subs?

[@timharris7303]

On a side note. World of Warships is an Amazing game. I absolutely love my Iowa Class Battleship.

[@AvoidTheCadaver]

I'd been working my way up towards a Bismarck. Because Bismarck

[@stangundam01]

I've wondered where the idea for the ship in tomorrow never dies came from, now I know

[@grandlotus1]

LOVE your outfit.

[@martykarr7058]

Have you noticed that the Sea Shadow and Zumwalt class have a shape similar to the Ironclad CSS Virginia?

[@ragnorrock416]

It looks just like the CSA Virginia, wow stealth in 1860's. Kirk to Scotty "full speed ahead, aye aye cap'n!" eh Scotty we're going backwards! Aye capt'n they put the propllers on backwards!

[@ypaulbrown]

fantastic.....

[@jdogdarkness]

Thing that completely turns me off to world of warships is its all like pre 1920

[@myparadiseonbantayanisland9030]

It looks like the twin hull might make a good design for an aircraft carrier with the angled sides and a flat top.😎

[@recoil53]

Aircraft carriers need to store all those bombs, missiles, and fuel for airplanes. You also need a large air wing. They do actually use all that space in their hulls. Catamarans have been known since pre-history.

[@foxfoxmi]

I can just picture Simon and Dan Carlin hanging out . Dans like I sent half my life researching this. I know what’s up. Simon I upload 1100 vids a year and have writers oh and I say fuck a lot. Love you Simon this is all good humor

[@marstondavis]

That's one impressive test bed. Just look what followed her.

[@StarScapesOG]

First I saw of this ship was in the game Nuclear Strike from PS1

[@SeauxNOLALady]

I’d pick stealth over speed any day. You don’t have to run away from something that doesn’t know you’re even there.

[@Callsign-Blade_RunnerSG]

Personally I very much prefer the design of the “Ghost” stealth boat by Juliet Marine Systems. 👍🏻

[@courtneydaniels5559]

I thought i recognised this! 🤣 i loved that film

[@machdaddy6451]

Even made its way into a James Bond movie.

[@frankbarnwell____]

As John Belushi cried in 1941! It's a Sub!

[@AtheistOrphan]

An underrated film!

[@Dan19870]

I hope the USN developed a way to detect a the Sea Shadow before selling her for scrap. Wouldn't want a rival building 20, arming them with anti-ship missiles and positioning them around USN facilities on the East Coast, including Hawaii.

[@timdeknegt]

Can you do a video about the I 400 class japanese submarine otherwise known as Sen Toku

[@umollerstrom]

Amazing! ❤️