Have you ever seen a submarine get hollowed out?
It’s happening here to the decommissioned USS Hyman G. Rickover as part of the extensive recycling program at PSNS & IMF on the Waterfront in Bremerton, Wash.
Learn more about the disposal of decommissioned nuclear vessels and how it directly contributes to the readiness of the force: https://www.war.gov/…/dismantling-giants-how-recycling…/
In our previous update we announced that the monument is going to be located at the gateway to the city of Bremerton and will be one of the first things people see when they enter the city from the south. The site at First and Wycoff is currently a right of way and will be rezoned as a park upon completion, gaining the Charleston neighborhood and City of Bremerton a new park. The Navy has removed the Sail from the submarine and it is currently in 4 pieces. Removal of other parts of the boat continues and we have a verbal confirmation from the Navy that we can have the requested USS BREMERTON artifacts. David Fergus and Rice Fergus Miller Architects are continuing to refine the design and Art Anderson Associates is working on the engineering for the project. Our site survey is complete and we have coordinated the location of the monument on the site with the city’s public works. We installed a “Future Home of The USS BREMERTON Monument” sign at the site in December 2025.
We have made a lot of progress over the past three months, gaining many new partners to help with the work of preparing the USS BREMERTON artifacts prior to installation in the monument. The sail is currently cut in half horizontally and will need a lot preservation and welding to prepare it for the monument. We provided a presentation to the Puget Sound Ship Repair Association on the project and they have been extremely helpful finding us partners amongst their members. At this point we have partners for all the services we need to prepare the Sail for installation in the monument. Our partners include: Metropolitan Solutions who have taken samples of the sail materials, South Bay Sand Blasting and Tank Cleaning, who will be removing internal structure and corrosion as well as preparing surfaces, American Scaffold who will be setting up work areas and containment and helping with preservation, Sherwin Williams who is providing all the paint, and IMIA, LLC, who is helping with preservation, welding the sail back together and coordinating the work of the other partners. We hope to start preparing the USS BREMERTON artifacts this year.
We are still looking for additional partners to help us move the parts from the shipyard to the location we will prepare them and eventually to the monument site. We are also meeting with potential partners to help us with the park infrastructure such as concrete, electrical, landscaping, signage, etc. Fundraising continues. We have raised approximately $140,000 to date through direct donations, brick sales, and grants. We continue to raise money to pay for materials and services that we do not find partners to donate in-kind.
You can learn more about the monument project on our website:
In order to complete the USS BREMERTON Monument at Navy League Park we need your help. Unfortunately, there is no single list of everyone who served on the BREMERTON. We are asking you to reach out through your networks to those who served with you on the BREMERTON so they have an opportunity to be a part of the monument though our “Join the Monument Crew, Buy a Brick” campaign. We are hopeful that this will make it to all crewmembers to offer them the opportunity to be a perpetual part of the monument with a brick.
https://polarengraving.com/bremertonsailmemorial
We would also ask that you share information on the monument with anyone else you think may be able to help us with the project – either financially or in kind. Lastly, please consider sharing a sea story on the website about your time on the boat.
USS BREMERTON Monument Committee:
Captain (ret) Alan Beam, CO #3
Captain (ret) Jerry Logan, CO #10
Captain (ret) Tom Zwolfer, CO #11
While I was serving on the USS Bremerton CA-130, James Cagny and Dennis Weaver filmed scenes for the movie The Gallant Hours aboard the ship. The film is about Admiral William J. Halsey and the battle of Guadacanal. The crew of the CA-130 were used as extras during the filming.
In 1957, the USS Bremerton visited Australia and New Zealand, some of my memorable ports of call. In Australia the crew participated in a parade a to celebrate the Battle of the Coral Sea and in New Zealand we were outnumbered by women, 9 to 1, who were grateful to meet the American sailors. They would not let us pay for anything and were invited into their homes. Both were beautiful countries and the people were so generous and welcoming, it made our visit there great.
We were ordered to leave Australia and go to Lebanon to back up 2000 Marines where President Eisenhower had sent them. After a few days we were called off because we were not needed.
One thing that was not so great was crossing over the equator. At least a lot of our officers were making their first crossing.
Since I worked in the boiler room, I looked forward to being able to go up on the main deck at night and sleep.
I really enjoyed my time in the Navy! Got to see a lot of countries and spent most all of my time on the Bremerton.
Paul E Henderson 1957 -Dec 1960
This is the video I made for the 2018 reunion, a compilation of shots set to music. Just in case you wanted to see the last run pulling into port (USS Bremerton, WA) before she was deactivated. – Rich Crombie.
Hawaiian Operating Areas – In the summer of 1993, just northwest of Pearl Harbor, the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Indianapolis (SSN 697) operated at sea with Capt. David Zacharias and navigator Dan Eytchison on the bridge, flying the Indy Flag during active service. Years later, the submarine’s sail assembly was documented awaiting reassembly for public display at the Indiana Military Museum in Vincennes, Indiana, on June 11, 2017, marking a later chapter in the ship’s history.
Check out this great photo of the USS Bremerton visiting its namesake city on Oct. 4, 1986.
Kitsap Sun photojournalist Meegan M. Reid came across an actual print of this photo (which is a rare find) while getting the many boxes of film archives of the Sun ready for an office move.
Back in the day, every image that was in the paper was printed in the darkroom before it went to press, and while the Sun has an extensive collection of sports prints from those eras (since the sports editors thankfully insisted on filing them away for later use) the news photo prints were put in a box at the receptionist’s desk after they were used in the paper and anyone who came into the building could take whatever photo they liked home.
We’re betting this print never made it to that front-desk box because who wouldn’t have wanted to take this one home to hang on the wall?!?!?
The connection between the U.S. Navy and the game of cribbage is a long-standing tradition. Cribbage, a card game with a unique scoring system, became popular among sailors during long sea voyages. The Navy used cribbage to pass time, build teamwork, and keep minds active during downtime. Cribbage boards are commonly found on ships and submarines.
We share the story of the Navy’s famous Lucky Cribbage Board in our exhibit We Have the Watch, which is now open! You can learn more about the cribbage board here: https://youtu.be/RSyfI7fMp6o. It was carried onboard USS Bremerton until she was decommissioned.
O’Kane Cribbage Board onboard USS Bremerton
War hero’s artifact still rides the USS Bremerton
If you are new to the game of cribbage, watch our Educator’s video on how to play: https://youtu.be/i3KQfr76yGA
Posted by Puget Sound Naval Museum
Today at 1245 I officially signed over USS BREMERTON (SSN 698) to PSNS. The Bad Fish a.k.a. the American Classic is officially decommissioned. It has been an extraordinary 40 year run for the best Submarine in the US Navy. I thank each of you for your service and dedication you provided during your tenure as BREMERTON.
BREMERTON Departing.
CAPT Chris Lindberg
17 th and Final Commanding Officer of USS Bremerton (SSN 698)
USS Bremerton (SSN 698) Inactivation Ceremony – 05/18/2021
