USS Albuquerque to Set Sail for Tingley Beach

The City along with the U.S. Navy, the Navy League New Mexico Council, and other partners unveiled a draft concept plan for a USS Albuquerque memorial to kick off Navy Week in Albuquerque. Named after the city, the USS Albuquerque is a nuclear submarine decommissioned in 2017. The sail from the USS vessel, which is currently in three pieces, was recently moved from storage at Kirtland Air Force Base to Pascetti Steel, where it will be restored and prepared for reassembly. The City has developed a draft concept plan to build the USS Albuquerque memorial at Tingley Beach.

“My piece of this was commanding Albuquerque from 2002 to 2005,” said Admiral Stuart Munsch. “We were known back then for our competency, innovation, and our toughness and I’d like to think that we took that from the character of the City, here in Albuquerque.”

The draft concept plan for the USS Albuquerque memorial, prepared by PLAND Collaborative, proposes to install the sail in the western-most pond at Tingley Beach.  The sail will be framed with bow and stern (rudder) indicators to depict the full length of the sub, and a simulated bow wave will create action/movement. The site plan also includes plazas that will depict the sub’s service in the five oceans of the world, educational exhibits, parking lot improvements, and a restroom. The estimated cost of the entire project is $5.4 million.

“It’s a fitting that Albuquerque will be the final harbor for this historic sub, with a memorial honoring this vessel and the crews who sailed in its 34 years of service,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “This project has been years in the making and is a testament to this city’s commitment to honoring our veterans and preserving our history for future generations.”

“As the 47th state, landlocked with no navigable water path to the ocean, it is pretty cool that New Mexico has such a robust representation with US Naval history, almost thirty naval ships, boats, and tugs have linkage to our state,” said Historian and Navy League of the US New Mexico Council member Greg Trapp. “It is appropriate for the City of Albuquerque to showcase New Mexico's continued devotion to the US Navy by creating the USS Albuquerque Memorial, with the USS Albuquerque sail as the centerpiece.”

The Navy League New Mexico Council will be showing off their scale model of the USS Albuquerque and exhibiting the draft site concept plan at the New Mexico State Fair this week.

The metal restoration work on the sail by Pascetti Steel will take several months. Over the next few weeks, the City will solicit public input on the draft concept plan, which will include meetings with nearby neighborhoods and other stakeholders.

The public can contribute to the USS Albuquerque memorial project by making a donation at: onealbuquerquefund.org.

The public can also submit feedback. For more information on the project, see: ussalbuquerque.org