After Decommissioning
Ex-Muratreis was purchased from Turkey by the city of North Little Rock, Arkansas on 25 March 2004 for US$37,500. The purchase price and all towing costs were paid for by private donations.
She was towed from Turkey on 5 May, across the Mediterranean Sea to Gibraltar and then across the Atlantic Ocean, arriving at Key West, Florida, on the evening of Sunday, 13 June 2004. On 14 June 2004, she was again taken under tow, and arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana, on 19 June. Thence she was towed up the Mississippi River and the Arkansas River to her permanent berth in North Little Rock.
After a stopover for the dedication of the Montgomery Point Lock and Dam on 16 July, her transit was delayed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers over safety concerns. At the time of transit, she was drafting 11.5 feet (3.5 m) at her bow and at nearly 15 feet (4.6 m) at her stern, while some portions of the Arkansas River were less than 9 feet (2.7 m) deep. A pair of barges were used as pontoons to lift the submarine a few feet to clear the river bottom while remaining low enough to pass under the bridges along her route.
On 29 August 2004, Razorback reached her berth in North Little Rock, at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum. She officially opened to the public on 15 May 2005.
Read more about this topic: USS Razorback (SS-394)