Soviet submarine B - 427 B - 427 was a Project 641 ( ) diesel - electric attack submarine of the Soviet Navy . The " B " ( actually " Б " ) in her designation stands for большая ( " bolshaya " , " large " ) . Commissioned in 1971 , the submarine operated with the Russian Pacific Fleet until decommissioning in 1994 . The boat was sold to a group of Australian businessmen , who converted her into a museum vessel , which was placed on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum ( under the name Foxtrot - 540 ) from 1995 until 1998 , then at Long Beach , California ( under the name Podvodnaya Lodka B - 427 " Scorpion " ) in 1998 . The submarine is still on display as of 2013 . Service history . Her keel was laid down on 10 April 1971 at Sudomekh Shipyard of Leningrad . It was launched on 22 June 1971 and commissioned on 4 December 1971 . For twenty - two years " B - 427 " patrolled the Pacific , protecting the ballistic missile submarine bastions of the Pacific Fleet while based out of Vladivostok , Russia with the exception of a few temporary postings as part of the Soviet Submarine Squadron that was for a time based at the former US Navy base at Cam Ranh Bay , Vietnam . Such postings were normally for a period of between 8 to 12 months before returning to Vladivostok . In 1989 , " B - 427 " was returning to Vladivostok from Vietnam when it ran into a typhoon . A mechanical breakdown that could not be fixed in time prevented the sub from diving . The storm battered the boat , destroying the light hull and damaging the ballast tanks and high pressure air bottles . " B - 427 " was taken back to Vladivostok where it was repaired and refitted with a new light hull . Decommissioning and preservation . The submarine was decommissioned by the Russian Navy in December 1994 . She was one of the last three Foxtrot class submarines to serve in the Russian Pacific Fleet . The boat was acquired by a group of Australian businessmen on a three - year lease purchase contract , and was towed from Vladivostok on 25 July 1995 . En route to Sydney , the tow company claimed that the deal for the Russian Navy to cover the cost of the tow was invalid , and claimed that A $ 150 , 000 in towing expenses was required . The submarine arrived in Sydney on 31 August , and after some modifications , was loaned to the Australian National Maritime Museum for display as a museum vessel under the designation " Foxtrot - 540 " ( the submarine ' s last pennant number while in service ) . As the submarine was still the property of the Russian Navy for the duration of the lease , an Australian ex - submariner was commissioned into the Russian Navy to command and look after Foxtrot - 540 , with the boat ' s former engineering officer assisting . The submarine was in near - operational condition ; the diesel generators and electrical storage system , ballast tanks , and hotel load equipment were functional , and Russian personnel travelled to Australia to teach museum staff about maintenance and operation of the boat . Foxtrot - 540 spent three years berthed at the museum , attracting over 700 , 000 visitors during this period ( including intelligence analysts from multiple nations during the first weeks on display ) . In May 1998 , the submarine was loaded onto a heavy lift ship and relocated to Long Beach , California , sailing from Sydney on 31 May and arriving on 25 June . On arrival , she was berthed next to , and opened to the public on 14 July under the designation " Podvodnaya Lodka B - 427 " Scorpion " " . On 19 April 2011 , the company operating " Queen Mary " ( Delaware North ) announced that they had acquired " Scorpion " , and were planning to increase attendance at both attractions through combined ticketing and joint marketing campaigns .