Marine Mammal Rescue Center (MMRC)

The Marine Mammal Rescue Center is a proposed pro bono new construction project at Dockweiler State Beach. The original project concept uses the hull of the once top-secret U.S. Department of Defense prototype known as the Sea Shadow. Built as a test bed for sea-going stealth technology, the ship never saw active service and was retired into the Suisun Bay Ghost fleet near Oakland, California. The finished facility would quadruple Los Angeles County's capacity to care for injured marine mammals. 

According to the original plans, the Sea Shadow superstructure would serve as the roof and upper level of the MMRC. The lower-level floor would be constructed underneath 18ft ceilings created by the catamaran underbody of the Sea Shadow.  Solar arrays will provide power to augment natural lighting, and solar evacuated tube arrays will provide heating for fresh water use and radiant flooring. 

Extensive efforts were undertaken to acquire the Sea Shadow from the U.S. Navy and other federal agencies to preserve the vessel and give it a new civic purpose. However, due to the classified materials and unique construction methods employed in the ship's design, the vessel was ultimately dismantled and recycled before acquisition could be achieved.

While the Sea Shadow itself could not be saved, the Marine Mammal Rescue Center remains an active and evolving vision demonstrating how innovative design, adaptive reuse, and environmental stewardship can come together to support marine conservation and public education.