The Neptune!

Coming home from Clarksburg on Friday, December 8, 2006, we pulled into the Rest Area before you get to Burnsville on I 79 South. Here was an eighteen wheeler parked with this submarine positioned on its open trailer. I asked the driver, who was on the way to his home in Huntington, the story behind this odd device.

Well, James Bond fans, here is the story. This submarine, The Neptune, is actually a movie prop owned by The Ian Flemming Foundation and was important in the film, For Your Eyes Only. It travels the world and was most recently displayed in Baltimore. It is exhibited, along with other James Bond memorabilia, at aquariums other special exhibits.

This submarine is the 22-foot long red and white mini-submarine used in the underwater battle between Bond and Kristato's henchman. Several Neptunes existed in one form or another, but this one was the one outfitted with engines and navigational equipment. Peter Lamont, Production Designer for For Your Eyes Only, designed and built this submarine in London. Perry Oceanographics of Florida outfitted the submarine with the engines. The underwater sequences using the Neptune were filmed near Nassau, Bahamas.

The Neptune was donated to the Foundation by the Maritime Center on Long Island and the Intrepid Museum Foundation. Restoration of the Neptune was done through direct donations to the Foundation.

It is interesting what stories one bumps into in this life - even in an interstate rest facility!