For the last 30 years, an old Navy destroyer lived on the Anacostia River, at the Navy Yard. On Saturday, the soon-to-be-replaced South Capitol Street Bridge swung open for one of the last times to make way for the ship’s final voyage.

The South Capitol Street Bridge swings open for DS Barry to pass. All photos and video by the author.

From 1954 to 1982, the USS Barry sailed around the world, playing a part in the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War. In 1984, the ship came to the Washington Navy Yard to became a floating, public museum, and was officially renamed Display Ship (DS) Barry. But as the ship aged and visitors dwindled, the Navy decided it was too expensive to maintain and that they would soon scrap it.

The existing South Capitol Street Bridge is a swing bridge that rotates horizontally from a center axis to create a passage for boats that are too large to pass under its span. But in 2012, DC made plans to replace it with a new bridge that won’t move. That made removing the DS Barry from the Anacostia all the more urgent— otherwise, it would be stuck on the river forever.

The final journey

On Saturday, DS Barry made its final voyage, bound for Philadelphia to be scrapped. Two tugboats pulled the ship from its longtime home toward the South Capitol Street Bridge.

Tugboats guide DS Barry toward the bridge.

Then the bridge swung open to let the the ship pass.

It’s pretty rare for the South Capitol Street Bridge to swing open. DDOT periodically tests the swing span to make sure it’s functioning, but the bridge opened for water vessel traffic only four times between 2007 and 2014. With the bridge scheduled to be demolished sometime before 2020, Saturday was likely one of the last times the bridge will swing open for a boat.

It was both exciting and sad to watch DS Barry leave. The ship was a unique and monumental part of the fabric of the neighborhood, a constant presence on the horizon along the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail and in Yards Park, and a great, hidden tourist spot to share with visiting family and friends. She will be missed.