Although the hull looks a bit beat up, it is actually relatively new. In 1989, Scorpion was returning to Vladivostok from Vietnam when it ran into a typhoon. A mechanical breakdown which could not be repaired in time prevented the sub from diving. The storm battered the boat mercilessly, destroying the light hull and damaging the ballast tanks and high pressure air bottles. It limped back to Vladivostok where it was repaired and refitted with a new light hull.