Long-serving leader who made a submarine sail a Richland landmark dies
Retired Port of Benton Commissioner Bob Larson, credited with securing the USS Triton submarine sail and conning tower to anchor a north Richland monument, has died.
He was 92.
Larson, who worked as director of procurement for the Department of Energy, was first elected to the port commission in 1994 and served 27 years before retiring in 2021, four years into a six-year term.
In a tribute to Larson at the time, the port linked him to one of its most fruitful eras. The public port is the lead economic development entity for most of Richland and western Benton County.
The port noted his tenure on the commission shared in the first transfer of federal land under the 1994 Defense Authorization Act, which resulted in the transfer of the Hanford 3000 and 1100 areas into port ownership and operation.
He was the port’s president at the time and played a key role in the 1998 ceremony to mark the transfer.
He also played a role in the transfer of the port’s 16-mile short-line railroad, expansion of the Tri-Cities Research District and acquisition of the 1,641 acres by local jurisdictions for the development of an advanced clean energy manufacturing park.
Securing the USS Triton sail was his most prized accomplishment, the port said when he retired.
The nuclear submarine, known for circumnavigating the planet underwater, was decommissioned dismantled at the Bremerton shipyards. The reactor compartments are buried at Hanford.
The sail part was cut in six pieces to get it to the Tri-Cities, and then welded back together, according to Tri-City Herald archives.
While it was technically on long-term loan from the Navy, Larson once pointed out that, “We put it in concrete.”
The new park was dedicated in 2011 to submariners. The site at Port of Benton Boulevard and 11th Street overlooks the marine terminal where the reactor was received for Hanford in 1986.
At the time he retired, Larson said he was confident in the capability of his fellow commissioners and port staff, noting that the port’s goals for growth were on their way to fruition.
Christy Rasmussen was appointed to fill the balance of his term. Scott Keller, former executive director of the port, won election to the seat in 2023.
Larson was born in Joplin, Mo., and lived in Richland for 63 years. He was a military veteran.
He died Dec. 22 in Richland. Einan’s at Sunset, Richland is in charge of arrangements.