A giant among us has gone away. And I mean giant. The enormous SS Cape Intrepid has permanently moved away from Tacoma’s Commencement Bay, and awaits retirement in Texas. I hope she likes it there.

The ship departed Tacoma on Jan. 2, according to an online vessel tracker.

A team of surveyors scanned every inch of the USS Intrepid to create a 15-terabyte digital model—aided by its closure to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout World War II, the Intrepid ...