How the CIA Stole a Russian Submarine

Summary

In 1968, during the Cold War, the Soviet submarine K129 vanished near Hawaii, carrying valuable weapons and technology. The CIA, under President Nixon's approval, initiated Project Azorian to secretly salvage the sub. They built the Glomar Explorer, a civilian-looking ship with a massive claw, under the guise of billionaire Howard Hughes' deep-sea mining venture. Despite a Soviet encounter and a partially successful recovery, the mission's cover was blown by a leak, ending the operation with only a portion of K129 retrieved.

Takeaways

• 🗺️ In 1968, the Soviet submarine K129 vanished mysteriously in the Pacific Ocean, northwest of Hawaii.
• 🔊 The US Naval Base detected an unusual signal, likely from an underwater implosion, which led them to the location of the missing submarine.
• 🔍 The Soviet Union conducted a massive search for K129 but failed to locate the submarine, leading to it being declared lost with all 83 crew members.
• 🇺🇸 The US, using advanced technology on the USS Halibut, a repurposed spy submarine, located the wreck of K129 at a depth of 5,000 meters.
• 🔐 The CIA, under President Nixon's approval, initiated a top-secret operation to recover the submarine, which was believed to contain valuable weapons and technology.
• 🛠️ The CIA's plan involved constructing a massive claw to lift the submarine from the ocean floor, a task they disguised as a civilian deep-sea mining operation.
• 💸 Billionaire Howard Hughes was enlisted to serve as the public face of the operation, with a cover story of exploring for manganese nodules on the ocean floor.
• 🚀 The construction of the recovery ship, the Glomar Explorer, took over 4 years and cost approximately $350 million, equipped with state-of-the-art sonar and positioning systems.
• ⚠️ During the recovery mission, the Glomar Explorer had a close encounter with a Soviet tracking ship, which they managed to deceive about their true intentions.
• 🔧 The recovery attempt was partially successful; the claw lifted part of the submarine before it broke, causing most of K129 to sink back to the ocean floor.
• 📰 The mission was exposed by The Los Angeles Times, leading to the end of Project Azorian and the US government's ambiguous 'neither confirm nor deny' response.

Q & A

What year did the Soviet submarine K129 vanish from radar?

The Soviet submarine K129 vanished from radar in 1968.

What was the unusual signal detected by the US Naval Base that indicated the possible location of K129?

The unusual signal detected was an underwater implosion, which was traced to a location around 1,500 miles northwest of Hawaii.

What was the role of the USS Halibut in the search for K129?

The USS Halibut, a nuclear-powered missile submarine repurposed for special ops, was sent to investigate the anomalous signal and locate the wreck of K129.

Why was the CIA interested in recovering K129 from the ocean floor?

The CIA was interested in recovering K129 because it likely carried highly valuable weapons and top-secret technology that the Soviets would not want to fall into American hands.

What was the name of the secret CIA operation to recover K129?

The name of the secret CIA operation to recover K129 was Project Azorian.

Who was chosen to provide a cover story for the construction of the ship used in Project Azorian?

Billionaire and Aerospace Tycoon Howard Hughes was chosen to provide a cover story for the construction of the ship used in Project Azorian.

What was the cover story used to explain the construction of the deep-sea mining vessel?

The cover story was that Howard Hughes was expanding his business ventures into deep-sea mining, and the vessel was built for the exploration of manganese nodules found on the ocean floor.

What was the name of the ship constructed for Project Azorian?

The ship constructed for Project Azorian was named the Glomar Explorer.

What was the outcome of the first attempt to recover K129 using the Glomar Explorer?

The first attempt to recover K129 was partially successful. The claw managed to lift the submarine, but it partially broke, causing over half of K129 to break off and sink back to the ocean floor.

How did the public learn about the true purpose of the Glomar Explorer?

The public learned about the true purpose of the Glomar Explorer through an article in the Los Angeles Times, which exposed Project Azorian after a break-in at Howard Hughes' offices led to the theft of top-secret files.

What was the 'Glomar response' and how did it come about?

The 'Glomar response' was a carefully ambiguous statement crafted by the US government in response to the leak about Project Azorian. It stated that they 'can neither confirm nor deny' the details of the project, a phrase that became a popular way for government officials to reveal nothing while still saying something.