Project Azorian was the most ambitious CIA objective of the Cold War, a secret attempt to recuperate the sunken Soviet submarine K-129 from 16,500 feet. Discover the truth behind the Glomar Explorer and the $800 million mechanical failure that practically set off WWIII.
TL; DR: The Billion-Dollar Heist
In 1974, the CIA used a massive phony mining ship, the Hughes Glomar Explorer, to covertly take a lost Soviet nuclear submarine (K-129) from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. In spite of a disastrous mechanical failure of the recovery "claw" (Clementine) at 9,000 feet, the mission yielded critical nuclear tricks and birthed the popular "Glomar Response" (" neither confirm nor deny"). This is the story of the $800 million lie that changed espionage forever.
♂ THE DEEP DIVE: JOB AZORIAN EXPOSED
Invite to The WAR Space. Today, we are revealing the most costly and audacious intelligence operation in history: Task Azorian.
When the Soviet Golf II-class ballistic missile submarine K-129 disappeared in March 1968, the USSR could not discover it. But the United States Navy did-- using a top-secret underwater acoustic network. It was resting 16,500 feet listed below the surface area, 1,500 miles northwest of Hawaii, carrying 3 nuclear missiles and 2 nuclear-tipped torpedoes.
The CIA's strategy? Construct a ship the size of a high-rise building, develop a fake deep-sea mining industry led by reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, and lower a giant mechanical claw to grab the 2,000-ton submarine section.
What failed? At approximately 9,000 feet during the ascent, an area of the "Clementine" claw suffered an enormous mechanical failure. Two-thirds of the submarine-- including the main rocket area and codebooks-- toppled back into the void. What remained was a fractured hull, the bodies of 6 Soviet sailors, and a secret so harmful it practically began a superpower collision.
In this documentary, we examine the engineering marvels, the psychological warfare, and the enduring legacy of the Glomar response that still safeguards federal government tricks today.
⏳ TIMESTAMPS: NAVIGATE THE OBJECTIVE
00:00 - The $800 Million Gamble: Job Azorian Hook 03:00 - The Vanishing of K-129: A Soviet Nuclear Mystery 10:00 - Developing the Lie: Howard Hughes and The Manganese Blemish Cover 18:00 - Engineering the Impossible: The Clementine Claw 26:00 - The Glomar Explorer: A Black-Budget Work of art 34:00 - Descent Into Black Water: 16,500 Feet Down 42:00 - The 12-Hour Ascent and The Catastrophic Snap 50:00 - Inside the Steel Tomb: What the CIA Really Recovered 58:00 - The Glomar Reaction: Rewiring Government Secrecy 01:06 - Aftermath in Moscow and Langley: The Quiet War 01:14 - The Broken Claw Theory: What Actually Failed? 01:22 - How Azorian Rewired Deep-Ocean Power 01:30 - The True Cost of a Secret: Principles and Method
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Was Project Azorian a success or a $800 million failure? Could the CIA have recuperated the whole sub if the claw hadn't snapped? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
