Swansenreport

Project Azorian was one of the most daring and secretive Cold War intelligence operations ever attempted by the United States. It blended deep-sea engineering, espionage, and geopolitical rivalry into a story that almost sounds like science fiction — except it really happened. Here’s a full breakdown:

 

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Background

 • In March 1968, the Soviet ballistic missile submarine K-129 sank in the Pacific Ocean, about 1,500 miles northwest of Hawaii.

 • The submarine was carrying nuclear-armed ballistic missiles, cryptographic equipment, and classified documents.

 • The U.S. Navy located the wreckage at a depth of over 16,000 feet (about 3 miles) — far deeper than any prior salvage operation.

 • Recovering it could provide the U.S. with priceless intelligence on Soviet nuclear technology, submarine design, and code systems.

 

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The Plan

 • The CIA launched Project Azorian in 1970 (sometimes mistakenly called “Project Jennifer,” which was actually the name of a CIA security compartment tied to the mission).

 • The idea: build a massive deep-sea mining vessel that could secretly raise the sunken Soviet sub.

 • The cover story was that the ship would be used by eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes to mine manganese nodules from the ocean floor.

 

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The Ship – Hughes Glomar Explorer

 • Constructed by Global Marine Development Inc. under Hughes’ name.

 • Cost: about $350 million (over $2 billion today).

 • Special features:

 • A massive “claw” system (called the capture vehicle) lowered down to grab the submarine.

 • A hidden “moon pool” inside the ship to conceal what was being lifted from the sea.

 • It was the largest and most complex deep-sea recovery system ever built at the time.

 

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The Recovery Attempt (1974)

 • The Glomar Explorer sailed to the wreck site in July 1974.

 • Using sonar and positioning technology, the claw was lowered nearly 3 miles to latch onto the wreck.

 • The operation partially succeeded:

 • Reports suggest the claw broke under the immense weight, and only part of the submarine was recovered.

 • What was retrieved included two nuclear torpedoes and, according to some accounts, the bodies of six Soviet sailors, which the U.S. later gave a formal burial at sea.

 • Intelligence value is disputed — some say key codebooks and missile guidance systems were recovered, others suggest the most sensitive parts were lost when the wreck broke apart.

 

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Secrecy and the “Glomar Response”

 • The operation remained secret until 1975, when it was leaked to the press (by The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times).

 • When asked for confirmation, the CIA refused to admit or deny the mission’s existence. This became known as the “Glomar Response”:

“We can neither confirm nor deny…”

 • That phrase has since become standard in U.S. government responses to sensitive FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests.

 

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Legacy

 • Engineering Feat: Project Azorian pushed deep-sea technology decades ahead of its time, paving the way for modern offshore drilling, subsea mining, and undersea cable recovery.

 • Geopolitical Symbol: It showed the lengths the U.S. would go during the Cold War for intelligence superiority.

 • Myth and Mystery: To this day, the exact materials recovered remain classified. The CIA only officially declassified certain aspects in 2010.

 

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✅ In Short:

Project Azorian was the CIA’s audacious attempt to recover a sunken Soviet nuclear submarine using a massive secret ship disguised as a Howard Hughes mining vessel. Though only partially successful, it became one of the most ambitious covert engineering projects in history — and left behind both groundbreaking technology and the enduring “Glomar response.”