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Project Azorian doi:10.3723/ut.30.055 International Journal of the Society for Underwater Technology, Vol 30, No 1, p 55–56, 2011 Project Azorian: For the United States there ‘special operations’ nuclear sub- was the opportunity to discover marine USS Halibut towing prim- Book Review The CIA and the first-hand more about Soviet itive underwater cameras in the nuclear warhead and missile tech- deep ocean, pictures were Raising of the nology and to obtain vital code obtained which showed that at books and cryptographic devices. least one of the K-129 ’s R-21 K-129 In addition, the United States nuclear-tipped missiles remained had serious concerns that K-129 in place. Norman Polmar and could have been a ‘rogue’ sub- The United States intelligence Michael White marine that had attempted an community was able (until later unauthorised missile launch on compromised by spies) to con- Published by Naval Institute the Hawaiian islands. The only ceal its discovery from the Soviets Press, Annapolis, Maryland way to know for sure would be to and commission the construction raise part, or all, of the wreck of of a supposed ‘seabed mining’ Hardback edition, 2010 the K-129 from some 5000m ship, the Glomar Explorer, with help ISBN 978 1 59114 690 2 depth – in an era before the pro- from Howard Hughes. The 238 pages including Annexes duction of deep-ocean remotely Glomar Explorer was equipped operated vehicles (ROV), or with a giant claw intended to high-resolution seafloor mapping scoop the remains of the K-129 When I give talks to the general systems. from her resting place at some public about subsea technology, Project Azorian: The CIA and 5000m. They also constructed a I like to include the tale of how the Raising of the K-129, by naval ‘mining barge’, Hughes Mining in the early 1970s the US govern- analyst Norman Polmar and doc- Barge Number 1 (HMB-1), ostensi- ment attempted to raise the umentary maker Michael White, bly to store manganese nodules, remains of a sunken Soviet mis- tells in great detail this amazing but in reality it was a submersible sile submarine from deep North true story of how the US govern- dock to house the remains of Pacific waters, without giving ment went about the most auda- the submarine. away the true purpose of their cious salvage ever attempted. Other authors, such as John mission. The story is astonishing, The authors have certainly gone Piña Craven, have shown that right out of a spy novel, yet it further than others in uncover- the ‘manganese nodule mining’ actually happened. It involves ing the details of the story, many cover story dreamt up by the CIA the Cold War, Soviet and US aspects of which remain classi- to conceal the real purpose of submarines, the CIA, even fied. Indeed, prior to this book, the Glomar Explorer caused other Howard Hughes – and it inad- almost no one knew the real code nations, starting with Malta, to vertently led to changes in the name of the project, Azorian. protest. They felt that it was Law of the Sea. The Internet community and unfair that only advanced indus- Our story starts in March 1968 previous publications, such as trial nations such as the United with the tragic loss, with all Sontag and Drew’s Blind Man’s States could benefit economically hands, of the Soviet Golf-class Bluff, discussed only a ‘Project from seabed mineral resources, submarine K-129 in the North Jennifer’, which turns out to be a which were the ‘common herit- Pacific. Armed with three nuclear- cover story code name. Some age of all mankind’, and that tipped, liquid-fuelled missiles details are also given of the benefit should be extended to and a pair of nuclear-armed tor- intended follow-up Project Mata- all nations from the exploitation pedoes, but conventionally pow- dor, which was cancelled – or at of such a resource. This led to the ered, the loss of the K-129 was least we are told. relevant seafloor mining sections a great concern for the Soviets. Polmar and White show how being drafted in the United Was there a fundamental design the Soviet navy was unable to Nations Convention on the Law flaw in their submarine or the locate the wreck. Instead, through of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the missile system? Could the vola- a combination of luck and supe- establishment of the Interna- tile liquid fuels be to blame? rior hydrophone technology, tional Seabed Authority – an (Modern submarine-launched the United States was able to entirely unforeseen consequence missiles use much safer solid-fuel pinpoint the approximate loca- of an intelligence cover story, propellants.) tion of the K-129. By using the and perhaps one of the reasons 55 Polmar and White. Project Azorian: The CIA and the Raising of the K-129 why the United States has never middle. Excellent computer- I thoroughly recommend the ratified UNCLOS! rendered illustrations have been book to anyone interested in The book goes into detail prepared by Michael White, pre- naval intelligence, Cold War his- about the actual recovery attempt, sumably for the associated TV tory or subsea engineering and and includes confirmation that documentary as well as for the technology. My only reservation human remains were also recov- book. Although I have known about the book – bearing in ered and given a proper burial at about this story for a number of mind that the publisher is the sea. Video evidence was provided years, there are many photo- Naval Institute Press and that so to the Russians after the Cold War graphs I have not seen before. In much remains classified about ended to show that their sailors addition, the reviewed version the project – is this: how many had been treated with respect. was hardback and has an attrac- secrets remain to be revealed? We are even told the present-day tive cover design. Was more of the K-129 recov- location of artefacts recovered The book is written for a non- ered than the authors or their from the wreck. expert audience, but has suffi- sources are prepared to admit? The book is 238 pages long, cient technical detail to hold the Is there room for an even more the first 173 of which tell the story attention of the subsea profes- detailed version to be released in and the remainder are made up sional. I was constantly amazed the future? I look forward to of technical appendices, a crew at what the engineers were able knowing more about this myste- list for the K-129, notes and a to achieve against tight dead- rious and exciting period of book list. The book contains a lines in a true technical frontier. subsea history. number of black and white pho- The writing flows smoothly, and tographs and line drawings, plus I kept wanting to get to the next (Reviewed by Stephen Hall, National a 12-page colour section in the page to see what happened next. Oceanography Centre, UK) 56.
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