The Taking of K-129: How the CIA Used Howard Hughes to Steal a Russian Sub in the Most Daring Covert Operation in History

Navy, and America’s most eccentric mogul spent six years and nearly a billion dollars to steal the nuclear-armed Soviet submarine K-129 after it had sunk to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean; all while the Russians were watching.In the early hours of February 25, 1968, a Russian submarine armed with three nuclear ballistic missiles set sail from its base in Siberia on a routine combat patrol to Hawaii. Then it vanished.As the Soviet Navy searched in vain for the lost vessel, a small, highly classified American operation using sophisticated deep-sea spy equipment found it—wrecked on the sea floor at a depth of 16,800 feet, far beyond the capabilities of any salvage that existed. In reality, a complex network of spies, scientists, and politicians attempted a project even crazier than Hughes’s reputation: raising

This non-fiction account of one of the most dangerous and daring missions of the Cold War is well-researched and reads like a Tom Clancy thriller.” —W. Hoffman, New York Times bestselling author of The Billion Dollar Spy“An engrossing account of shadowy intrigue, precision engineering and ultra-deception, The Taking of K-129 is a high-stakes espionage drama of operational boldness married with technical brilliance.”—Robert Wallace, author of Spycraft: T

Fascinating spy and science story My dad said he vaguely remembered this incident, although not the outcome. I'm glad, because it was kind of a spellbinder for me: Would the U.S. be able to raise the Cold-War era Soviet sub from the sea floor 3 miles below? And not only recover it, but do it without the Soviets realizing their mission?The book is an exhaustive narrative of both the science . Great true story of american ingenuity and cold war intrigue A. Reader This book is thoroughly researched, well written and exciting to read. The fact its true makes it even better for history fans. The story of the Glomar Explorer is truly amazing. The shear technological and scientific hurdles and audacity of the mission are mind boggling. I am a big believer that despite official reports they got the whole thing and that is. "This Navy vet (not a bubblehead) really enjoyed the thoroughness" according to Eliot Rosewater. I've known about the role of the Howard Hughes Glomar Explorer's in attempting to retrieve a sunken Russian submarine during the Cold War. Hey, I've got a "Cold War Recognition" certificate signed by Donald Rumsfeld himself! Anyway, the Glomar Explorer's cover story was that it was retrieving mineral rich "manganese nodules" from the ocean floor. I was a hi

. Josh Dean is a correspondent for Outside; a regular contributor to many national magazines, including GQ, Bloomberg Businessweek, Fast Company, and Popular Science; and the author of Show Dog and The Life and Times of the Stopwatch Gang