The Taking of K-129

July 15, 2017
Meticulous account of an audacious covert operation to snatch a sunken Russian submarine.Outside magazine correspondent Dean (Show Dog: The Charmed Life and Trying Times of a Near-Perfect Purebred, 2012, etc.) ably resurrects the forgotten Cold War drama of Project Azorian, showcasing governmental and engineering derring-do, seemingly impossible in both its difficulty and secrecy. Following the K-129's disappearance in the Pacific in 1968, some American officials realized, "if the US Navy could locate the sub's precise location, it might be able to access the wreck and mine it for a host of valuable intelligence." This fell to the CIA, which recruited civilian experts in multiple fields to design a ship equipped with a deep-mining derrick and clawlike "capture vehicle" to pluck the sub off the seafloor. They also developed a plausible cover story, involving new ocean-mining technologies pursued by reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes. Dean captures the personalities and patriotism of the industrialists, engineers, and spies who stealthily built the Hughes Glomar Explorer and perfected large-scale systems so cutting edge that it remained unclear "whether or not they could locate, grab, and lift a submarine three miles deep in the ocean." The high-risk voyage went forward in 1974 and was partially successful, as a large portion of the submarine broke off while being raised; one engineer "was stunned at how little of the sub remained." Plans for a follow-up mission were scuttled when the story leaked in the press following a mysterious burglary at a Hughes facility. This created a delicate situation for the new Gerald Ford presidency; to avoid impacting the politics of detente, writes the author, "both sides would pretend as if the boldest and most outlandish intelligence operation in history had never happened." Dean is verbose in laying out this improbable tale, with a fondness for occasionally extraneous detail, but this style is well-suited to a complex adventure spanning six years and numerous principal characters. A well-researched, mostly engrossing geopolitical narrative of American ingenuity in the face of Russian threats.

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April 15, 2017

After the February 1968 sinking of the Soviet nuclear-armed submarine K-129 in the Pacific, the CIA wanted to retrieve it so badly that it built the most expensive ship ever and claimed as a cover that it belonged to Howard Hughes. The Soviets never knew.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2017

In 1968, the Russian submarine K-129 disappeared in the Pacific Ocean northwest of Hawai'i. The Soviets deployed a massive search but were unable to find the vessel. Using new underwater acoustic equipment, the U.S. located the submarine and tried to do the impossible by raising it from three miles underneath the ocean's surface to obtain the nuclear warheads and coding machine inside. Dean (The Life and Times of the Stopwatch Gang) tells the story of the CIA's mission, the detailed operation required for raising a heavy submarine intact from such an incredible depth, and how the agency collaborated with businessman Howard Hughes and his mining company. After being tasked with Project Azorian, CIA agent John Parangosky spent six years engineering and problem-solving in secret. The stellar research Dean uses to tell this captivating tale includes declassified primary documents, personal journals, and autobiographies. VERDICT A Cold War espionage story that seems implausible yet is still true. Recommended for fans of naval history, marine engineering, ocean mining, and spy stories. [See Prepub Alert, 3/27/17.]--Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.