Project Azorian

Project Azorian was a secret Cold War operation by the U.S. to recover a sunken Soviet submarine, K-129, in 1974. Using a specially designed, half-sunken ship called the Hughes Glomar Explorer, the U.S. attempted to lift the submarine from the ocean floor to gather intelligence. The operation was complex and risky, involving innovative technology to minimize detection. Although part of the submarine was successfully retrieved, the mission was partially exposed, revealing a covert effort to gain strategic military insights during Cold War tensions.