Project Azorian: The CIA's Billion-Dollar Secret Salvage from the Ocean Floor
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Project Azorian: The CIA's Billion-Dollar Secret Salvage from the Ocean Floor

7:43 Feb 22, 2026
About this episode
What if the most incredible engineering feat of the Cold War wasn't a missile or a satellite, but a secret so vast it had to be hidden in plain sight on the ocean's surface? In 1974, the CIA attempted the impossible: to steal an entire submarine from the bottom of the Pacific. This episode dives into the true story of Project Azorian. After the Soviet sub K-129 sank with its nuclear missiles in 1968, the U.S. located the wreck three miles down. We explore the CIA's audacious solution: building a colossal, purpose-built salvage ship, the *Glomar Explorer*, disguised as a deep-sea mining vessel funded by Howard Hughes. It was a billion-dollar gamble to retrieve Soviet secrets from a watery grave in absolute secrecy. You'll discover the intricate engineering of the clandestine mission, the tense cat-and-mouse game with Soviet forces, and the shocking outcome of this unprecedented operation. Learn how a story of tragic loss, brilliant innovation, and geopolitical espionage was buried beneath the waves for decades. #ProjectAzorian #ColdWarEspionage #CIA #K129Submarine #GlomarExplorer #HowardHughes #NavalHistory #CovertOperation Hosted by Ibnul Jaif Farabi. Produced by Light Knot Studios (lightknotstudios.com).
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