{"product_id":"the-taking-of-k-129-how-the-cia-used-howard-hughes-to-steal-a-russian-sub-in-the-most-daring-covert-operation-in-history-paperback","title":"The Taking of K-129: How the CIA Used Howard Hughes to Steal a Russian Sub in the Most Daring Covert Operation in History - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJosh Dean\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn incredible true tale of espionage and engineering set at the height of the Cold War--a mix between \u003ci\u003eThe Hunt for Red October\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eArgo\u003c\/i\u003e--about how the CIA, the U.S. 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.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs 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. But the potential intelligence assets onboard the ship--the nuclear warheads, battle orders, and cryptological machines--justified going to extreme lengths to find a way to raise the submarine. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSo began Project Azorian, a top secret mission that took six years, cost an estimated $800 million, and would become the largest and most daring covert operation in CIA history. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAfter the U.S. Navy declared retrieving the sub \"impossible,\" the mission fell to the CIA's burgeoning Directorate of Science and Technology, the little-known division responsible for the legendary U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird spy planes. Working with Global Marine Systems, the country's foremost maker of exotic, deep-sea drilling vessels, the CIA commissioned the most expensive ship ever built and told the world that it belonged to the reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, who would use the mammoth ship to mine rare minerals from the ocean floor. In reality, a complex network of spies, scientists, and politicians attempted a project even crazier than Hughes's reputation: raising the sub directly under the watchful eyes of the Russians.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJosh Dean\u003c\/b\u003e is a correspondent for \u003ci\u003eOutside\u003c\/i\u003e; a regular contributor to many national magazines, including \u003ci\u003eGQ, Bloomberg Businessweek, Fast Company, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Popular Science\u003c\/i\u003e; and the author of \u003ci\u003eShow Dog\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Life and Times of the Stopwatch Gang\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 456\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.1 x 8.9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 25, 2018\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51772754592032,"sku":"9781101984451","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/2035c8e104a6b38e370c5f8bc4909bce.webp?v=1780413319","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/the-taking-of-k-129-how-the-cia-used-howard-hughes-to-steal-a-russian-sub-in-the-most-daring-covert-operation-in-history-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}