Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2008
- Messages
- 8,995
Ramming under water...?
On March 8, 1968, the Soviet submarine "K - 129" sinks in the Pacific! The entire crew, 69 sailors and officers, perish!
The reason for the sinking of the boat was never known. Problems with snorkeling would be possible. The boat's batteries were charged by diesel engines, the exhaust gases of which have to be discharged through a snorkel. The batteries may have ignited and detonated during the charging process.
Another possibility is the detonation of one of the three nuclear missiles on board, similar to what happened in 1986 on the Soviet K-219.
The liquid rocket fuel used by the Soviets was notorious for being extremely aggressive when exposed to seawater!
Most likely, however, appears:
After the incident, the government of the USSR said that K-129 had been sunk deliberately or accidentally by submarines of the US Navy. Proponents of this theory also suggest that the USS Scorpion (SSN-589) could also have been sunk by the Soviets in revenge two months later.
USS "Scorpion" was lost around May 22, 1968 for an ultimately unexplained cause.
The Russians claim to be familiar with the NATO submarine with which "K - 129" is said to have collided underwater: the submarine USS "Swordfish" (SSN-579).
It has been proven that the USS "Sworffish" entered the US base in Yokosuka (Japan) on March 17th, a few days after the sinking of the "K - 129" with collision damage to the tower and the sea tube (typical damage after an underwater collision!) , got an emergency repair there and then had to be repaired in Pearl Harbor by the end of the year.
The damaged pesircoipe is clearly to be seen!
The Americans explained the damage to the "Swordfish" by a "collision with ice".
But:
In the "Cold War" the duel between the submarines of the US Navy and the Red Banner Fleet was always "hot". The submarine drivers acted very aggressively against each other, both sides were expressly allowed to inflict as much damage as possible on the "enemy" - only the use of weapons was prohibited.
The above-mentioned submarine K - 219 also collided with a US boat (USS "Augusta", SSN 710) in 1986 before the fuel explosion of one of its nuclear missiles. The liquid propellant then reacted with penetrating sea water ...
There were several other underwater collisions between submarines from both countries up until the 1980s.
It is also very telling: The USA knew the exact location of the K-129 on the seabed, but the Soviets did not!
And that brings us to the Glomar Explorer adventure now!
The US Navy located the wreck of "K - 129" shortly after the sinking about 1500 nautical miles northwest of Hawaii at a depth of about 5000 meters; the Soviet Navy, however, did not know the place of the sinking - and the Americans were careful not to tell the Soviets.
The location was so easy for the US Navy because at the time of the sinking of "K - 129" another American submarine, USS "Barb" (SSN 596) had shadowed the Soviet submarine and documented its sinking.
The Americans were keen on the Soviet submarine, but especially on its three nuclear missiles!
The CIA then had the "Glomar Explorer", a special ship built that was supposed to secretly salvage the wreck.
The ship was flooded freely inside and had a huge lowerable gripper on the underside ...
The operation was christened the "Azorian Project". In order not to endanger the secrecy, the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes was brought forward by the CIA, who had the ship officially built for himself; allegedly it was supposed to mine ores, especially manganese nodules, from the sea floor.
The cost is said to have been around $ 350 million.
However, when the Americans hooked K-129 and started lifting, the sub broke in two!
Of course, they never said in public which part the Americans recovered - but it is assumed that they got their hands on the turret and the middle section of the boat with the missiles (which could be fired from the turret).
In short, there are simply too many inconsistencies in the whole "K-129" story to be believed in an accident. Even if there can be other explanations - for me it is clear that the submarine sank after a ramming!
On March 8, 1968, the Soviet submarine "K - 129" sinks in the Pacific! The entire crew, 69 sailors and officers, perish!
The reason for the sinking of the boat was never known. Problems with snorkeling would be possible. The boat's batteries were charged by diesel engines, the exhaust gases of which have to be discharged through a snorkel. The batteries may have ignited and detonated during the charging process.
Another possibility is the detonation of one of the three nuclear missiles on board, similar to what happened in 1986 on the Soviet K-219.
The liquid rocket fuel used by the Soviets was notorious for being extremely aggressive when exposed to seawater!
Most likely, however, appears:
After the incident, the government of the USSR said that K-129 had been sunk deliberately or accidentally by submarines of the US Navy. Proponents of this theory also suggest that the USS Scorpion (SSN-589) could also have been sunk by the Soviets in revenge two months later.
USS "Scorpion" was lost around May 22, 1968 for an ultimately unexplained cause.
The Russians claim to be familiar with the NATO submarine with which "K - 129" is said to have collided underwater: the submarine USS "Swordfish" (SSN-579).
It has been proven that the USS "Sworffish" entered the US base in Yokosuka (Japan) on March 17th, a few days after the sinking of the "K - 129" with collision damage to the tower and the sea tube (typical damage after an underwater collision!) , got an emergency repair there and then had to be repaired in Pearl Harbor by the end of the year.
The damaged pesircoipe is clearly to be seen!
The Americans explained the damage to the "Swordfish" by a "collision with ice".
But:
In the "Cold War" the duel between the submarines of the US Navy and the Red Banner Fleet was always "hot". The submarine drivers acted very aggressively against each other, both sides were expressly allowed to inflict as much damage as possible on the "enemy" - only the use of weapons was prohibited.
The above-mentioned submarine K - 219 also collided with a US boat (USS "Augusta", SSN 710) in 1986 before the fuel explosion of one of its nuclear missiles. The liquid propellant then reacted with penetrating sea water ...
There were several other underwater collisions between submarines from both countries up until the 1980s.
It is also very telling: The USA knew the exact location of the K-129 on the seabed, but the Soviets did not!
And that brings us to the Glomar Explorer adventure now!
The US Navy located the wreck of "K - 129" shortly after the sinking about 1500 nautical miles northwest of Hawaii at a depth of about 5000 meters; the Soviet Navy, however, did not know the place of the sinking - and the Americans were careful not to tell the Soviets.
The location was so easy for the US Navy because at the time of the sinking of "K - 129" another American submarine, USS "Barb" (SSN 596) had shadowed the Soviet submarine and documented its sinking.
The Americans were keen on the Soviet submarine, but especially on its three nuclear missiles!
The CIA then had the "Glomar Explorer", a special ship built that was supposed to secretly salvage the wreck.
The ship was flooded freely inside and had a huge lowerable gripper on the underside ...
The operation was christened the "Azorian Project". In order not to endanger the secrecy, the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes was brought forward by the CIA, who had the ship officially built for himself; allegedly it was supposed to mine ores, especially manganese nodules, from the sea floor.
The cost is said to have been around $ 350 million.
However, when the Americans hooked K-129 and started lifting, the sub broke in two!
Of course, they never said in public which part the Americans recovered - but it is assumed that they got their hands on the turret and the middle section of the boat with the missiles (which could be fired from the turret).
In short, there are simply too many inconsistencies in the whole "K-129" story to be believed in an accident. Even if there can be other explanations - for me it is clear that the submarine sank after a ramming!
