Soon after a junior officer at submarine communication sold secrets to the Soviets enabling them to decipher coded American submarine communications, a Soviet missile sub on a mission near Hawaii sank with all hands in February 1968. Two weeks later, a spy reported that a damaged U.S. submarine had arrived in Japan. Soviet files reveal and interviews confirm that high Soviet officials believed it had deliberately sunk their vessel. In revenge, they torpedoed the Scorpion on May 27, killing ninety-nine men. This engrossing overview of American and Soviet submarine operations includes capsule biographies of the Scorpion's captain and many of its crew and families.
"...few will be able to resist the juicy details offered about this half-forgotten disaster and its aftermath, including the boasting of old Soviet admirals that they would have won World War III because they knew every move the U.S. Navy made. A satisfying historical whodunit, redolent with Cold War paranoia and tragedy."-Kirkus Reviews
One of the great secrets of the Cold War, hidden for decades, is revealed at last. Early in 1968, a nuclear-armed Soviet submarine sank close to American shores. Compelling evidence strongly suggests that the sub, which we now know was a rogue, sank while attempting to fire a nuclear missile. The clandestine, half-billion-dollar U.S. project to recover the sub helped forge new relations with the Soviets-even as it revealed a treacherous plan that, had it succeeded, would have had devastating consequences.
One of the great secrets of the Cold War, hidden for decades, is revealed at last. Early in 1968, a nuclear-armed Soviet submarine sank in the waters off Hawaii, hundreds of miles closer to American shores than it should have been. Compelling evidence strongly suggests that the sub sank while attempting to fire a nuclear missile.
We now know that the Soviets had lost track of the sub; it had become a rogue. The Nixon administration launched a clandestine, half-billion-dollar project to recover the sunken K-129. The successful recovery effort helped forge new relations between the US and the Soviets, even as it revealed a treacherous plan to provoke war between the US and China-a plan that, had it succeeded, would have had devastating consequences.
