A half-century ago, in August 1974, an unusual vessel was on an unusual—and secretive—project in the vast emptiness of the Pacific Ocean. She was the Hughes Glomar Explorer, built by the legendary tycoon Howard Hughes for the stated purpose of deep-sea mineral extraction. She was engaged in extraction, all right, but not for minerals, and not by Howard Hughes—but rather, the Central Intelligence Agency.
The goal of Project Azorian, as it was called, was to retrieve the wrecked remains of the Soviet ballistic-missile submarine K-129, which had gone missing in 1968. A mysterious disappearance wrapped inside of a mysterious mission—such are the things that fascinating sea stories are made of. And the last surviving member of the Project Azorian team joins us in this issue to tell it as only he can.
Retired Navy Reserve Captain Jack Newman was the only former submarine officer on the Project Azorian team. His background as a submariner, combined with his previous work as a submarine analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency, made Captain Newman of especial value on board the Hughes Glomar Explorer. He was the first man to enter the raised wreckage and the last man to exit it at the end of the project. It has haunted him to this day. His theories as to what happened to the K-129 from a technical standpoint are extremely insightful, but his account also never loses sight of the human element underlying it all—the fate of those doomed sailors who perished with the K-129.
The subject of submarines shows up again this issue, and in a unique and thought-provoking way: Navy Commander Jeff Vandenengel’s feature—the Second Prize winner in the 2023 CNO Naval History Essay Contest (Professional Category)—serves up a highly original premise: “The single-ship actions of the Age of Fighting Sail are the best historical references to prepare for modern submarine-vs.-submarine combat.” That’s a fascinating connection to make, and Commander Vandenengel does so quite convincingly, proving once again the sometimes unexpected inherent value to be discovered in history’s pages.
Meanwhile, Marine Lieutenant Colonel Brian Kerg looks at the downside to the July–August 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily, Operation Husky—the success of which was muted by the well-orchestrated evacuation from the island of more than 100,000 Axis troops. Three days before Operation Husky was launched, out in the Pacific, a fierce night fight was waged between U.S. and Japanese naval forces at the Battle of Kula Gulf. Leonard Heinz offers a blow-by-blow of the engagement that witnessed the loss of the cruiser USS Helena (CL-50).
“Loss” is a word that must have been too much on the mind of poor Rear Admiral John Dahlgren in the summer of 1863, as he tried in vain to crack the elaborate defenses guarding Charleston, South Carolina. As Civil War historian Neil P. Chatelain notes, Charleston was never going to be an easy objective for the Union Navy, but Dahlgren’s task was compounded repeatedly by the deaths of four chiefs of staff in a row. Talk about a command challenge.
Lastly, we wrap things up with Chuck Lyons’ recounting of one of the boldest exploits of that inimitable sea-rover Sir Francis Drake. Drake’s achievements at sea were numerous—including being the first English captain to circumnavigate the globe (quite profitably). But his preemptive strike on Cadiz, Spain, in 1587, kneecapping the preparations of the Spanish Armada, was one for the ages—even the King of Spain himself was impressed!
Eric Mills
Editor-in-Chief
