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History, Reference, Research, and GrogTalk => Organizations and Equipment => Topic started by: bayonetbrant on August 09, 2012, 08:51:55 AM

Title: "Stealth" barge?
Post by: bayonetbrant on August 09, 2012, 08:51:55 AM
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Massive-Barge-at-Treasure-Island-Holds-Secrets-164849476.html

Weird - a barge that was made to minimize radar detection to snag Russian subs off the ocean floor.

QuoteThe military built the submersible barge for a secret mission. It carried a tool called The Claw, that the CIA used to grab a Russian submarine off the ocean floor. After that mission the HMB-1 docked at Lockheed Martin in Redwood City where another secret mission launched.
Title: Re: "Stealth" barge?
Post by: LongBlade on August 09, 2012, 09:18:45 AM
That's not the first. Apparently retrieving Soviet subs was something of a fixation for us.

IIRC Howard Hughes was drafted into a cover to create a big ship that was supposedly looking to mine gold at the bottom of the ocean. The real purpose was to retrieve a Soviet ship.

Been a while since I read the book, but as I recall it got the sub but *might* have lost a torpedo or SLBM as it was being hauled to the surface.

If I'm not confusing my stories (a distinct possibility) the remains we found where then reburied in a full Soviet military burial. Something tells me I've even seen some film footage of it. That story sound about right to anyone else?
Title: Re: "Stealth" barge?
Post by: mirth on August 09, 2012, 09:23:41 AM
The stealth ship in the pic is the Sea Shadow. The barge is the structure around it acting as a drydock.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughes_Mining_Barge
Title: Re: "Stealth" barge?
Post by: mirth on August 09, 2012, 09:29:26 AM
Quote from: LongBlade on August 09, 2012, 09:18:45 AM
That's not the first. Apparently retrieving Soviet subs was something of a fixation for us.

IIRC Howard Hughes was drafted into a cover to create a big ship that was supposedly looking to mine gold at the bottom of the ocean. The real purpose was to retrieve a Soviet ship.

Been a while since I read the book, but as I recall it got the sub but *might* have lost a torpedo or SLBM as it was being hauled to the surface.

If I'm not confusing my stories (a distinct possibility) the remains we found where then reburied in a full Soviet military burial. Something tells me I've even seen some film footage of it. That story sound about right to anyone else?

Your correct about all that, LB. Hughes built the Glomar Explorer, and the barge, for the CIA in order to haul a Soviet sub (Golf-class I think) off the bottom of the Pacific. The sub broke up when they were  lifting it. They did recover part of it along with some bodies.
Title: Re: "Stealth" barge?
Post by: Staggerwing on August 09, 2012, 10:07:41 AM
EDIT: Others beat me to it. That'll teach me to walk away from the computer for a while w/out hitting the post button. :D


There's a dramatic bit of video floating around that shows the burial at sea of the Soviet sailors, under the USSR flag. Someone was obviously thinking ahead in bringing the flag and a recording of the Internationale along.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFWMo7aHDRo