Soviet submarine K-129 (Golf II)
Golf II-class ballistic missile submarine K-129, hull number 722
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| History | |
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 Soviet Union
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| Name: | K-129 |
| Ordered: | 26 January 1954 |
| Builder: | Nr. 402 Severodvinsk or Nr. 199 Komsomol Na Amur |
| Completed: | 1960 |
| Fate: | Sank on 8 March 1968 approximately 1,560 nautical miles (2,890 km) northwest of Oahu in the Pacific Ocean with all hands. 98 crewmen died. |
| Status: | Partially recovered in covert salvage operation by the CIA in 1974. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Golf II-class ballistic missile submarine |
| Displacement: | 2,743 t (2,700 long tons) submerged |
| Length: | 100 m (330 ft) |
| Beam: | 8.5 m (28 ft) |
| Draft: | 8.5 m (28 ft) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | |
| Endurance: | 70 days |
| Complement: | 83 men |
| Armament: | D-4 launch system with 3 × R-21 missiles |
| Notes: | Said to be armed with SS-N-5 Serb missile with 750–900 nmi (1,390–1,670 km) range and one megaton warhead |
K-129 was a Project 629A (NATO reporting name Golf II) diesel-electric powered submarine of the Soviet Pacific Fleet, one of six Project 629 strategic ballistic missile submarines attached to the 15th Submarine Squadron based at Rybachiy Naval Base, Kamchatka, commanded by Rear Admiral Rudolf A. Golosov.
In January 1968, the 15th Submarine Squadron was part of the 29th Ballistic Missile Division at Rybachiy, commanded by Admiral Viktor A. Dygalo. K-129's commander was Captain First Rank V.I. Kobzar. K-129 carried hull number 722 on her final deployment during which she sank on 8 March 1968. It was one of four mysterious submarine disappearances in 1968; the others being the Israeli submarine INS Dakar, the French submarine Minerve and the US submarine USS Scorpion. The Soviet Navy deployed a huge flotilla of ships to search for her but never found her wreck.
The United States attempted to recover the boat in 1974 in a secret Cold War-era effort named Project Azorian. The vessel's position 4.9 kilometres (16,000 ft) below the surface was the greatest depth from which an attempt had been made to raise a ship. The cover story used was that the salvage vessel was engaged in commercial manganese nodule mining. Part of the submarine was recovered.
K-129, having completed two 70-day ballistic-missile combat patrols in 1967, was tasked with her third patrol in February 1968, with an expected completion date of 5 May 1968. Upon departure on 24 February, K-129 reached deep water, conducted its test dive, returned to the surface to report by radio that all was well, and proceeded on patrol. No further communication was received from K-129, despite normal radio check-ins expected when the submarine crossed the 180th meridian, and when it arrived at its patrol area.
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