EP20: Submarine Disasters of 1968

What does the wreck of the titanic have to do with the loss of two U.S. nuclear submarines? This episode tells the story of the four submarine disasters of 1968 - The Israeli Dakar, the French Minerve, the Soviet K-129, and the U.S. Scorpion.

Music this week by Lee Rosevere. Listen to all of his fantastic work here: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/

The Argo submersible in 1985, ready to descend to the bottom of the ocean.

Jason Junior…not just for surveying the Titanic. At the point this picture was taken, Jason Junior had already been inside the torpedo room of the Scorpion.

The Israeli Dakar.

Part of Dakar was raised and is part of a memorial today.

The French Minerve.

The very, very new pictures of Minerve on the bottom. Only recently discovered.

The Hughes Glomar Explorer. Note the lateral thrusters that allowed it to stay in position over the wreck, 16,000 feet down.

Inside the “Moon Pool” of the Glomar Explorer, which was the bay that would accept the raised submarine. Note the giant claws that broke.

I mentioned in the episode that the mechanism for lifting the ship was like a pipe chain on an oil rig. This is an actual segment. Today in possession of the CIA.

This is the segment of declassified CIA film showing the burial at sea of the 6 Soviet sailors.

Alvin through the decades….