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Soviet submarine K-129 (1960)
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<p><i>K-129</i> was a Project 629A <a href="/facts/Diesel-electric_submarine/6fhcAKHV">diesel-electric</a>-powered <a href="/facts/Ballistic_missile_submarine/Alykksc1">ballistic-missile</a> submarine that served in the <a href="/facts/Soviet_Pacific_Fleet/heo5H4RN">Pacific Fleet</a> of the <a href="/facts/Soviet_Navy/t2buEMEK">Soviet Navy</a>. It was one of six <a href="/facts/Project_629/u17KVUzT">Project 629</a> strategic ballistic-missile submarines assigned to the 15th Submarine Squadron based at Rybachiy Naval Base near <a href="/facts/Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky/AJpr0eDu">Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky</a>, commanded by <a href="/facts/Rear_Admiral/3f3BNjuy">Rear Admiral</a> <a href="/facts/Rudolf_Golosov/V8j2C8pE">Rudolf Golosov</a>. </p><p>The <i>K-129</i>'s commander was <a href="/facts/Captain_1st_rank/y6dGdMXn">Captain First Rank</a> Vladimir I. Kobzar, and she carried the <a href="/facts/Hull_number/4kfmPbyR">hull number</a> 722 on her final deployment, during which she sank on 8 March 1968 along with her missiles and their nuclear warheads. This was one of four mysterious submarine disappearances in 1968, the others being the Israeli submarine <a href="/facts/INS_Dakar/oGkxtL0x">INS <i>Dakar</i></a>, the <a href="/facts/French_submarine_Minerve_(S647)/kbpF9EEG">French submarine <i>Minerve</i></a>, and the American nuclear-powered submarine <a href="/facts/USS_Scorpion_(SSN-589)/bRJQCoJd">USS <i>Scorpion</i></a>. </p><p>After nearly two weeks of <a href="/facts/Radio_silence/WbVDKChl">silence</a> during her patrol in the <a href="/facts/Pacific_Ocean/bdxgXRVM">Pacific Ocean</a>, the Soviet Navy officials became concerned about her status and reportedly deployed large numbers of <a href="/facts/Soviet_Naval_Aviation/coT5572x">military aircraft</a> and ships to search for the vessel, but no sign or wreckage was found. With the <a href="/facts/United_States_Navy/xYK0fUou">U.S. Navy</a> observing the Soviet efforts, the Americans also began searching, ultimately determining the exact coordinates of the wreck utilizing underwater acoustic data in August 1968, hundreds of miles away from the Soviet search efforts. </p><p>In 1974, the United States attempted to recover the submarine in a secretive <a href="/facts/Cold_War/spJdJQ3q">Cold War</a>–era effort named <a href="/facts/Project_Azorian/zAyQ5BTy">Project Azorian</a>. Only a part of the submarine was recovered from its position 4.9 km (16,000 ft) below the surface, making this the deepest attempt to raise a ship. The <a href="/facts/Cover_up/Mjs4gvGQ">cover story</a> was that the salvage vessel was engaged in commercial <a href="/facts/Manganese_nodule/e9RCgkFo">manganese nodule</a> mining. </p>