The Hughes Glomar Explorer set up on arrival at the recovery site on July 4, 1974, and was almost immediately delayed by bad weather. That wasn’t the biggest problem, though, and on the 12th, they were faced with a major decision: Should they answer a call for medical assistance from a nearby British merchant ship?
They did, and it wasn’t an entirely selfless decision to make. When the HGE chatted with the ship in need — the Bel Hudson — they confirmed that they were definitely on a mission to test deep-ocean mining capabilities. They were careful to broadcast over open channels in the hopes that any Soviet ears would hear, and it wasn’t the only time they were questioned: A Thai tanker also inquired about what they were doing, which was deemed “social in nature.”
Of course, the Soviets were there, too. A naval ship called the Chazhma showed up on July 18, and brought with it a helicopter that did a few fly-bys of the HGE. They were so interested that some on the HGE became convinced they knew exactly where the sub was and what was going on. Plans were made for the possibility of being boarded, and although the Soviet ship got within 500 yards and communications were exchanged, they moved on later that same day. Then, on July 22, a Soviet salvage tug appeared … and after taking more photos, they moved on.
[Featured image by Tequask via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]
