Silent Seas: The Top Secret, Greatest Cold War Naval Espionage Mission
Check out Squarespace: squarespace.com/BRAINFOOD for 10% off on your first purchase of a website/domain using the code BRAINFOOD . Thank you Squarespace for sponsoring this video.
If ever there was an ultimate weapon of war, it would have to be the nuclear submarine. For more than 60 years, ballistic missile-armed submarines have prowled the world’s oceans, ready to unleash nuclear armageddon at a moment’s notice. Meanwhile, fast attack boats track and stalk the missile-armed ‘boomers’, the two rivals locked in a shadowy game of cat-and-mouse deep beneath the waves. But while nuclear deterrence is the modern submarine’s most famous mission, it is far from the only one. Throughout the Cold War and into the present day, these vessels have served as the eyes and ears of the Navy, using stealth and guile to perform covert reconnaissance of enemy shores. And perhaps the most daring and successful such feat of naval espionage took place in the early 1970s, when a U.S. Navy submarine snuck into a Soviet naval base to tap an underwater communications cable. This is the extraordinary story of Operation Ivy Bells.
This video is #sponsored by Squarespace.
Пікірлер: 114
Check out Squarespace: squarespace.com/BRAINFOOD for 10% off on your first purchase of a website/domain using the code BRAINFOOD . Thank you Squarespace for sponsoring this video.
Brought to you by Simon. Nothing else matters
@paulceglinski7172
3 ай бұрын
Too bad he only mouths some of the content. He and Daven Hiskey share the channel. Cheers
@ScottieD87
3 ай бұрын
Brought by Square Space, delivered by Simon. Customer satisfaction guaranteed
@OneHappyCrazyPerson
3 ай бұрын
Life is ours, we live it our way!
@grimd8788
2 ай бұрын
True, but it is sad to see so many not Simon's showing up on his channels.
@CrisMind
2 ай бұрын
@@grimd8788Daven started this channel though
I spent 10 years as a US Navy Submariner. It was lonely, boring, terrifying, fun, and exhilarating in turns. We do amazing secret things every day as a force. I'll always cherish my time below the waves in the service of my nation. Also Simon, USS Parche is pronounced Par-chee
Honestly, the most impressive thing might not even be the tap... it's the fact that even though it was just a cover mission, they still gathered enough parts to reverse engineer the missile!
@texasranger24
2 ай бұрын
When side-questing is just too good...
My late uncle was a crewmember on the USS Seawolf SSN575. His submarine and hits sister ship did similar work of tapping undersea coms in the late 70s and 1980. Apparently they got into some really hazardous situations His family did not learn of his exploits until many years later after he died. There’s a battery interesting book called” blind man’s bluff. “ Might be a great web article to follow up to this one
@neilreid9005
2 ай бұрын
@jasonmcmillan6598 Blind Man's Bluff is an exceptionally good book. They told the story of stashing a cow's head in the unit in case the Soviets found it.
I believe the cable tapping device the Soviets found is in a Russian museum. I also understand that it is proudly marked as property of the US Navy.
The Captain didnt think of it, his son said it whilst fishing near a 'do not anchor cable subsurface' and his son said can we plug a telephone in here and listen to peoples calls. A child with a benign comment made the cold war that bit colder...
I used to work in the recording studio occupying one of the buildings that was used for research and testing for IVY BELLS. In fact, when the building was purchased by the current owner, it had been abandoned for some time. They left behind tons of material and top secret documents which we discovered right before renovations. Had to call the local Navy base (Panama City Beach) and talk to some nice men in suits
@DarkAngelZz59
2 ай бұрын
Excuse me sirs, you appear to have misplaced your classified intel
The book Blind Man's Bluff (by Sherry Sontag, Christopher Drew & Annette L. Drew) tells this story and many others. It's a fun, informative and interesting read into the history of submariners (a "special" breed), military intelligence and the individuals involved. Wouldn't it be fun to know what the USSR's Navy thought of these events and what crazy feats they pulled off?
@mickstephenson
2 ай бұрын
There is a documentary about it on KZread here kzread.info/dash/bejne/mH5kupqLf7C5hdo.htmlsi=iK75OOprXr3tMZ2m
@judd0112
2 ай бұрын
They didn’t pull anything off. The only reason this whole story is not classified is due to the treasonous CIA agent that betrayed the whole operation for $. Can’t remember which particular Russian mole Richard Reid possibly
@judd0112
2 ай бұрын
The U.S. military found out that the Russians had a mole in nasa & were attempting to acquire the blueprints or plans for our space shuttle program and when president Regan was informed he said. “ perfect!! Let’s let them think they are getting the plans when in fact the plans are all wrong and won’t work. So they developed their own space shuttle program & it blew up on the launch pad. Never to be heard from again. Thats one of their feats they pulled off. Helped bankrupt the Soviets and cause the collapse of their country
Ronald w pelton casual criminalist episode would be pretty cool, it would give Simon a break from all the blood and gore!
Those were facinating days in the US Navy. I served on those kinds of boats in those days and most of us had some good stories. Not this good but good none the less.
I just had a core memory of sealab 2020 unlocked.
@cladinshadow
2 ай бұрын
Same!
@tehfiredog
2 ай бұрын
Meanwhile, I can only think of Sealab 2021, and an army of Quin and Stormy clones😂
Theres a great book about this story by none other than one of the dudes who installed the listening device! Red November. I highly recommend it.
I knew a guy who worked on the Parche during these operations. FYI it is pronounced "par-chee."
Curious Droid just did a video on this very topic. Kind of unusual same day same topic, separated by a few hours.
I suspect that the greatest Cold War mission is the one we haven't heard of.
@judd0112
2 ай бұрын
You are correct. People don’t understand that the government doesn’t have to tell you anything. And therefore they think the UAP’s in the recent fighter jet videos have to be extra terrestrial cause the government said they don’t know what they are. Amazing to me that such a lack of common sense could exist these days. Obviously don’t know anything about history
@heatherariza8463
Ай бұрын
Facts cuz my dad worked on the nuclear submarines and has told me there are missions he went on that are STILL classified and if caught by the Soviet Union the US government would have denied knowing them
Great video! As a Navy veteran this was very interesting.
@jeffdroog
2 ай бұрын
As a human,I also found it interesting!
There is a fascinating book on this, that goes into detail on the Halibut's skids sinking into the sand on the bottom from a storm over the area. The skids in the sand were keeping the sub from lifting off of the bottom had to be torn off by one last desperate blow of ballast tanks and the sub limped out making a racket with Soviet anti sub ships trying to blow it to the surface with depth charges and the sub creeping along as it dragged the last skid under its hull making all sorts of noise. Until it got into international water the USN could do nothing to help it. You also left out one of the chiefs getting hammered at Pearl Harbor, calling the White House public phone number demanding to talk to POTUS and screaming into the phone how he wanted to tell POTUS how bad ass his captain was. Plus another chief decided he was done on subs after that particular mission and said he was not going out again on a sub. The USN told him yes he was to which he replied "Subs are volunteer and I am unvolunteering." and they could not stop him.
@Neflhim
2 ай бұрын
And the giant crabs they pulled in for the crew too.
@elundjdmba
2 ай бұрын
Was the book you mentioned authored by Wes Craven, the NRO’s Chief Scientist?
@Neflhim
2 ай бұрын
@@elundjdmba The one I read was Blind Man's Bluff by Sherry Sontag, Christopher Drew, and Annette Lawrence Drew
I'll watch. Just for the halibut
Former crew member here, USS Seawolf SSN 575, USS Parche.SSN 683
Growing up in St.Louis, not much makes me happy to hear about this city. But finding the cable how the cptn did cracks me the fuck up since my father talked about those same signs when he was younger.
Such missions still happen today - perhaps a video on SSN-23 USS Jimmy Carter. The third, and final, Seawolf class, she was heavily modified during construction to add a 100-foot long special missions section to the hull, as well as additional thrusters for precise station keeping.
8:15 I guess that was A signal or THE signal in question.
It’s pronounced “Par-chee,” not “Parsh.” It’s the most decorated vessel in USN history, and I have a family member who served on it. Also, go read “Blind Man’s Bluff.” Great insight into what those spy subs did.
@mjfonte
2 ай бұрын
Great read!
You did one of my suggestions, Yay!
My father has something to do with this (he was technical). I remember hearing about this years ago when I was a kid.
I learned of this stuff through a friend of mine who was an anti- submarine warfare technician, not this specific probe necessarily, but of the general technique.
The American Peeople was and are being very well served by the "silent service"!
I am literally staring at the USS (aka the triple nickel) Halibut, standing on the docks here in San Diego, right now. Super crazy to think this (kind of small) sub changed history. It is Humbling. Also, the other boat you keep referencing is not pronounced “parch”. It’s pronounced “par-chee” as explained by my buddy who served on that sub for 15 yrs. 😊
@williamkarstens
2 ай бұрын
Halibut was decommed years ago! (1994).
@BDCF100
2 ай бұрын
@@williamkarstens Disposed iof in 1994; decommed in 1976
@jomomma42
2 ай бұрын
Do’h!!! Apparently I got my subs mixed up! Thanks for the correction. After checking it appears that I was at the Dolphin. Still a “special projects” boat, Number 555, but I goofed on the name. (Feeling sheepish). Either way It’s at the pier in San Diego for all to see. Apologies for that confusion on my part!
@KarlHeckman
2 ай бұрын
555 is the Dolphin, a diesel boat, still projects. Has some interesting stories to tell and records set.
I've heard that at least once the Soviet ships intercepted the sub, but pretended it was an impromptu anti-sub exercise they had won... In exchange for a crate of whisky. The American captain, knowing the best alternative was to claim he had scammed his crew in an unauthorized operation and the worst was World War III, happily paid.
@Wanderer628
2 ай бұрын
Considering how completely incompetent the Russian Navy has proven to be I extremely doubt that.
global marine (glomar) was a legitimate offshore oil drilling company…the drill ship glomar discovered a commercial oil formation on The Grand Banks of Newfoundland in 1979
@neilreid9005
2 ай бұрын
@edward6902 For many years, the Glomar Explorer was part of the mothball fleet in Suisun CA. I used to commute over the Benicia bridge which is right next to it. One day in the late 80's the Glomar was simply gone. Never saw it again.
The US bugging a Soviet underwater cable is the best known
I enjoyed your description of saturation diving, but question your assertion about nitrogen. Surely, at 120m, any diver would be totally incapacitated or even poisoned by nitrogen if breathing compressed air. I'm sure they must have been breathing helium and oxygen at that depth.
@drew3804schannel-vk7ii
2 ай бұрын
Saturation divers typically breathe a helium-oxygen mixture to prevent nitrogen narcosis, and limit work of breathing, but at shallow depths saturation diving has been done on nitrox mixtures.
Tight tight TIGHT!!
I remember reading about this in Blind Man's Bluff
i just noticed thast you sourced some footage of the ss halibut from nz archivces may i ask what this is? im from nz and it got me curious
Sneaked.
I was hoping for more info about how they got in and out without being discovered
@KarlHeckman
2 ай бұрын
Submerged, slowly, quietly.
Love these 🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤
I am so irrevocably ( sp ?) addicted to the Whistleverse 😅
Hey I have a suggestion for a video....There was a gas pipeline the supplied natural gas to Germany from Russia. Maybe you could look into it and tell us who dunnit...
.. a rainy day in class 🥱
Why the screen screenshot from Thunderball? 😊
A ready
So basically Sea leopard by Craig Thomas was real? 😄
Halivbut did not sneak into a Soviet naval base.
That pesky US Navy painting pennant numbers on everything and making continuity a right pain… 587 USS Halibut 282 USS Tunny 590 USS Sculpin
You say "saturation diving" and all I can think is Byford Dolphin.
I believe Simon could sell ice to an Eskimo
@fft2020
3 ай бұрын
he has proven that he can sell razors to bald bearded man !
@bazsnell3178
3 ай бұрын
Can't say 'Eskimo' any more. For political correctness gone mad, they are now ''Inuit''.
Wait till find out who destroyed gas line back East 😂
"The greatest naval spy mission". Led by Commodore Simon Whistler.......... ;)
Once War Thunder adds submarines we will find out 😂
How many Simonses are there now? He's expanding faster than a hunk of yeasty 🥪 bread.
Thunderbolt?
1/137
Dolma may dit meh may cac sang
8:15 what was the reason for the subliminal messaging?
@DarkAngelZz59
2 ай бұрын
probably the soviet signal
Stuff like this makes me love what our country used to be.
@neilreid9005
2 ай бұрын
@slappomatthew Same great people here now as was then. What's gone to heck in a hand basket is our political class. No question they are enemies of the people.
The cold War never ended, greatest by us amount during so would be the pipeline.
Electricity can not go in water !
i dont know where i heard it, or where they got it from, but you should research the USS Jimmy Carter..... just sayin
I, a civilian, will now laugh out loud, again, about this. I watched the cables break, sequentially, over time. Every break got into the press (eventually), and the sum was to drive the entire world's cable traffic thru either the E or W coast of the US. I laughed my ass of then, and they told me to shut up and don't be stupid. Then Mark Klein [go look it up] made himself the world's most famous geek (and not just of the week) . I laugh my ass off now, again, about this. Geeks rock. I am a geek. I laugh a lot.
but (notice also that I use "but" in my comments rarely) ronald sold information for money and isn't working for money american enough?
I don't believe Pelton died in prison; but paroled.
I can't wait to see you cover how the US took out the Nordstream pipeline!
@JeffHenry-cq3is
2 ай бұрын
Be Epsteined the same day
Sneaky enough to pull that off, what are they doing to society?......
😂 the traitor got betrayed by a traitor
The craziest underwater operation is when the US Navy blew up Nordstream 2 gas pipeline
@Ubique2927
2 ай бұрын
Oh dear….
@markbothum4338
2 ай бұрын
Eek! Forgot to mask your username! Somebody's going to be in big bwig twubble...😉
Please don’t use that fake film flash effect. The constant flashing is so irritating that I’ve stopped watching your videos.
Trash. I don’t want to watch commercials even before the video starts
Would love to have watched all of this, but his voice is so annoying.
I beg to difer sir. Nordstream was the biggest