In 1968, a Soviet Golf-II class submarine left the port of Petropavlovsk, on a peacetime patrol northeast of Hawaii.
The sub, called K-129, was carrying three nuclear-armed ballistic missiles.
Then, soon after leaving port, the sub and its entire crew were lost.
The Soviets started search efforts but were never able to find the sunken submarine.
But the U.S. did.
The U.S. government located the Soviet sub 1,800 miles northwest of Hawaii, at a depth of 16,500 feet on the ocean floor.
American officials knew the sub had massive intelligence value and would expose the Soviet’s capabilities if it was recovered.
So, officials asked the CIA to recover the sub, and CIA engineers agreed to take on the task.
They had to figure out how to raise the 1,750-ton sub from the bottom of the ocean without the world noticing.
They came up with Project Azorian.
It was a top-secret, six-year effort to retrieve the Soviet submarine.
A team of CIA engineers determined that the only way to recover the sub was to use a large claw to grasp it and pull it to the surface.
To do this, the CIA worked with Howard Hughes.
The plan called for Hughes to use his Glomar Explorer vessel under the guise of a deep-sea mining trip.
The ship was constructed with special capabilities that allowed it to conduct the entire recovery underwater, away from other ships or spy satellites.
However, the CIA was really using the ship to raise the sunken Soviet sub.
Hughes provided the cover story that the ship was conducting marine research for mining at the bottom of the ocean.
The Glomar Explorer conducted salvage operations at the site for more than two months under complete secrecy.
Everything was going according to plan, but when the crew raised the Soviet submarine, it broke in half.
So, the U.S. crew proceeded to lift the portion that they could.
Of course, the CIA didn’t reveal the intelligence that was gathered from the Soviet sub.
Before the agency could recover the rest of the sub things went horribly wrong.
Thieves broke into Howard Hughes’s Los Angeles office and stole documents that revealed the CIA operation.
The Los Angeles Times eventually exposed it, and the U.S. abandoned any further recovery efforts.
Project Azorian wasn’t a failure, but it wasn’t a complete success either.
But the deception fooled the world into thinking some billionaire was mining in the ocean.
Deception can actually be an effective tool at times when it comes to safety and survival.
In fact, here are a few ways you can use deception to survive:
Hiding supplies:
Whether it’s looters, or rogue government officials, people might come by your home after a disaster looking for supplies.
This is why it’s a good idea to hide supplies.
Further, it’s a good idea to have hidden supplies in different areas of your home.
And it’s better to act as though you have limited food, water, and medicine.
You might want to make it seem like you barely have only enough for your family.
This could prevent others from thinking you have so much that they can take it without you being unable to survive.
Downplaying how much food and supplies you have can prevent you from becoming a bigger target.
Of course, it’s also good to have supplies at a bug out location or storage unit.
Weakness:
Criminals take advantage of those who appear weak.
But, during a disaster, acting dumb or ignorant can prevent someone from being aggressive with you.
If you have nothing to offer or any skills to help someone during a disaster, they might just leave you alone.
This depends highly on your circumstances, the specific situation, and who it is that’s around you.
Misleading:
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you can create the illusion of strength.
For instance, if two looters appear at your door you might want to show them that you have five family members who are armed to deter threats.
You can also use decoys or create signs of large numbers of people inside your home.
For example, maybe you have the lights turned on in every room of your home or flashlights are shining in rooms that show people are everywhere inside the house.
Again, you want to make it appear that there are a lot of people in the home so that criminals will move on to another target.
Justified:
Some people may face moral dilemmas when it comes to deception.
But there are situations where your life could be in danger and deception is the only way to survive.
For example, if you are alone and facing multiple threats, or if you are protecting others who are more vulnerable.
If law and order have broken down and you are at a tactical disadvantage, then deception could be the only way to survive a disaster.
