Declassified Records

Index, Declassified HEXAGON 1201-3 Recovery Records

The Trieste II Deep Sea Vehicle I (DSV-1), the U.S. Navy's most advanced deep sea submersible at the time, surfaced about 350 miles north of the Hawaiian Islands in the pre-dawn hours of 26 April 1972 after having salvaged a mysterious item from 16,400 feet below the Pacific Ocean. Publicly known as a nondescript "data package" from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, the object was actually part of a film capsule from the first HEXAGON mission. This release of NRO material includes 45 documents found in our archives. This release coincides with one from the CIA. Their documents can be found at [CIA LINK: http://www.foia.cia.gov/hexagon-capsule.asp. The Trieste II (DSV-1) is on permanent display at the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum.

Doc Title Date Pages
1 ME 44 - Recovery of RV 3 7/27/1971 6
2 MFR RV-3 Planning Meeting 7/28/1971 5
3 ME 45 - Recovery of RV 3 - Meeting at MWC 8/2/1971 11
4 ME 48 - Telecon - Recovery of RV 3 8/4/1971 3
5 ME 49 - Penetration of the RV into the Ocean Bottom 8/5/1971 2
6 ME 50 - Effects of Salt Water on Beryllium 8/5/1971 4
7 Support for Recovery of RV-3 8/9/1971 1
8 Memo - Recovery of RV 3 8/10/1971 1
9 Cable- Questions on Soviet knowledge of the Recovery 8/10/1971 1
10 Cable- Answers re Soviet knowledge of the Recovery 8/12/1971 1
11 USN Deep Sea Recovery of HEXAGON Reentry Vehicle 8/18/1971 2
12 ME 52 - Trip Report- Recovery of RV 3 8/20/1971 2
13 Minutes of Proposal Meeting 8/20/1971 1
14 Cost Estimate for Hay Hook Test 8/24/2012 2
15 Telephone Conversation Regarding Quote on Hook 8/26/2012 1
16 Discussion Concerning Hook Shroud 8/26/1971 1
17 ME 53 - Trip Report - Visit to San Diego 9/1/1971 6
18 RV-3 Recovery Hook Structural Analysis 9/2/1971 1
19 ME 57 - Telecon with USN 9/5/1971 1
20 Telecon Report 9/9/1971 1
21 Trip to Container Research Corp, 9-14-71 9/15/1971 1
22 ME 59 - Trip Report - Recovery Hook Test Program 9/24/1971 2
23 ME 61 - Trip Report - 23 and 24 September 9/29/1971 2
24 ME 60 - Trip Report - Activities of 9-22-71 9/30/1971 1
25 ME 62 - Trip Report - Activities of 9-27-71 to 10-3-71 10/4/1971 7
26 Cable- TRAP/PRESS Special Mission Request 10/6/1971 1
27 ME 63 - Telecon 10/7/1971 1
28 ME 64 - Status of RV 3 Recovery 10/8/1971 1
29 ME 65 - Telecon with Lt. Cdr. Doyle 10/12/1971 1
30 ME 66 - Status of RV 3 Recovery 10/13/1971 1
31 ME 70 - Trip Report - Recovery of RV 3 11/18/1971 7
32 ME 71 - Trip Report - Recovery of RV 3 11/22/1971 5
33 ME 72 - Trip Report - Recovery of RV 3 12/10/1971 15
34 ME 73 - Recovery of RV 3 12/14/1971 1
35 ME 74 - Improved Viewing Capability of Bathyscaph Trieste II 12/20/1971 7
36 Monthly Report - Dec 1971 12/1/1971 6
37 Cable- Possibility of Soviet Attempt to Recover RV 3 1/1/1972 2
38 Cable - Extended Coverage of RV 3 Recovery Activity 1/7/1972 2
39 ME 79 - Recovery of RV 3 1/31/1972 1
40 ME 80 - Trip Report - Recovery of RV 3 1/31/1972 1
41 ME 83 - Pictures of the Trieste Operation (request for) 2/15/1972 1
42 Cable- Quoting an article from Under Seas Technology 8/14/1972 1
43 MFR- Regarding article in Under Seas Technology 8/23/1972 1
44 Claw Picture no date 1
45 Draft proposal for Recovery of RV 3 no date 16

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