The 619-foot-long Hughes Glomar Explorer attracted plenty of attention in 1974. As Soviet ships cruised by the Glomar, they had no clue what the ship’s real mission was. Instead, Glomar was involved in a secret CIA mission dubbed “Project Azorian.” The goal? Naval protection days from the Glomar, Soviet ships monitored the crew, including a tug that stayed onsite for two weeks, at one point getting as close as 200 yards. A Soviet helicopter circled the Glomar and the ship’s crew stacked crates on the ship’s helicopter deck to keep the Soviets from landing.