http://www.projectjennifer.at/
Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h6rGrzD2VY
Netflix has it streaming.
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Azorian_The_Raising_of_the_K-129/70155170?trkid=4213507
Awesome.
Pretty comprehensive documentary regarding the Glomar Explorer, "Clementine" and the HMB-1 submersible barge... all built to retrieve the Russian sub K-129 from 16,000+ feet of water.
Cost in 1970's money was about $390 million dollars. I'd expect that to be about a $2 billion dollar project in today's money. All built for a 1-use, single purpose ship.
Does anyone know if the gimballing and float adjustment system on the Glomar Explorer has ever been reproduced on newer drilling ships?
Yes on the thrusters (both tunnel and azipod) and ballast adjustment, on both drill rigs and normal ships. I don't believe the gimbal/heave setup is used on drill ships since the drill strings are far more flexible than the glomar "pipe", and tension anchors are used for some heave compensation...since drill ships can disconnect and reconnect at most times, and choose timing, they avoid active drilling in high sea conditions, the glomar didn't have that luxury.
