Navy Spied in Hostile Waters for 45 Years Using Stealth Submarines
By Marcus Boone ·
Hostile forces were watched in secret for 45 years through deep-sea trespassing to ensure military leaders could make proper judgements, decisions, and plans.
The US Navy refers to its attack submarines as the "unseen eyes and ears of the task group." According to a program description mirrored by the FAS Intelligence Resource Program, these vessels operate within the Special Naval Collection Program (SNCP), utilizing codenames like HOLYSTONE and BARNACLE to mask the specifics of their mission. The objective is a blend of high-stakes diplomacy and deep-sea trespassing: transmitting real-time information to "avert or mitigate crises" and gathering intelligence of long-term value across various "levels of violence."
While the public record acknowledges the broader scope of the Cold War, the FAS entry captures the specific tactical advantage of the submarine. For 45 years, the attack submarine has functioned as a primary platform for surveillance and warning. Its value is not found in firepower, but in a "stealth characteristic"—the capacity to slip into an area, listen, and collect data without the target ever knowing they are being watched.
The Limits of the Sky
There is a persistent belief that the era of the spy ship was eclipsed by the era of the satellite. The record suggests otherwise. While the state employs aircraft and satellites to garner information, those tools are fragile, subject to the whims of the atmosphere. The FAS description notes that these operations are frequently "inhibited by weather, cloud cover, and the locations of collection targets."\
Moreover, there is the problem of persistence. A satellite cannot hover; an aircraft cannot linger indefinitely without risking detection or refueling. Only the submarine offers the ability to conduct "sustained surveillance of a specific area." Most crucially, the air cannot see beneath the surface. Satellites are "severely limited" when it comes to detecting underwater activity, leaving the deep ocean as the only place where the Navy can operate with what the document calls "relative impunity in waters controlled by hostile forces."
Brought a Man to His Knees
There is a jarring contrast between the high-tech invisibility of a nuclear attack submarine and the origins of the name HOLYSTONE. The FAS entry explains that the program takes its name from the soft sandstone used to scrub the teak decks of battleships and other wooden-decked ships. These stones were nicknamed "holystones" because the act of using them "always brought a man to his knees." The text adds a dry, almost cruel irony: "it must be holy!"
In the naval tradition, the holystone was a tool of grueling manual labor, a way to maintain an image of pristine discipline through physical exhaustion. By applying this name to a clandestine intelligence program, the Navy ties its most sophisticated surveillance efforts to a legacy of forced submission. The men on their knees scrubbing the decks provided the aesthetic of order; the submarines in the deep provide the intelligence that allows the state to maintain its global posture.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
As the nature of surveillance evolves, the human element is being pushed further toward the periphery. The FAS description looks toward a future where submarines act not just as collectors, but as motherships for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and drones. These machines are designed to carry sensors into regions where it may not be "safe or prudent" for a submarine—and by extension, a human crew—to venture.
These drones are envisioned as expendable extensions of the state's reach. After fulfilling their mission, an AUV might return to its launching submarine or transmit its findings underwater or via satellite. This transition represents a shift in the calculus of risk. The "relative impunity" once enjoyed by the stealth of a submarine is being augmented by the total anonymity of the machine. The goal remains the same: the acquisition of information that allows political and military leaders to make "proper judgements, decisions, and plans."
While the FAS page provides a glimpse into the SNCP, it does not list the specific "hostile forces" targeted or the exact nature of the "crises" the Navy sought to mitigate. Related files exist in the State Department's FRUS records regarding the Soviet Union between 1969 and 1976, and the CIA Reading Room holds documents from 1986 discussing whether intelligence stories threaten freedom. However, the specific operational logs of HOLYSTONE remain outside the view of this particular record. The entry leaves us only with the image of the sandstone and the drone, and the unanswered question of whose waters were violated in the name of these proper judgements.