During the Cold War it was commonplace for the Soviet Union to spy on the US Navy by having Russian trawlers "shadow" Naval Task Forces. Ours ,Task Force 6, was no exception. They shadow us, our jets buzz them at supersonic speeds to foul up their radar calibrations.
Universal Admiralty Law states , ships must "give to" to any ships approaching from dead ahead to 90 degrees starboard, relative bearing. Or so it seems.
It was the second launch of the day on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, CVA-42. The ship had left port in Cannes, France, in November 1963, a few days earlier. The day was gray, and overcast. When the sea turns from its usual azure blue to slate gray, it means a storm is coming.
I was plane captain ( crew chief) on F8E Crusader 201. I was sitting in the cockpit, on the number three elevator, awaiting to be "spotted" for the next launch, when the previous launch was recovered. I got out of the cockpit, as it would be a few minutes before the last jets, A3 SkyWarriors, would be recovered. The A3's had the tanker role on that launch. Fuel for needy aircraft. I hear over the ship's 1MC PA system, "Collision" being sounded. You don't hear that too often at sea., and was puzzled at first. I looked forward down the bow. I see the giant radar antenna of the Russian trawler under the bow and down the port side. The Russian captain was playing chicken, to see if the FDR would change course. We were recovering aircraft, and there was no way the captain would change course, even if it meant cutting the trawler in two, and causing an International incident.
I see the mast of the trawler go down our port side and start to roll sharply to their starboard side. I thought the Russian was going to roll over. The trawler took out several of the FDR's radio antennas. Their large radar antenna on the ship was still and cocked at an odd angle. She rolled back to her port side and stabilized sailing off to the horizon, and repairs. We recovered he rest of the launch. Crusader 201 was spotted port side amid ships for the next launch. i could see our damaged radio antennas. From that day forward we had no problem with Russian trawlers trying to cut in front of us. But we could see them, at a distance, on the horizon.
Then it started to rain, and the storms of November began.
Universal Admiralty Law states , ships must "give to" to any ships approaching from dead ahead to 90 degrees starboard, relative bearing. Or so it seems.
It was the second launch of the day on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, CVA-42. The ship had left port in Cannes, France, in November 1963, a few days earlier. The day was gray, and overcast. When the sea turns from its usual azure blue to slate gray, it means a storm is coming.
I was plane captain ( crew chief) on F8E Crusader 201. I was sitting in the cockpit, on the number three elevator, awaiting to be "spotted" for the next launch, when the previous launch was recovered. I got out of the cockpit, as it would be a few minutes before the last jets, A3 SkyWarriors, would be recovered. The A3's had the tanker role on that launch. Fuel for needy aircraft. I hear over the ship's 1MC PA system, "Collision" being sounded. You don't hear that too often at sea., and was puzzled at first. I looked forward down the bow. I see the giant radar antenna of the Russian trawler under the bow and down the port side. The Russian captain was playing chicken, to see if the FDR would change course. We were recovering aircraft, and there was no way the captain would change course, even if it meant cutting the trawler in two, and causing an International incident.
I see the mast of the trawler go down our port side and start to roll sharply to their starboard side. I thought the Russian was going to roll over. The trawler took out several of the FDR's radio antennas. Their large radar antenna on the ship was still and cocked at an odd angle. She rolled back to her port side and stabilized sailing off to the horizon, and repairs. We recovered he rest of the launch. Crusader 201 was spotted port side amid ships for the next launch. i could see our damaged radio antennas. From that day forward we had no problem with Russian trawlers trying to cut in front of us. But we could see them, at a distance, on the horizon.
Then it started to rain, and the storms of November began.
Labels: Collision at Sea
posted by philtait at 9:27 AM
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