Beruit '84 Chindet

[malreeves]

An ex-Army friend of mine (Keith R) is trying to compile a short history of Chinook Operations in support of the Forces deployed to Beruit in 1984. I never went but I know "Santini" was the Boss for while and "Biggus-Dickus" was one of the Captains - apart from that I know zip!

If anyone can help could they send me a PM with (ideally) a telephone number that can be used, Keith doesn't have web access.

Many thanks

[Thud_and_Blunder]

Wotcah Mla,

"Beruit" - is taht teh oen in Lobnaen? ;)

(like you, Beirut/Lebanon was before my time on Chinooks...)

[RetiredSHRigger]

Hi Mal check your PMs

:ok:

[rolandpull]

PM sent - retired hooker.

[chinook240]

Mal,

Ah Op Pulsator - the only only op with a decent name!

I'll be in touch, we deployed in about Aug 83 and the pullout was in mid 84. The best det ever, water skiing by day flying by night.

Haven't seen you on telly recently!!!!!!:E

[Shackman]

Mal,

PM also sent - first detachment.

[SilsoeSid]

Mal,

Aircraft Illustrated did an article about the Chinooks in Beirut back in '84.
I found the article in a copy I picked up at Wellsbourne Aircraft Museum.
The reason it stuck out so much is that it had a picture of someone you used to work with here doing a pre-flight.

I sent it on to him, if you're in touch.
Reading through the posts, Shakman sounds as if he was there.
http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/112540-buccaneer-low-level.html#post1112211

SS

I think it's this one, on sale 99 pence.
Aircraft Illustrated (http://www.payhost.net/aviation/acatalog/Air_Ill_May_1984.html)
or
ask here?
http://www.pprune.org/private-flying/436490-there-market-old-pilot-magazines.html

[RUCAWO]

For those who may be interested Corgi have a diecast model of ZA705 in Lebanon colours coming out shortly, this is the pre-production model so around ten corrections to be made to it before it is released.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/IMG_0071.jpg

[Motleycallsign]

PM sent Mal.

Oh those heady days of sqicket on the veranda of the block at Akronelli, and eating lunch on the dispersal at Beirut International.
Even managed to get the boss's Mini parked on the veranda.

No joy riding in Ferret scout cars then either, we were learning to drive them so we could load them onto the a/c 'honest'!!!!!!

[It's only Me]

Guess EZ would have been very difficult to taxy with front wheels like that.

[Tallsar]

...not if you were a gp capt and had a surname like Hunter!:eek::mad::p

Who's still got the Tee shirt then?

[RetiredSHRigger]

I remember the BBQ that ran out of fuel! somebody found some more wood unfortunately the wood turned out to be my room window louvered shutters.My t shirt has long gone but remember the boulder presented to the bucc det as Beruit Rock. Is it safe to talk about Santinis Ferret?

[chinook240]

Who's still got the Tee shirt then?

Are you talking about the "Real Men........." t-shirt?

[malreeves]

What-Ho chaps! Many thanks for the prompt replies, will check PMs and respond accordingly. Just out of interest, Keith (the Pongo) actually now owns the Ferret armoured car that he drove on the det. which is one of the reasons for the information request. Merry Christmas

[RetiredSHRigger]

Hi Chinook 240

ISTR it was an 18sqn ordered T shirt " Biggest Chopper in Beruit " or something along those lines. Alcohol and early onset dementia has taken its toll i'm afraid.

[Tallsar]

240...Thats right old friend..hope you are well....

"Real men Fly Through Beruit"...response to Bucc Dets shirt of "Real Men Fly Over Beriut"..seems a bit tame after all thats happened snce..but hey the brandy sours made up for it!!

The 18 development of "Biggest Choppers etc" came after they took over the det from 7......

Tee shirt trivia...makes you think all is right with the world eh..and who would have thought then we'd be soon getting a Chinook HC Mk6?

Cheers

[Tallsar]

Wonder if the Ferret was the one "inconveniently" left on a certain large "colonial" flat top for a short while?:O:)

[rolandpull]

Two Ferret storries from me on this Det.

1. I drove one around AKT for two weeks, then found second gear by chance...

2. I drove that Ferret on the Eisenhower and into the back of one of our Chinooks. Another gear selection issue on board - I had never found reverse on dry land and was sweating that it wasnt 'nosed' in somewhere - guess what! Some yank fireman leant in and helped me out. Scariest part to this little trip was driving parallel with the Chinook, pointing at the fantail, and then because of the driving position seeing the fantail dissapear as I focussed on the crewman in my 3 O'clock marshalling me around to the ramp. :ooh:

I got a nice escorted visit to the bridge, saw some great trap action from the deck, handed over the Sqn plaque to the Captain, got a nice set of 'Ike' goodies and promissed not to do it again.

Happy days.

[chinook240]

Just been speaking to GW, who was the det cdr and the pilot who left the 2 ferrets on Eisenhower following a 'eng chip detr' and a precautionary landing on deck. He says the yanks gave him 30 mins before the Chinny was heaved over the side, hence, leaving the ferrets and one flight only back to Akrotiri.

[Tallsar]

Indeed....and the paint job and graffiti(?) on one of the Ferrets when they were finally recovered to Akro was quite a sight...our US cousins having felt the need!:)

Probably one of the most interesting aspects of the det was operating with and through the immense US fleet off the Lebanese coast.....including the largest battleship ever! Let no one say the UK CH47 didn't have an early baptism of fire...whether in the Falklands or off Lebanon...at times it seemed we were more maritme focussed (DLs and deck winchings/USLs galore!) than supporting the battlefield.

Cheers

[rolandpull]

Interesting stuff. I was on the first det and was the only guy to go to the 'boat' and collect a single Ferret IIRC - unmarked/unpaited by the colonials. Unless a second det done something similar? 1 x Ferret always meant that pax/mail was available to be flown in.

I can remember loading a Ferret aft of the hatch and overstowing that with a multi-gym - interesting W & B exercise.

To be honest the only time I can recall ever putting two Ferrets on a Chinook was on the OCU when they formed what was known as the MAUM load - the last one of those I did we had a winch cable break with a Ferret aft of the hatch - amazingly the flailing cable missed the four of us in the cabin..

[SirPeterHardingsLovechild]

This was one of my most memorable dets, if only for the shennanigans in the Pen Club each night. If my memory serves me right we had:-

12/208 Buccs
Chindet
56 Sqn Phantoms (on APC)
RN Sea King det
100 Sqn (on APC)
2 Para
34 Sqn RAF Regt

You couldn't look around without seeing a naked man running around with a burning rolled up newspaper between his buttocks. Or turn a fan on without risking a turd flying off it. And God help you if you didn't stand when 2 Para got drunk and sang the National Anthem.

Although I was on Tatty Ton, I was a member of a 12/208 flying wedge that took out half of 56 Sqn's tables, chairs and bottles of charlie one particular violent night. I still bump into people who claim they were in that wedge. Carnage.

And a guy off 12/208 and a Para (I think) took their fight straight through one of the wire re-inforced glass doors. Hole in it like a Tom & Jerry cartoon.

And me on the Banner Wagon getting buzzed by Bucc's doing their practice airfield attacks.

Happy Days that will stay with me forever.

SPHLC

[Lonewolf_50]

Probably one of the most interesting aspects of the det was operating with and through the immense US fleet off the Lebanese coast...including the largest battleship ever!
Hmmm... Aug 83 to mid 84.

By the time you guys left, we were on station off the coast (May through June 84). At that point, the "immense fleet" had shrunk to our destroyer, the USS Nassau (LHA 4), a couple of other amphibs (Ponce and an LST whose name I don't recall), usually accompanied by the obligatory Soviet tail (sometimes a Krivak FFG and sometimes an AGI). While we were there an Israeli SAAR patrol boat pulled over pretty large vessel and escorted back to harbor (I think it was escorted back to Tripoli, in northern in Lebanon. Does that ring a bell? )

The ship we relieved had been there from winter 83 to spring 84 -- about your term there on the land.

That battleship on station was USS New Jersey, BB-62.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/New_Jersey_Sails.jpg/300px-New_Jersey_Sails.jpg

A friend of mine was Maintenance officer on the helicopter det on that ship.

A high school classmate of mine was on USS Virginia (CGN-38) during your det period. They did quite a bit of Naval Gunfire with their 5 inch guns, not quite the earth shaker of the Jersey's 16 inchers, of course.

I don't envy you all the feet dry fun and games.

Around that time, a friend in the USMC was in a CH-46 (small version of Chinook) that took an RPG through the aft end. From his accouting, it had the courtesy not to explode, but instead went through the bird and kept on going. Lucky man.

Ring a bell?

[Ploughman'sBreakfast]

No longer a post virgin..........

I remember it well. Followed the cabs out to Akrotiri by Herc on 6 Sep 83. Had the pleasure of driving a Ferret scout car up Akrotiri runway at midnight after dropped it off post USL training at Dhekelia.

I was on the trip that had the Eng Chip on to Enterprise. The Americans were keen to start flying operations as we struggled to get the chip out. They gave us 10 minutes to get it sorted or they would remove our blades and park us in the corner or bulldoze us off the side. We didn't think they had the tools to take our blades off, but they assured us that a circular saw would do the job.

Chip was removed in time, found to be covered in swarf, wiped clean on sleeve and refitted. TheFerrets were then left on board and we scarpered west. Sqn Ldr G****n W****y was the captain.

[Tallsar]

Thanks LW50 for your memories...although I was there before you...it certanly brought another perpsective and some memories. The comment re the Krivak tail reminded me of our first DL on Fort Austin...the USN LPD (equivalent to Fearless/Intrepid - only bigger!). We had to Land 0n as the "Beach was hot" prior to our first daylight visit to Beirut airport and the Brit det LS.

As the 1st Brit 47 in theatre it was not very long before the Krivak was a few yards off the stern sussing out who we were. At the time we had the nightsun fitted tthe forward under nose mount, some suitable gaffers taping of a few broom handles later made it look very like the latest gatling gun mount!!! Spoofing or not eh?

More to our amusement....the young USMC officer who met us after rotor shutdown.....Capt James T Kirk :-) .....no one would want to upset him...he was a Huey Cobra pilot but looked as though he could break your legs by just lookng at you! Thoroughly suppressing our smirks and our Brit ironic laughter,,,,we were led below by him for "only" a coffee and a stern briefing on how all USN ships were "dry". I will of course never admit to delivering a pallet of tinnies (and it wasn't Coke!) from the Naafi at Akro on a future mission.....who would dare!

Cheers

[glug]

This was when the waggons came down to the beach and asked everyone with O Neg blood to climb aboard. The US marines barracks had been hit by a lorry bomb and the casualties were evaced to TPM Hospital.
Being O Neg I and some of the others on 12/208 jumped in and pretty soon were donating pints of red stuff to the Marines. After giving blood we are all sitting waiting for the coffee and biscuits. Nurse Gives out cups with coffee granules in and brings the boiling kettle. Young SAC armourer gets the water in his cup and then faints!
Cup of boiling water descends into his crotch. Nurse puts him in the recovery position without noticing. Lad spent some days in hospital due to blistered tackle!
Hey ho.

[Lonewolf_50]

"Dry" ships: the scourge of the US Navy, thanks to that :mad: Joesphus Daniels. :uhoh:

Thanks for your reply, we missed some of the more exciting times that you gents were there for.