1st June and we had now been at war for a month. Everyone was tired but we had reached a plateau and were coping OK. We were also able to get some sleep overnight, with just one aircraft at 20 minutes readiness unless we had intel of a raid. I was now sharing the captain’s cabin with XFJ and a couple of other Harrier pilots - the captain didn’t know!
Shortly before 1000, CO 801 QFE his #2 were vectored towards a fleeting contact north of the sound. It turned out to be a Herc and despite being very short of gas, he chased it west, launching one AIM9L out of range before scoring a hit with his second between # 3 and 4 engines. He then fired 240 x 30mm into the rear fuselage before it dropped into the sea. It was a bitter-sweet victory as we were all aware of the horrors that the last few minutes must have held for the guys in the cockpit.
In the afternoon, another ex-RAF(G) exchange pilot was shot down by the same Roland that had a go at me a few days earlier. He managed to eject and ended up off the coast in his dinghy with a dodgy PLB. It was 8 hours before he was picked up and was saved by the 6v light on his dinghy canopy and the perseverance of the Sea King crew.
During the afternoon two GR3 replacements arrived after an 8-hour flight from Ascension, supported by a Victor tanker. They were an extremely welcome addition to the GA team, despite the fact that the captain dismissed it as a “Crab publicity stunt”.
Mog