The TV Documentary gave me a new light on the maritime view (and problems) of the events, but the write-up above will hopefully give a new light to Ppruners on the aviation aspect of getting the team there and back which is missing from the TV. (3xRAF turned up, 1xtook-off, landed, took us home)
The docu was a bit misleading to Joe Public on the actual route - it showed the C17 in climb-out overlaid over a 50-60N track across Europe, Russia.
The actual route took it a lot further North, up the N Sea, hand-railing the Svaalbards, across the Arctic Ocean at 85N (reported as being "white, very white, nothing but white" - even in August!), crossing N Siberia, then Sea of Okhostk, entering Kamchatka peninsula from the west to
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy/Yelizovo - The approximate Great Circle route - All with limited/minimal/non-existant divs into "hostile" Russian territory.
The original plan had been to go to Prestwick and pick up the sub, the return to Brize for a new fresh crew to cross the Pole, but events overtook us.
So lots of kit and personnel were arriving at Brize throughout the day - Satellite phones, imprest, fresh crew with appropriate clothing, interpreters etc, even the actual Jetplans!, which were then transferred to Prestwick to catch-up the mission. All prompted by the "shutdown and contact the squadron" call.
The other concern throughout the operation was that, due to the lie of the seabed, the sub had to 'swim' over the top of the sub, and then back on itself to access the nets. This meant the 'umbilical cord connecting the sub to the command ship above was positioned over the sub, meaning that if the sub lifted at any point, the cord would be cut, and the mini-sub lost. In spite of all this, the operation was a success. - missing from the TV Docu.
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As I said, I was a part of the planning process at BZN involved in getting the aircraft and cargo there and back, but thanks must go the the crew, RN/James Fisher Rumic, USAF/USN, ASCOT and BZN Ops, which included a veteran of Op Black Buck (1982) - "Potential problems that the crew had not yet had the chance to consider were already solving themselves" -
No substitute for experience!