RAF Nimrod / Argentine B707 encounter Falklands War ?
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Your encounter must have been quite a surprise !?
).Intelligence reports a few days later suggested that we had been visually identified as "a VC10".
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Understand, it seems like the Nimrod was a lot more involved in the Falklands than previously thought.
The 'Chilean connection' is particularly interesting, no wonder Pinochet was allowed to go home.
The 'Chilean connection' is particularly interesting, no wonder Pinochet was allowed to go home.
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No, no. The reason I can't be more specific is that 29 years later, memory has faded dramatically! 
I can't even remember if we tanked or not that trip, though I suspect we did.
To be honest, if you were to draw a line from Ascension Island to the Falklands, we were probably operating to the west of that line, at a range of around 800-1,000 miles from ASI.
The (MR) Nimrod's surveillance, comms, and potential SAR roles were called on from April 82 onwards.
I can't even remember if we tanked or not that trip, though I suspect we did.To be honest, if you were to draw a line from Ascension Island to the Falklands, we were probably operating to the west of that line, at a range of around 800-1,000 miles from ASI.
The (MR) Nimrod's surveillance, comms, and potential SAR roles were called on from April 82 onwards.
Got to love this comment at the end of the article:
Certain previous histories of the Falklands Air War, noteably 'Sea Harrier over the Falklands' by Commander Sharkey Ward, have commented on how the RN Sea Harriers often had an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time when attacking Argentinean fighters arrived. We now know that it certainly wasn’t due to the telepathic ability of the brave, but rather self-serving and egotistical ‘Sharkey’ Ward, but was yet again down to the timely gathering and dissemination of accurate intelligence.
Certain previous histories of the Falklands Air War, noteably 'Sea Harrier over the Falklands' by Commander Sharkey Ward, have commented on how the RN Sea Harriers often had an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time when attacking Argentinean fighters arrived. We now know that it certainly wasn’t due to the telepathic ability of the brave, but rather self-serving and egotistical ‘Sharkey’ Ward, but was yet again down to the timely gathering and dissemination of accurate intelligence.
Interesting info.
Did any Nimrod encounter soviet assets on the 1982 flights? I am aware that Bears were flying from Angola and a soviet spy ship was near Ascension, but any story to share?
Regards!
Did any Nimrod encounter soviet assets on the 1982 flights? I am aware that Bears were flying from Angola and a soviet spy ship was near Ascension, but any story to share?
Regards!
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100 days by Sandy Woodward mentions a Nimrod being scrambled from Ascension to investigate a possub (possible submarine contact) by Fearless which was just off the Island on her southbound transit.
'Tis a true story...on reporting in the Nimrod (which was the first RAF aircraft to be carrying warshot torpedos since the second world war) was told by Fearless to investigate a possible soviet nuke.
As the navigator turned white at the thought of starting WW3, the lead wet took a glance (about 10 seconds) and casually downclassifed the contact to "merchant surface".
That's how good we were....it is no longer so.
PS
In this instance...I am the horses mouth.
PPS
Not to mention that the lead wet, and the rest of us, had hangovers that would have killed a small child at the time. Oh happy days.
'Tis a true story...on reporting in the Nimrod (which was the first RAF aircraft to be carrying warshot torpedos since the second world war) was told by Fearless to investigate a possible soviet nuke.
As the navigator turned white at the thought of starting WW3, the lead wet took a glance (about 10 seconds) and casually downclassifed the contact to "merchant surface".
That's how good we were....it is no longer so.
PS
In this instance...I am the horses mouth.
PPS
Not to mention that the lead wet, and the rest of us, had hangovers that would have killed a small child at the time. Oh happy days.
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Interesting,
we took off from ASI in response to HM greyships calling possub (I think it was a visual from some matelot of something that, very likely, was just a whale) - we flogged around for a while, trying to persuade the RN to scarper and let us lay lots of buoys sharpish. A* B**e, captain, Tacnav, All round Good Egg and bane of the Admiralty (in no particualr order) exchanged some quite interesting words with the higher up RN at the time. Don't remember him being particularly fazed at the thought of starting WW3 so it must have been a different sortie to yours <g>
Pretty sure we had things that went bang too - but maybe the intervening years have toyed with my memory on that one. Perhaps Fergineer can remember a bit more? Might have been Apr 18th on 243, as that was only 3 hrs 55 and all the other Corporate sorties were 9 - 10 hrs...
Dave
we took off from ASI in response to HM greyships calling possub (I think it was a visual from some matelot of something that, very likely, was just a whale) - we flogged around for a while, trying to persuade the RN to scarper and let us lay lots of buoys sharpish. A* B**e, captain, Tacnav, All round Good Egg and bane of the Admiralty (in no particualr order) exchanged some quite interesting words with the higher up RN at the time. Don't remember him being particularly fazed at the thought of starting WW3 so it must have been a different sortie to yours <g>
Pretty sure we had things that went bang too - but maybe the intervening years have toyed with my memory on that one. Perhaps Fergineer can remember a bit more? Might have been Apr 18th on 243, as that was only 3 hrs 55 and all the other Corporate sorties were 9 - 10 hrs...
Dave
Yes and Yes Dave and we were also handling hydraulic problems at the same time but hey it was all in a days work......we of course were all totally sober!!!!!We were full of things in the bay when we left ISK and things would not have been unloaded, know what I mean!!!!
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I'll have to check in the attic, but off the top of my head...maybe 7-10 days before you and different sqn. I'm sure about the S'rays though...I can remember the conversation with the ground crew as if it were yesterday. I think every sortie after ours was armed from then on. We took over from 42 so were the first Kinloss crew on ASI. 42 had standard peacetime loads.
And as a matter or interest...remember "pelican ops". I named it.
I also told the plonker AEO who was waving around the A scope photos that he didn't understand SWater and identing from the Ascope was in its infancy and not be be over played......que *** sqn and the Type 42/Japanese Fishing Boat fiasco...also gets a mention in 100 days.
A**B**e...I loved flying with that guy. The combination of banter and professionalism kept us right at the top of our game. I was there the day he told the GSU nav to go **** himself and then told the rest of the Navs on the sqn to ignore everything the GSU said about ASW.
And as a matter or interest...remember "pelican ops". I named it.
I also told the plonker AEO who was waving around the A scope photos that he didn't understand SWater and identing from the Ascope was in its infancy and not be be over played......que *** sqn and the Type 42/Japanese Fishing Boat fiasco...also gets a mention in 100 days.
A**B**e...I loved flying with that guy. The combination of banter and professionalism kept us right at the top of our game. I was there the day he told the GSU nav to go **** himself and then told the rest of the Navs on the sqn to ignore everything the GSU said about ASW.
You could find this page of Cambio 16 Spanish magazine interesting (april 1982):
(about Stingray deployment on Nimrod aircraft operating from ASI, Do you remember if the war load are Mk.44 / 46 o the brand new Stingrays?)
Also, the SSV-501, the Soviet AGI near the island took this pic:
Do you have any memories about the Soviet Primorye spy ship? Or any encounter with an unknown sub?
Regards!
(about Stingray deployment on Nimrod aircraft operating from ASI, Do you remember if the war load are Mk.44 / 46 o the brand new Stingrays?)
Also, the SSV-501, the Soviet AGI near the island took this pic:
Do you have any memories about the Soviet Primorye spy ship? Or any encounter with an unknown sub?
Regards!
Just checked the log book and sure enough we had a blue system failure on tha sortie but stayed on task till stood down from the Navy.
TOFO you wanna check your log book we flew down 13 April and I think we were the first Nimrod crew there think forty who took over from us, I stayed behind in ops till they had a bit more experience down there.
TOFO you wanna check your log book we flew down 13 April and I think we were the first Nimrod crew there think forty who took over from us, I stayed behind in ops till they had a bit more experience down there.
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Yep My Bad
Transitted down 23 Apr (XV239), nightstopping Lajes, played cards with our US buddies and a 42 crew going the other way. Cue crew bollocking on arrival ASI.
DS to Fearless 26 Apr (XV239)...and yes, there was more than one Fearless generated possub at the time. Woodward talks about the "enthusiastic warfare team".
I do remember 3 crews jammed into one hut prior to the arrival of concertina city...so I guess yours was one of them? I remember one was ML and ours was SB, but can't remember the other, so I'm assuming it was a CXX crew???????
Still sure we were the first to fly with warshots....but I'm not gonna fight over it. Too Old.
Transitted down 23 Apr (XV239), nightstopping Lajes, played cards with our US buddies and a 42 crew going the other way. Cue crew bollocking on arrival ASI.
DS to Fearless 26 Apr (XV239)...and yes, there was more than one Fearless generated possub at the time. Woodward talks about the "enthusiastic warfare team".
I do remember 3 crews jammed into one hut prior to the arrival of concertina city...so I guess yours was one of them? I remember one was ML and ours was SB, but can't remember the other, so I'm assuming it was a CXX crew???????
Still sure we were the first to fly with warshots....but I'm not gonna fight over it. Too Old.
bombay
We flew with a mixture of 3X Stingray`s and 6X500pounders.
The bombs were for any surface ship trying to drop special forces on ASI and the torps were for any sub found south of the equator. Maggie had warned the Soviets to back off, which they did, removing the Charlie that had followed the TG south.
Hydraulics were a problem, we lost both the green and blue systems just after the second refuel bracket, it was an awful long way home on the red pump.
The bombs were for any surface ship trying to drop special forces on ASI and the torps were for any sub found south of the equator. Maggie had warned the Soviets to back off, which they did, removing the Charlie that had followed the TG south.
Hydraulics were a problem, we lost both the green and blue systems just after the second refuel bracket, it was an awful long way home on the red pump.