Warship - An appropriate response
It was often the nearest contact when you ‘popped up’ to take a look at around 75-80 nm if there was no MPA providing SURPIC (VASTAC was more appropriate for Martel attacks). If that was a picket ship then so be it. The preferred target was a capital ship or the oiler. However, it was a risky tactic to go for a contact in the centre of the SAG and risk a proportion of your missiles being engaged and taken out. 24 Sea Eagles into one ship would more than likely disable it. The next wave could then go for the next ‘nearest and dearest’ contact employing a ‘peel the onion’ tactic. This would then continue until missile stocks were depleted or until it was deemed safe enough to go in with PW IIs.
SURPIC may or may not have been available from an MPA via HF. If not the lead Buccaneer had to put his radar on and declare a range and bearing to his selected target. Additionally the missiles could be programmed from the cockpit to attack the nearest / furthest/ leftmost/ rightmost/ largest radar contact within its search ambit.
if SURPIC or VASTAC was available the missiles could be launched without radar transmissions and the first warning for the ships would be when the missiles pulled up and put their own radars on.
if SURPIC or VASTAC was available the missiles could be launched without radar transmissions and the first warning for the ships would be when the missiles pulled up and put their own radars on.
It was never really comprehended that, in all probability, they had already been hit by up to 24 Sea Eagles and that the presence of Buccaneers in their sights was artificial and staged.
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In a battle stations situation would they bother with a flight deck meeting (Captain included) & everyone filling in pages paperwork just to get the helicopter off the deck? Filling in risk assessments as the enemy nears?
I’ll look forward to seeing the series. Is it available online?
All this discussion of missile attacks reminds me of this wonderful Singapore Navy ad. Very funny and doubly so if you’ve spent any time in Singapore. A reminder - this is a recruiting ad, not a spoof!
All this discussion of missile attacks reminds me of this wonderful Singapore Navy ad. Very funny and doubly so if you’ve spent any time in Singapore. A reminder - this is a recruiting ad, not a spoof!
About 30 years ago, AOC Maritime woke up one fine September morning and decided that all this Glasnost and Perestroika business was all very well, but the Russkis needed a reminder that the UK was still very much in the anti-shipping business. There was, it seems, a Sverdlov somewhere a long way north, which he decided needing a seeing-to. Signals were fired off to Lossie and a 6-ship of Buccs was told to plan a good wazzing of said shipski…
We were tasked as the tanker support, but such was the secret squirrel nature of the boat people at Northwood that they wouldn't give us any details - until our boss said something along the lines of "You can forget your tanker unless you tell us where and when you want it!"
Reluctantly the details were forthcoming. My relatively new first tourist navigator was relieved by one of the most experienced navs we had, who set to with his calculations whilst I took down receiver details, the jet was filled to the brim and the co-pilot (RFK) and engineer went to get it ready. Then we joined them, cranked up and set off north. The Buccs launched as we flew over Lossie - or rather 4 did. One was U/S and another was delayed. So after the 4-ship joined, we flew a zig zag reduced MLA progression track until the 5th joined us. Clearing the UK ADR, we adjusted to a 'due regard' level, topped up the Buccs and held at a suitable point whilst they went off with their horns out to savage the Sverdlov.
A little later we heard them on the way back. I called 'Go ADF' and they soon found us. We heard later that the Russians had been caught with their pants down - no tracking or fire control radars of any sort until one brief lock as the Buccs departed!
After we refuelled them, they thundered off back to Lossie in high spirits. Meanwhile our aged navigator had been studying his calculations and reckoned that if we went up to FL410, we could probably get back to Brize on diversion mimima. So up we went, having called a somewhat surprised Bodo controller. Bless him, the navs sums were spot on and we managed 6:40 out of a VC10K2, including refuelling 5 Buccs twice, without needing to divert.
A nice letter from the Bucc leader (TLW) followed; their multi aircraft attack profile had worked exactly as advertised and the Sverdlov had been caught totally unawares. With TLW leading, I can imagine that the simulated attack would have been very impressive!
Happy Days!!
We were tasked as the tanker support, but such was the secret squirrel nature of the boat people at Northwood that they wouldn't give us any details - until our boss said something along the lines of "You can forget your tanker unless you tell us where and when you want it!"
Reluctantly the details were forthcoming. My relatively new first tourist navigator was relieved by one of the most experienced navs we had, who set to with his calculations whilst I took down receiver details, the jet was filled to the brim and the co-pilot (RFK) and engineer went to get it ready. Then we joined them, cranked up and set off north. The Buccs launched as we flew over Lossie - or rather 4 did. One was U/S and another was delayed. So after the 4-ship joined, we flew a zig zag reduced MLA progression track until the 5th joined us. Clearing the UK ADR, we adjusted to a 'due regard' level, topped up the Buccs and held at a suitable point whilst they went off with their horns out to savage the Sverdlov.
A little later we heard them on the way back. I called 'Go ADF' and they soon found us. We heard later that the Russians had been caught with their pants down - no tracking or fire control radars of any sort until one brief lock as the Buccs departed!
After we refuelled them, they thundered off back to Lossie in high spirits. Meanwhile our aged navigator had been studying his calculations and reckoned that if we went up to FL410, we could probably get back to Brize on diversion mimima. So up we went, having called a somewhat surprised Bodo controller. Bless him, the navs sums were spot on and we managed 6:40 out of a VC10K2, including refuelling 5 Buccs twice, without needing to divert.
A nice letter from the Bucc leader (TLW) followed; their multi aircraft attack profile had worked exactly as advertised and the Sverdlov had been caught totally unawares. With TLW leading, I can imagine that the simulated attack would have been very impressive!
Happy Days!!
Last edited by BEagle; 9th Dec 2018 at 09:14. Reason: Wrong date - it was actually 1 Sep 1988!
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Back in the 80s, a Bucc 6-ship would release a salvo of 24 Sea Eagle sea skimming missiles from 2 axes at a range of 60 nm. They would release the salvo from a height of 100 ft, well below the radar horizon at 60 nm. The Buccs would then continue to close on the fleet at 100 ft so as to provide invaluable anti-ship missile defence training for the AAW team. At every single JMC debrief I attended, the AWO would claim 6 kills on Buccaneers. It was never really comprehended that, in all probability, they had already been hit by up to 24 Sea Eagles and that the presence of Buccaneers in their sights was artificial and staged. Nevertheless, ‘If it flys it dies’ was always their motto. They were always supremely confident but I don’t think they ever quite ‘got it’.
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Hawks at al aside. I watched the programmes with interest, and was delighted with the attitude of all the RN crew members.
Very akin to 12 Sqn activities in the 70's and 80's. Similar attitudes and events, on both sides.
Very akin to 12 Sqn activities in the 70's and 80's. Similar attitudes and events, on both sides.
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Why, oh why, did they issue beret's to lady Matelot's? (Apart from the comely Supply Officer). That aside, (my opinion) it's TV entertainment and quite well done.
