The Daily Telegraph Duty Spotty YTS boy tries to make a lot out of not much. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/0 ... o-foreign/
These sort of incidents were common in those days - this was 42 years ago. The picture is of the wrong Mark of Wessex. The Russians fired a couple of Very Pistol shots near Devonshire Flight's Wessex 3.. not exactly a big deal and there are many stories of Cold War encounters which eclipse this.
Russians Try and Shoot Down British Helicopter!
-
CharlieOneSix
- Chief Pilot
- Posts: 5029
- Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 12:58 pm
- Location: NE Scotland
- Gender:
- Age: 79
Re: Russians Try and Shoot Down British Helicopter!
As FD2 will be aware, in those days - and probably soon when we have an operational carrier again (!) - with an aircraft carrier task force you always had a Russian ELINT trawler in close proximity. They were very obliging when we had to contact them and ask them to move as the carrier was about to launch aircraft and they were in the way. They were quite amenable to the occasional beat up as well!
The helicopter pilots' mantra: If it hasn't gone wrong then it's just about to...
https://www.glenbervie-weather.org
https://www.glenbervie-weather.org
Re: Russians Try and Shoot Down British Helicopter!
There was a 'trawler' which always stooged around the entrance to the Clyde, trying to get information about the submarines coming in and out from Faslane, especially the 'bombers' (SSBNs) when they were going out on patrol. We used to go and wave to them and usually got a friendly response unless the political goon was present, when we got no response.
Their destroyers used to take part in NATO exercises and slotted into the carrier screen, manoeuvring perfectly when the screen was re-orientated into and out of wind for flying operations. It was possible they were using leaked information from Allied Tactical Publications but more probably had just figured it out for themselves. They came a cropper doing it with Ark Royal in the Med when the carrier struck the attendant Kotlin or Kashin and the lifebuoy sentry was knocked overboard, only to be recovered by Ark's SAR Wessex. He was returned to his ship after being dried off, issued with dry RN kit and a tot of rum. Probably for a good interrogation with coffee.
We got too close to a Kresta class cruiser one night off Norway in our Sea KIng and got their brightest search/signalling light in the face - I returned the favour with our landing light - not so bright but enough to spoil their night vision for a while.
Their destroyers used to take part in NATO exercises and slotted into the carrier screen, manoeuvring perfectly when the screen was re-orientated into and out of wind for flying operations. It was possible they were using leaked information from Allied Tactical Publications but more probably had just figured it out for themselves. They came a cropper doing it with Ark Royal in the Med when the carrier struck the attendant Kotlin or Kashin and the lifebuoy sentry was knocked overboard, only to be recovered by Ark's SAR Wessex. He was returned to his ship after being dried off, issued with dry RN kit and a tot of rum. Probably for a good interrogation with coffee.
We got too close to a Kresta class cruiser one night off Norway in our Sea KIng and got their brightest search/signalling light in the face - I returned the favour with our landing light - not so bright but enough to spoil their night vision for a while.