Cold War revisited

[HeyJoe]

I have been going through old slides from my Tomcat days to assist an author researching Tu-95RTs Bear D encounters over North Sea at height of Cold War. Thanks to loan of a nice scanner, a few unpolished gems have emerged out of my neglected “Shoebox” where I put the outtakes. The latest after market driver for the Nikon Scanner takes away the ravages of time, dust, etc. thought I would share....

 

[HeyJoe]

Ocean Safari 85. Another Tu-95RTs Bear D high above the North Sea searching for USS America which was hidden from radar by operating in Vestfjord near sheer cliffs that shielded her from the Big Bulge radar. This occurred during a huge NATO exercise with allies trying to target us as well. Much fun was had by all.

 

[jmcquate]

Were the Bears up on guard?

 

[HeyJoe]

Our CAG (Jay Johnson) wanted a magazine cover and I was his RIO when he flew with the Diamondbacks so we launched out of Vestfjord together on the big day when the Soviets hit us with waves of Bears and Badgers. This was the result he wanted.

 

[jmcquate]

Also, really enjoyed your aircrew interviews.

 

[Jim123]

I was really hoping for some great polaroids taken at a range of about two meters.

Were the Bears up on guard?

That's something I've always wondered too (I was born too late and I joined several years after the Wall came down). I just figured that just because these things were spelled out in INCSEA didn't prevent strange things from happening anyway, not when you're way out in the middle of the ocean.

 

[HeyJoe]

Were the Bears up on guard?

We weren’t supposed to talk to them but we did exchange a lot of hand waves. On this day, the tailgunner kept motioning us forward so we obliged and we then saw the front cockpit full of smiling faces and thumbs up Guess they wanted to see us up close and personal. One dude had what looked like a vintage Leica camera. When I provided image I took to an author, by morning he sent me this image taken by member of 392 ODRAP regiment of us...after 35 years

 

[HeyJoe]

Another close up of a friendly Tu-95RTs during Ocean Safari 85. One thing that surprised me was the sound of those monster Contra-rotating Turboprops that could be heard over our howling ECS. I can’t image what it must have sounded like inside that beast for hours on end. They must all be deaf!!

 

[HeyJoe]

USS America deep inside Vestfjord and hidden from Bear D radar by steep walls of the fjord.

 

[jmcquate]

 

[HeyJoe]

Another Tu-95RTs Bear D as it approaches Scotland and we were joined by RAF Phantom QRA. We moved over to let them get between us so I could capture the two of them.

 

[HeyJoe]

That is THE sound!! I will NEVER forget it!!

 

[ea6bflyr]

We weren’t supposed to talk to them but we did exchange a lot of hand waves. On this day, the tailgunner kept motioning us forward so we obliged and we then saw the front cockpit full of smiling faces and thumbs up Guess they wanted to see us up close and personal. One dude had what looked like a vintage Leica camera. When I provided image I took to an author, by morning he sent me this image taken by member of 392 ODRAP regiment of us...after 35 years

Sounds like you have the makings of a great Hook article....and pictures to boot!

 

[taxi1]

Ocean Safari 85. Another Tu-95RTs Bear D high above the North Sea searching for USS America which was hidden from radar by operating in Vestfjord near sheer cliffs that shielded her from the Big Bulge radar. This occurred during a huge NATO exercise with allies trying to target us as well. Much fun was had by all.

I was there. Great flying.

 

[HeyJoe]

I was really hoping for some great polaroids taken at a range of about two meters.

How about this then....My first Tu-95RTs Bear D over North Sea was in 1982 during Northern Wedding 82. Our F-14A Tomcat just happened to have a 2000# TARPS pod slung underneath so we elevated prove the Bear and turned on the KA-99 Panoramic Camera. We had 1000’ of 9x36” frames to get it right (we had no sighting mechanism