Changes

[[File:Ship 2.jpg|The Georgi Kozmin|left|thumb|250px]]

[[File:Ship 2.jpg|The Georgi Kozmin|left|thumb|250px]]

In the now unclassified “Surface Combatant Forces—7th Fleet Task Force 71 Flight 007 After-

In the now unclassified ''“Surface Combatant Forces—7th Fleet Task Force 71 Flight 007 After-Action Report”, CTF75/N32:kpm,4730,Ser 011, 15 November,1983'', Commander Piotti would summarize the Soviets’

Action Report”, CTF75/N32:kpm,4730,Ser 011, 15 November,1983, Commander Piotti would summarize the Soviets’

Search and Salvage operations:

Search and Salvage operations:

vessels.

vessels.

Admiral Piotti’s assessment of the enormity of this naval undertaking: “Not since the search

Admiral Piotti’s assessment of the enormity of this naval undertaking:  

 

“Not since the search

for the hydrogen bomb lost off Palomares, Spain has the U.S. Navy undertaken a search effort of

for the hydrogen bomb lost off Palomares, Spain has the U.S. Navy undertaken a search effort of

the magnitude or import of the search for the wreckage of KAL Flight 007.”

the magnitude or import of the search for the wreckage of KAL Flight 007.”

But things had been taking a turn for the worse. Confrontations had occurred, threats had

But things had been taking a turn for the worse. Confrontations had occurred, threats had

becoming a distinct possibility—all over KAL 007’s wreckage and its “Black Boxes”!

becoming a distinct possibility—all over KAL 007’s wreckage and its “Black Boxes”!

[[File:Soviet boats stalking.jpg|Petropavlovsk & Narragansett. Sea of Japan. The fleet tug USNS Narragansett (T-ATF-167) is shadowed by the Soviet Kara class guided missile cruiser Petropavlovsk (565) during salvage operations for downed Korean Air Lines Flight 007. Official U.S. Navy photo by PH2 Paul Soutar (Released){left|thumb|250px]]  

[[File:Soviet boats stalking.jpg|Petropavlovsk & Narragansett. Sea of Japan. The fleet tug USNS Narragansett (T-ATF-167) is shadowed by the Soviet Kara class guided missile cruiser Petropavlovsk (565) during salvage operations for downed Korean Air Lines Flight 007. Official U.S. Navy photo by PH2 Paul Soutar (Released)|right|thumb|280px]]  

From early September until the beginning of November the US with the Japanese and South Koreans carried out joint Search and Rescue and then Search and Salvage operations. These missions met with the following harassment and dangerous interference by the Soviets:  

From early September until the beginning of November the US with the Japanese and South Koreans carried out joint Search and Rescue and then Search and Salvage operations. These missions met with the following harassment and dangerous interference by the Soviets:  

[[File:Soviet intelligence ships.jpg|Conserver, Narragansett, Alpinist, Moma. Sea of Japan. A Soviet Alpinist class intelligence ship and a Soviet Moma class intelligence collection ship shadow the fleet tug USNS Narragansett (T-ATF-167) and the USS Conserver (ARS-39). Official U.S.Navy photo by PH2 Paul Soutar (released)|right|thumb|250px]]

[[File:Soviet intelligence ships.jpg|Conserver, Narragansett, Alpinist, Moma. Sea of Japan. A Soviet Alpinist class intelligence ship and a Soviet Moma class intelligence collection ship shadow the fleet tug USNS Narragansett (T-ATF-167) and the USS Conserver (ARS-39). Official U.S.Navy photo by PH2 Paul Soutar (released)|right|thumb|280px]]

'''A sequence of events:'''

'''A sequence of events:'''

From the USS Sterett’s Commanding Officer, Capt. George Sullivan,  sharing his recollection of the “Sunday Afternoon Incident".  

From the USS Sterett’s Commanding Officer, Capt. George Sullivan,  sharing his recollection of the “Sunday Afternoon Incident".  

“First, we have to remember that these were the days before GPS.  We were restricted to operating outside the 12 mile limit and usually tried to keep a mile or two buffer.  At that distance, navigation fixes were not very accurate particularly for the purpose "scanning" the bottom to find the black boxes.  You will remember the fleet tug Narragansett and the CG Cutter Munro had side scanning sonar which they lowered by cable from their fantails.  (One also had a TV camera that would be lowered when something looked promising on sonar.)  The search and salvage ship Conserver, also on station, had a 'pinger locator'. ('Black boxes' contain a pinger that last 30 days.) As they were sweeping the area, an accurate plot needed to be kept of what area they had covered."

“First, we have to remember that these were the days before GPS.  We were restricted to operating outside the 12 mile limit and usually tried to keep a mile or two buffer.  At that distance, navigation fixes were not very accurate particularly for the purpose "scanning" the bottom to find the black boxes.  You will remember the fleet tug Narragansett and the CG Cutter Munro had side scanning sonar which they lowered by cable from their fantails.  (One also had a TV camera that would be lowered when something looked promising on sonar.)  The search and salvage ship Conserver, also on station, had a 'pinger locator'. ('Black boxes' contain a pinger that last 30 days.) As they were sweeping the area, an accurate plot needed to be kept of what area they had covered."

“We hired three Japanese tugs and put them in a three point moor outside the 12 mile limit.  Using triangulation off the three tugs, the scanning ships had an accurate fix of where they were.  The Soviets didn't like this, hence the trawlers were sent out to cut these moorings.  They were successful at least twice that I can remember."

“We hired three Japanese tugs and put them in a three point moor outside the 12 mile limit.  Using triangulation off the three tugs, the scanning ships had an accurate fix of where they were.  The Soviets didn't like this, hence the trawlers were sent out to cut these moorings.  They were successful at least twice that I can remember."

“There was one Sunday afternoon when we were sitting by one of the tugs and five trawlers came down on us in a "Form 1" trying to take out the mooring of the tug next to us.  As the trawlers came in on us, we were continuously sounding 5 short blasts on the whistle.  As I recall, and looking at the pictures, the first two trawlers, with gear streaming, passed ahead of us.  The third came in very close but passed ahead.  At this point, the tug master decided to slip his mooring and haul out of there.  The fourth trawler headed directly at us, and turned just before he would have hit us, but he got the mooring anyway.  I ordered full astern at the last minute and just as I did he turned.  I kept it on for less than 30 seconds - it had little if any effect. The pictures I have of this are quite definitive,"

“There was one Sunday afternoon when we were sitting by one of the tugs and five trawlers came down on us in a "Form 1" trying to take out the mooring of the tug next to us.  As the trawlers came in on us, we were continuously sounding 5 short blasts on the whistle.  As I recall, and looking at the pictures, the first two trawlers, with gear streaming, passed ahead of us.  The third came in very close but passed ahead.  At this point, the tug master decided to slip his mooring and haul out of there.  The fourth trawler headed directly at us, and turned just before he would have hit us, but he got the mooring anyway.  I ordered full astern at the last minute and just as I did he turned.  I kept it on for less than 30 seconds - it had little if any effect. The pictures I have of this are quite definitive,"

“We tried to pick up the floating buoy and lines from cut mooring so we would have some evidence of what they did but it drifted so fast we couldn't get to it before it got inside the 12 mile limit."

“We tried to pick up the floating buoy and lines from cut mooring so we would have some evidence of what they did but it drifted so fast we couldn't get to it before it got inside the 12 mile limit."

(see also [[KAL 007/ Russian Ram attempt]])

(see also [[KAL 007/ Russian Ram attempt]])