Table of contents:
- How American pilots ended up in the ocean
- How the operation to rescue American pilots was organized
- How Captain Arbuzov was not afraid to stand in front of an eight-point wave
- How the operation to rescue American pilots ended
Video: How a Soviet fisherman during the Cold War saved American pilots in an 8-point storm
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
It is rather strange that in Soviet times, the history of the rescue of US military pilots by civilian sailors of the USSR did not receive wide publicity. After all, it was a real feat and an act of friendly participation - in a strong storm to go to rescue a potential enemy trapped in the cold and storm. As a result of a unique search and rescue operation in October 1978, the fishermen of the Cape Senyavina vessel managed to save the lives of ten Americans freezing in the ocean.
How American pilots ended up in the ocean
The Orion aircraft of the US Navy Golden Eagle Squadron departed from Alaska on October 27 to carry out day-to-day tasks related to patrolling, reconnaissance, search and detection of Soviet submarines. On board was a crew of fifteen people, including the commander - Captain of the US Navy Jerry Grigsby.
After four hours of flight, on Grisby's orders, the pilots attempted to start the engine, which had been idle all the way, to save fuel. This decision led to an emergency: the engine caught fire and the integrity of the wing was clearly threatened. In a matter of minutes, destroying secret documents, changing into diving suits and preparing rescue boats, the team prepared to land the plane in the storm-raging ocean. The pilots managed to make a "splashdown", but the subsequent explosion at the site of the fire led to the inevitable flooding of the car. Before she sank to the bottom, 13 of the crew climbed onto inflatable rafts; two - Commander Jerry Grigsby and Flight Engineer Miller - did not have time to do this.
The miraculously survived people hardly had hope for a second salvation: the cold, storm, lack of communication and fragility of inflatable bots - all reduced their chances of survival to a minimum.
How the operation to rescue American pilots was organized
Both states, both the USA and the USSR, were equally involved in the operation to search for pilots who suffered a plane crash. The Americans used a nuclear submarine located in the Kamchatka coastal zone to find compatriots, as well as naval aircraft, a patrol ship and a boat. For its part, the USSR, in addition to the nuclear submarine, provided three ships for rescue operations - the patrol ships "Retivy" and "Danube", and the fishing vessel "Cape Senyavina", which were close to the crash site of the plane.
The search conditions were complicated by bad weather - in the area of the air disaster there was a strong storm in the midst of a wind speed of up to 20 m / s and waves up to 7.5 meters high. According to the head of the search and rescue event Mikhail Petrovich Khramtsov, they have never had to go to sea with an eight-point wave. Only thanks to the skill and experience of their commanders, the patrol vessels were able to break away from the berth in a storm and go to the search zone at the highest possible speed.
And yet, despite the organizational coherence of the operation, there was every chance not to save people. The reason is the catastrophically large distance that separated the American and Soviet military from the pilots who died on the rafts. In such a situation, there was only hope for the civilian crew of the fishing vessel "Cape Senyavina", which was located only 20-30 nautical miles from the direction-finding area of the disaster.
How Captain Arbuzov was not afraid to stand in front of an eight-point wave
The crew of the fishing trawler, having finished their work, was returning to the shore when they received a message from an American radio operator asking for help. After notifying the crew of what had happened and discussing further actions with him, the captain of the vessel, Alexander Arbuzov, gave an order for the return course. In an eight-point storm, ignoring the possible danger, the ship changed its route in order to pick up the freezing US citizens after 55 kilometers.
Seven sailors took part directly in the rescue operation: mechanic Valery Kukhtin, first mate Valentin Storchak, navigator Vasily Yevseev, sailors Nikolai Murtazin, Valery Matveev, Nikolai Opanasenko, Nikolai Kilebaev; and also one passenger - translator Halzev. It was they who, in difficult weather conditions, helped the Americans to leave unreliable boats and delivered them aboard Cape Senyavin.
How the operation to rescue American pilots ended
Soviet fishermen managed to save ten people who, after the plane crashed, spent 12 hours in the ocean. They removed four soldiers from one raft and nine, among whom there were already three dead, from the second, almost sunken boat. It is noteworthy that the members of the flight crew were wrapped in one cable: people prepared only together - either to flee or die.
As soon as the sailors brought the frostbitten, icy, almost insane from the strongest pitching of the Americans to the ship, one of the inflatable rafts, once again hit by the wave, went to the bottom. Later, Alexander Alekseevich Arbuzov, describing this incident, said: “God helped these pilots”, meaning that the chances of both surviving a plane crash and surviving after so many hours in the cold among giant waves are insignificant.
After being evacuated from the bots, warmed by blankets and hot tea, the military was taken to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky a few days later. At this, the rescue operation was successfully completed. The pilots, who spent some time in the hospital under guard, were transported to Japan, and from there they quickly flew to the United States.
Captain Arbuzov, who received only a medal "For the rescue of drowning" for his participation in the operation, eventually became a Hero of Socialist Labor and a laureate of the USSR State Prize. In the early 2000s, after the warming of relations between Russia and the United States, Alexander Alekseevich learned that he was an honorary member of the Golden Eagle squadron. He was informed about this in an official letter by R. N. Urbano, commander of the 9th Golden Eagle Air Squadron of the United States Navy. The message became a confirmation that even after a quarter of a century, the saved pilots retained gratitude to those who gave them a second birth.
Human relations between Americans and Soviet people were preserved in those cases when confrontation did not occur. But it happened when it came to blood. One day Russians and Americans clashed in aerial combat: the "accidental" tragedy of 1944, to which there are many questions.
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