Tailships - Hunting Soviet Submarines in the Mediterranean 1970-1973

Tail Ships not ‘Tall Ships’ is an unfamiliar classification to British eyes. It is the American equivalent for ships, usually of frigate size, which carry passive towed-array sonar. John Rodgaard’s book focuses on a three year period when an experimental passive towed array sensor system of hydrophones, officially designated the Interim Towed Array Surveillance System (ITASS), was trialled in the Mediterranean by the US Navy during one of the most tense periods of the Cold War. The three 1950s-built Dealey/Courtney Class Destroyer Escorts (DE) of ‘Escort Squadron 8’ were obsolete when they deployed to their new homeport of Naples in September 1970 with the exception of their advanced ITASS systems prominent on the specially reconfigured sterns of the ships. Early chapters trace the origins of passive sonar technology dating back to World War I and bring the story forward to the 1970s when the Soviet Union and the NATO countries were vying for dominance in the congested waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The extremely complex hydrodynamics of the Mediterranean greatly added to the difficulties associated with locating submarines. However, Rodgaard shows that when long-distance passive detection was added to active sonar systems such as sonobuoys and hull-mounted arrays, the chances of prosecuting a successful attack were greatly improved. Escort Squadron 8 spent many months trialling the new equipment, mainly in the waters of the Western Mediterranean around the Italian and Spanish coasts but also as far east as Crete using US submarines as ‘targets’. In the meantime, a close eye was kept on the movements of the Soviet 5th Eskadra. In this respect, a remarkable exercise in investigative analysis of de-classified information has enabled John Rodgaard, a former US Naval Intelligence officer himself, to identify the individual Soviet submarines, surface ships and intelligence gatherers which operated in the Mediterranean in each of the three years in question. He has used his own notes and a Russian website called ‘deepstorm’, as his principal sources of information. There are some fine diagrams too which, with information derived from the American ships’ Deck Log Books, the author has used to illustrate the individual courses taken by the US ships on particular patrols. After the period of trials, the towed array system is described in action where the skill of the commanding officers in being able to switch confidently between passive and active sonar allowed the Soviet submarines to be tracked. The book is profusely illustrated with photographs and attractive colour illustrations. However, it is interesting to note that, even at this distance in time, there are no close-ups of the ITASS arrays themselves, let alone being used. Rodgaard’s background obviously contributed to what could and could not be shown in this book. The problem of trying to put new wine in old bottles brought an end to the three-year Escort Squadron 8 deployment. The Dealey Class DEs were never designed for extended operations without adequate support and simply wore out. They were withdrawn in Autumn 1973 and returned to the USA. This is an important book on the origins and early use of passive array technology especially for those with some prior knowledge and experience but also for those with an interest in the history of the Cold War at sea, which, some would argue, is on-going.