British Submarines in the Cold War Era

British Submarines in the Cold War Era

Essex-Class Aircraft Carriers 1945-91 (New Vanguard)

Essex-Class Aircraft Carriers 1945-91 (New Vanguard)

Tailships - Hunting Soviet Submarines in the Mediterranean 1970-1973

John Rodgaard

Obsolete, except for the experimental anti-submarine warfare sensor they carried, the USS Hammerberg, DE-1015, the USS Courtney, DE-1021 and the USS Lester, DE-1022 went to the Mediterranean to demonstrate the potential of a technology that relied on a passive towed array detection system; what the Navy officially designated as the Interim Towed Array Surveillance System (ITASS). These 'Tailships' entered the Med in 1970. It was then that the US and NATO navies operated in a naval environment characterised by the most intense concentration of Soviet submarines and surface ships outside of Soviet home waters.
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Obsolete, except for the experimental anti-submarine warfare sensor they carried, the USS Hammerberg, DE-1015, the USS Courtney, DE-1021 and the USS Lester, DE-1022 went to the Mediterranean to demonstrate the potential of a technology that relied on a passive towed array detection system; what the Navy officially designated as the Interim Towed Array Surveillance System (ITASS). These 'Tailships' entered the Med in 1970. It was then that the US and NATO navies operated in a naval environment characterised by the most intense concentration of Soviet submarines and surface ships outside of Soviet home waters. The Mediterranean was the focal point in the great naval rivalry of the United States, with its NATO Allies, against the Soviet Union's Voyenno-morskoi flot. When deployed as Tailships, these DEs proved successful against Soviet submarines that the US Navy committed additional resources to refining the capability of passive towed array sonars. The development of the Towed Array Surveillance System (TASS), the Surveillance Towed Array Sonar System (SURTASS) and the Tactical Towed Array Sonar (TACTASS) deployable systems were direct follow-ons to ITASS. The ships' deployment occurred during a time when the United States was torn apart by the war in Vietnam. Although far away, the effect of Vietnam on the ships' crews as well as the Sixth Fleet reflected the greater turmoil within the society they served. The turmoil was evident in the competition for resources to keep the ships steaming and in personnel tensions among the crews. Additionally, the ships and men operated in a sea surrounded by increasing tensions in the Middle East. While stationed in Naples, Italy, the Palestinian Black September Organisation created terror across Europe during the summer of 1972, with the massacre of the Israeli Olympic athletes in Munich, West Germany. That summer would see these sailors spending nights in Naples standing anti-terrorist watches with loaded weapons, whilst the pinging of an active sonar system would echo throughout the hulls of the moored ships. It was thought this would discourage swimmers wanting to plant explosive devices on ship hulls. The objective of this book is simply to tell the story of these three ships and their men within the context of the greater events of the Cold War at sea in the Mediterranean; the successes and failures of operating in the Mediterranean, and life for those who call Naples their temporary home.

ISBN: 9781914377099
Format: Paperback
Author(s): John Rodgaard
First Publishment Date: 15 December 2021
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Author(s) John Rodgaard
Customer Reviews
  1. 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-goin
    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.

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