Tomcat Deep! - How the Navy almost lost Top Gun; the NR-1 saved a lost F-14 Tomcat & Phoenix Missile

When one of the US Navy's latest secret fighters, the F-14A Tomcat, fell from the deck of the US aircraft carrier, John F. Kennedy, what followed was one of the most tense standoffs of the Cold War. Both superpowers were willing to risk everything to get to the plane first. For the Soviets, the plane was there for the taking, resting at the bottom of the sea, if only they could get to the plane before the Americans.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the individual authors writing in each writer's individual capacities only - not those of their respective employers, affiliates, partners, or businesses. All liability is hereby expressly disclaimed. Content provided "as is" with no representations it is error-free. Opinions and comments in the "Comments" section below do not reflect the opinions of Thomas Van Hare or of Historic Wings. We do not in any way condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence, or other questionable acts or statements expressed by others. We reserve the right to delete any comments violating the principles of decency.

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Copyright 2021 Historic Wings and Thomas Van Hare

[quantummath]

1987/1988 when I was in first or second grade, I read this article in an aviation and military magazine my older brother was subscribed to. I still remember the words, sentences, and how it all started and ended. Thanks for making this video 😍

[virginiajim]

Great story if it were a plane, the research sub would be worth a video itself.

[KTEESPOP]

Beautifully done. Fascinating look into our recent history with the Soviets during the cold war. This video brings to mind an excellent book about submarine espionage, "Blind Man's Bluff" by Sherry Sonntag. A collaboration between the two of you would be phenomenal!

PS....I knew someone who once drove through the back of their garage when mistaking accelorator for brake. I truly hope the pilot of the Tomcat was exonerated and that it was some kind of mechanical failure that caused the Tomcat to jump ship.

[shaunjulian]

Great story and well told. Your format is great...might want to improve the audio quality of the narrator though. Can't wait to see more!

[RunnerUp]

Not accurate, it was the USS Sunbird ASR-15, a Chanticleer class Submarine Rescue ship that towed the NR-1 submarine to the recovery site and also brought the Phoenix missile on board after its recovery. The USS Shakori was first assigned to assist in the recovery with the remote controlled device called CURV. They encountered technical difficulties with the CURV and were unable to perform the mission. That was when the NR-1 was brought into the picture. The Sunbird was filling the role of mothership to the NR-1 towing the sub across the North Atlantic to perform subsea operations. We had completed assigned operations after a couple of months and were preparing to tow the NR-1 back across the Atlantic when we got the orders to tow the NR-1 to the recovery site. The recovery operation, “Operation Spacious Sky” delayed our return trip home till December, a rough time to cross the North Atlantic. We encountered 65ft seas and 70mph winds. The crew was presented a Unit Citation for its accomplishment of the mission.

[stevenlocke]

This was very well produced and narrated. The video built suspense and while I was in no way going to watch the whole thing, I ended up "watching the whole thing." A good example of the suspense was, after the storm and the searchers went back and couldn't find the plane, I wondered, did the Russians have it, did it drift, was it covered with sand etc. After the plane was located, I wondered about the missile. You did an excellent job of leading the viewers through the incident. Too bad you couldn't of shown pictures of the Russian trawler that "hooked" the plane, but hey, you showed the missile, radar, and all the other details. Good work here and can't wait to see what else you put together.

[manlaw]

Great video. But, do you have to whisper?