Gemini VIII Recovery by USAF Pararescue
Jan 26, 2021 17:16:37 GMT -8
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Post by SeaRat on Jan 26, 2021 17:16:37 GMT -8
On March 16th, 2021 will be the 55th anniversary of the liftoff of Gemini VIII (or Gemini 8, depending on how it is written), with astronauts Neil Armstrong and Dave Scott. This is the only Gemini mission that the USAF Pararescue actually got by itself. All the rest went to the Navy. I have been monitoring the Facebook page for USAF Combat Search and Rescue, and yesterday someone uploaded two photos I had never seen. They are of the three USAF Pararescumen getting ready for the jump onto Gemini VIII. Here's the first one:
142720099_191814152628614_6615637713269724809_o by John Ratliff, on Flickr
Note the U.S. Divers Company original Calypso regulators being used. Those are 42 cubic foot "jump tanks" they have on under their parachute. They also have a reserve in front, medical kit, one-man life raft ("butt boat") on their rear and Eldridge Neal, center, is carrying a case with Mark 13 flares. The near PJ, Larry Huyett, has two Mark 13 flares taped to his leg dive knife, and a flexible snorkel under the knife bands. Note also the Duck Feet fins. The other PJ, Glenn Moore, on the right is getting his gear together too.
142309158_5274939835851296_4955705790799075275_o by John Ratliff, on Flickr
This photo shows Neal in the hatch of the HU-16B Albatross amphibian (flying boat). This is a ground photo for the publicity, not the actual jump, as the angle is impossible in the air.
Parascuba-BAW image001 by John Ratliff, on Flickr
Here's what a Para-Scuba jump looks like. This is a training photo I took in 1968 off Okinawa.
HU-16B dropping package-A by John Ratliff, on Flickr
Here the HU-16B Albatross practices dropping packages to the water party in 1968. The same happened on the Gemini VIII mission, with the aircraft dropping the floatation collar to the PJs at the Gemini capsule.
gemini-8-splashdown by John Ratliff, on Flickr
Here the three USAF Pararescuemen are shown at the capsule during the recovery. This happened when the U.S. Navy's ship, the Leonard F. Mason.
The HU-16 Albatross was specifically prohibited from landing on the water and picking up the astronauts and PJs by the generals in Hawaii. The Navy wanted the pickup, and apparently had the isolation/quarantine equipment for the astronauts. This information comes from one of the pilots who was in the RCC (Rescue Coordination Center) at the 33lh ARRSq, at Naha Air Base, Okinawa. The 33rd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron became the primary recovery flight from the HU-16B Albatross. Moore, Neal and Huyett jumped on the capsule, were dropped the floatation collar, and made the rescue of Gemini 8. One of the pilots, David Wendt, from the squadron, who later became a pilot with me at the 304th ARRSq (Reserve) in Portland, Oregon, had this remembrance years later via e-mail:
Well, that is a little bit of history, and it really doesn't seem like 55 years (almost) ago.
John
*A "duckbutt" is flying in an orbit at a specific location, in this case under the projected orbit of the capsule.
**The 33rd ARRSq also had a mission in Vietnam, rescuing pilots who had to eject over water. The mission discussed above involved landing on the water in Haiphong Harbor to pick up a downed pilot. Unfortunately, the North Vietnamese gunners got lucky and scored a direct hit on the HU-16B Albotross in the water. Dave was one of those pilots, and he had some close calls while doing exactly this mission. He took the following photo of an A-1E Sandy aircraft which was providing close air support. Here's Dave's explanation of the photo:
HU-16-ResCap off VietNam-1 by John Ratliff, on Flickr
142720099_191814152628614_6615637713269724809_o by John Ratliff, on FlickrNote the U.S. Divers Company original Calypso regulators being used. Those are 42 cubic foot "jump tanks" they have on under their parachute. They also have a reserve in front, medical kit, one-man life raft ("butt boat") on their rear and Eldridge Neal, center, is carrying a case with Mark 13 flares. The near PJ, Larry Huyett, has two Mark 13 flares taped to his leg dive knife, and a flexible snorkel under the knife bands. Note also the Duck Feet fins. The other PJ, Glenn Moore, on the right is getting his gear together too.
142309158_5274939835851296_4955705790799075275_o by John Ratliff, on FlickrThis photo shows Neal in the hatch of the HU-16B Albatross amphibian (flying boat). This is a ground photo for the publicity, not the actual jump, as the angle is impossible in the air.
Parascuba-BAW image001 by John Ratliff, on FlickrHere's what a Para-Scuba jump looks like. This is a training photo I took in 1968 off Okinawa.
HU-16B dropping package-A by John Ratliff, on FlickrHere the HU-16B Albatross practices dropping packages to the water party in 1968. The same happened on the Gemini VIII mission, with the aircraft dropping the floatation collar to the PJs at the Gemini capsule.
gemini-8-splashdown by John Ratliff, on FlickrHere the three USAF Pararescuemen are shown at the capsule during the recovery. This happened when the U.S. Navy's ship, the Leonard F. Mason.
All of the pararescuers and astronauts suffered from seasickness. Three hours after splashdown, Leonard F. Mason, which had been outfitted with quarantine equipment, had both the men and the spacecraft on board. The astronauts were exhausted, but had otherwise survived the flight and their time on the water in good condition. They were briefly checked and slept for nine hours.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_8
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_8
The HU-16 Albatross was specifically prohibited from landing on the water and picking up the astronauts and PJs by the generals in Hawaii. The Navy wanted the pickup, and apparently had the isolation/quarantine equipment for the astronauts. This information comes from one of the pilots who was in the RCC (Rescue Coordination Center) at the 33lh ARRSq, at Naha Air Base, Okinawa. The 33rd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron became the primary recovery flight from the HU-16B Albatross. Moore, Neal and Huyett jumped on the capsule, were dropped the floatation collar, and made the rescue of Gemini 8. One of the pilots, David Wendt, from the squadron, who later became a pilot with me at the 304th ARRSq (Reserve) in Portland, Oregon, had this remembrance years later via e-mail:
Yes, I remember Sgt Neal well, and yes, I was there for Gemini 8 - I was the duty officer that day - a lowly Capt. that was rather overshadowed when several colonels and at least one BG showed up! I have a photograph of them conferring in our ops area -- as I recall, we got a call from CinCPac himself - probably a 3 or 4 star admiral in Hawaii - and I very well remember the general saying to him, "No sir, we won't land our HU-16 to pick up the astronauts!" Wasn't one of them Neil Armstrong? And of course, the BG told our Col. that under NO circumstances would that -16 land...PERIOD! So, the PJs and the astronauts bobbed around in the ocean for another 24 hours or so until a Navy destroyer finally picked them up. I guess it was humiliating enough to the Navy that AF PJs were first on scene, and not Navy SEALS.....!! Oh well.. The A/C on the -16 was a fairly senior Capt. -- can't remember his name now -- but when they landed back home he showed us a sketch of the seas there and just what his landing heading was going to be. He had radioed that in and our ops off - L/C Freshwater - who had mulled it over for awhile and advised 5 more degrees to the N - or whatever!! If they hadn't gone through all that bother, the -16 would have landed - gotten the job done - and been airborn back home before CinCPac could have gotten involved. I think a HC-130 arrived on scene to ride cover and let the -16 RTB (“RTB—Return to base” jcr). It was quite a party in Naha port when the destroyer finally docked....
Yes, I remember training for Gemini missions and duckbutting* for several. Nice respite after VietNam. Were you down at Kirtland AFB for STS-1?
After our SS mission in Nov 64, when our PJ - Pleiman, as I recall - thought that having a rope around his middle and being helped back to the -16 would be a good idea. This was used for 6 months or so until Capt Westenbarger, on a mission right off the NVN coast (North Vietnam coast—jcr), was hit by a mortar round. The RO was killed, the PJ injured and was taken under by the rope when the plane sank. The Nav got the AF Cross on that msn. They stopped tying the PJ to the plane after that.....**
Thanks for the pics - haven't opened them yet but am about to. Dave
Yes, I remember training for Gemini missions and duckbutting* for several. Nice respite after VietNam. Were you down at Kirtland AFB for STS-1?
After our SS mission in Nov 64, when our PJ - Pleiman, as I recall - thought that having a rope around his middle and being helped back to the -16 would be a good idea. This was used for 6 months or so until Capt Westenbarger, on a mission right off the NVN coast (North Vietnam coast—jcr), was hit by a mortar round. The RO was killed, the PJ injured and was taken under by the rope when the plane sank. The Nav got the AF Cross on that msn. They stopped tying the PJ to the plane after that.....**
Thanks for the pics - haven't opened them yet but am about to. Dave
Well, that is a little bit of history, and it really doesn't seem like 55 years (almost) ago.
John
*A "duckbutt" is flying in an orbit at a specific location, in this case under the projected orbit of the capsule.
**The 33rd ARRSq also had a mission in Vietnam, rescuing pilots who had to eject over water. The mission discussed above involved landing on the water in Haiphong Harbor to pick up a downed pilot. Unfortunately, the North Vietnamese gunners got lucky and scored a direct hit on the HU-16B Albotross in the water. Dave was one of those pilots, and he had some close calls while doing exactly this mission. He took the following photo of an A-1E Sandy aircraft which was providing close air support. Here's Dave's explanation of the photo:
Sorry I'm late - we've started our move to our final retirement place - unless a real "old folks home with help" intervenes!! I do have many photos - as previously explained - or check my book out.
This was taken on the return flight to Danang - note the missing drop tank. That A-1 from the Oriskany was what saved us all from being guests on up north - with a salvo of rockets to the lead sampan that was firing at us with a machine gun. We were on short final to ldg - he "took out" the sampan and the kindling from it was slamming through our right prop and against the side of the plane - we were that close! The trailing sampan turned around!
Dave
This was taken on the return flight to Danang - note the missing drop tank. That A-1 from the Oriskany was what saved us all from being guests on up north - with a salvo of rockets to the lead sampan that was firing at us with a machine gun. We were on short final to ldg - he "took out" the sampan and the kindling from it was slamming through our right prop and against the side of the plane - we were that close! The trailing sampan turned around!
Dave
HU-16-ResCap off VietNam-1 by John Ratliff, on Flickr
Gemini-VIII almost ended in tragedy though, in that thew space capsule would not stop spinning:
