Jump to content

Scout decom pics

DutyCat

By DutyCat,
in Real Aviation

 Share Followers 0

Recommended Posts

DutyCat

DutyCat

Posted
Posted (edited)

Enjoy:

signsmall.jpg

Color Guard and sideboys get ready:

smallcolorguard.jpg

smallsideboys.jpg

Guest speaker Admiral Miller. He is an ex Scout CO. CDR Mills, Scout CO, is on the right.

smallAdmMiller.jpg

small700leftside.jpg

small700rightengine.jpg

701smallrightside.jpg

Edited by DutyCat
Link to post
Share on other sites
viper50

viper50

Posted
Posted

WOW!! Nice pics, I really like the paint job! I think it's just sad to see the Viking put out to pasture. Are all of the VS squadrons being decommisioned? Thanks for sharring the pics, Don M.

Link to post
Share on other sites
DutyCat

DutyCat

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Admiral Miller was my XO at one time when I was in the Scouts.

Are all of the VS squadrons being decommisioned?

Yes, over the next few years. Left on the east coast are 22, 32, and maybe 31. 22 will be the last to go. If the cold war was still going on, the plane would not have been retired. We may even be looking at a replacement or upgrade program. But with no credible blue water naval subsurface threat and a limited budget, the aircraft was very vulnerable to the TACAIR mafia decision makers. If the Russians were still putting lots of subs to sea with professional crews and attempting to shadow CVNs, then it would be a different story.

Oh, and BTW, for those who don't know, that is downtown Jacksonville between the two Checkmate Vikings. Kind of a nice pic, I think. The base sits right on the St Johns river, which also runs through downtown.

Edited by DutyCat
Link to post
Share on other sites
Collin

Collin

Posted
Posted
If the cold war was still going on, the plane would not have been retired. We may even be looking at a replacement or upgrade program. But with no credible blue water naval subsurface threat and a limited budget, the aircraft was very vulnerable to the TACAIR mafia decision makers. If the Russians were still putting lots of subs to sea with professional crews and attempting to shadow CVNs, then it would be a different story.

Funding and politics were the nails in the S-3 coffin....not the lack of a threat. After seeing the hammer stike the nails first hand.... Oh Well....at least I can still build what I flew.

Atis

Link to post
Share on other sites
DutyCat

DutyCat

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
Funding and politics were the nails in the S-3 coffin....not the lack of a threat. After seeing the hammer stike the nails first hand.... Oh Well....at least I can still build what I flew.

Well, politics/funding were part of it, but politics/funding do not operate in a vacuum. The "NewCon" Soviet SSN/SSGN threat is what got the Viking built and incorporated in the air wing in the first place. The stoof could no longer do the job and an indiginous CVBG ASW capability was needed. If Akulas, Oscars, and Victor III's were still out in force shadowing CVBGs all of the time, then I do not think they would have dared to decommission the Viking. I saw first hand how much flag sweated the subsurface issue when it was a real cold war threat. The fact that the Navy embarked on a major upgrade program soon after the aircraft was initially put in service is indicative of how important it was at the time. The Nimitz' original designation was CVAN. The "attack carrier" guys on the ship never liked the Viking because it took up valuable deck space, was defensive in nature, and was not designed to go over the beach. But they would have changed their tune quickly if hostilities were imminent and an Oscar II was lurking around the perimeter of CVBG ready to put a dozen Shipwreck missiles into the side of the boat. But when the cold war threat subsided, it set the stage for the Viking's marginalization. So I will agree to disagree with you regarding the "lack of threat" issue.

Edited by DutyCat
Link to post
Share on other sites
Anytime Baby!

Anytime Baby!

Posted
Posted

Great pics! An S-3 flew overhead in Orange Park a few days ago as I was walking into the doctor's office. Guess that was probably one of the last times I'll get to see one...

Is 701 the same one that was on JFK's deck when she made the Boston trip?

Link to post
Share on other sites
Collin

Collin

Posted
Posted
But they would have changed their tune quickly if hostilities were imminent and an Oscar II was lurking around the perimeter of CVBG ready to put a dozen Shipwreck missiles into the side of the boat.

That did happen....still didn't change a thing. I was there and saw it myself (and I still had a SH SENSO that could track it).

It came down to $$$ and politics....sorry to say.

Atis

Link to post
Share on other sites
Spongebob

Spongebob

Posted
Posted
Oh well, we have plenty of P-3s left, don't we?

Not really... many were not taken care of, and are prohibitively expensive to SLEP (L3 got a contract to do it, but the aircraft were in much worse shape than the Navy advertised, and L3 lost so much money on the first 3-4 that it was cheaper for them to just default on the contract than to continue). Because of that, the community is contracting - look at the VP squadrons that are shutting down.

Of the ones left, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone currently doing or current in USW, most P-3's spend their time looking for terrorist mother-sheeps or over land streaming video of predators streaming video of hunters streaming video of something sorta-interesting on the ground (remember Black Hawk down? There was a P-3 overhead the whole time videoing everything). Only the HS/HSL guys really practice USW anymore.

Funny, as the Sea Power 21 roadmap has Littoral USW as the Navy's #1 priority... after DUI's and ending 1st enlistment attrition.

Dang, I don't sound bitter or anything, do I?

Link to post
Share on other sites
 Share
Followers 0
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...