From: Alan and Carmel Brain <aebrain@w...>
Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 21:11:30 +1100
Subject: Re: [OT]The Mad Mountie
From: "Glenn M Wilson" <triphibious@juno.com> > >I must tell you the story of the "Mad Mountie", a Canuck Submariner > >but I got this story from a guy called "Wingnut", so-called because of his truly outsized ears. Not quite Dumbo the Flying Elephant, but not far off it. He was also one of the RAN's top sonar operators at the time (figures...). He and I shared the ability to hear frequencies over 20 KHz, but I digress.... Anyway, Submariners and Submarine Skippers are supposed to be Aggressive. With a Capital A. "There are 2 types of vessel: submarines and targets". When the USS Iowa steamed through the heads of Port Jackson, all the officers from the Submarine Warfare Systems Centre at HMAS Watson on South Head were literally - and I do mean literally - drooling at the sight of such a big, fat, JUICY target. That it was an allied vessel mattered not at all, they were discussing exactly where to put a spread of torps for maximum effect. Bear with me, I just want to convey the mood. Think of Mike Tyson armed with tonnes of high explosives and genius-level intellect. But... they speak in hushed tones about The Mad Mountie. During an exercise, this guy was in command of one of Her Majesty's Australian Submarines. The target they were exercising against was the standard "toughest nut" to crack, a CV (Carrier) group, with all of its escorts, ASW helos (Anti-Submarine Warfare helicopters), and at least one SSN in DS ( Nuclear Submarine in Direct Support - ie was either a part of the formation, or scurrying about ahead of it, "sanitising" areas to make sure no enemy subs could attack). He eluded the SSN, penetrated the outer screen, dodged the sonobuoy fields, and then snuck up very close, VERY close at periscope depth to the closest escort to the carrier... He then did the following: CRASH SURFACE, fired Very pistols at the destroyer just 40 yards away, steered directly at the carrier, commanded "STAND BY TO RAM" ( not "collision alarm", he actually said "STAND BY To RAM"), fired more Very pistol shots that actually landed on the flight deck of the CV, CRASH DIVE, going beneath the Carrier by maybe a metre, but probably less... He would have put all 6 torps in almost exactly the same place, at a range of about 200 metres (ie just within arming distance). The whole formation went to pieces trying to avoid a collision. Had it been wartime,