The Real Truth About F-14 Tomcats and the Achille Lauro Hijacking

[@pauldwyer7359]

Note: Leon was a WWII Veteran, and was a crewmember on one of the B-24 Liberators that took part in the raid on the Ploesti oil facilities in August 1943.

[@Powerhaus88]

Ploiesti

[@BillShayka]

Thanks for the concise reading of this evolution. I was WCS for Saratoga's CVIC photo lab, and Flight Deck photographer. Here's a little more detail. We were in Naples at the same time as the AL, and they left port a day before us. When we were operating, one of our aircraft came across the AL, and did a standard photo rig, and we had several nice frames of the AL, before the actual hijacking. One of the photos of the AL was used to make a very large print, for the use of the special operators, to aid in whatever plans they worked on. Many of the flight deck photos, and ship's portraits used here, were taken by me. And I still have a copy of that IR image of Sig with the A/C on the field. I had a great time in Dubrovnik, too! Thanks, Shipmate! PH1 William (Billy) Shayka

[@ndiku]

I don't normally leave comments on YT but I like this man. This is how content for YT should be presented; zero gimmicks.

[@TurbopropMaster]

@@ndiku me to

[@n539rv]

AWESOME details never heard before! A friend of mine flys AC-130’s… they have a squadron moto: “You can run, but you’ll only die tired”

[@jeffmyers3920]

I served in the Navy for 10 yrs and was in VA-85 onboard the USS Saratoga and remember this incident quite well. I liked your video on this as there were a lot of political behind the scenes activities that I was not aware of. However, I remember distinctly the night our ship launched the alert E-2s, F-14s and my squadron (VA-85)'s KA6D's to provide fuel for the F-14's. The next morning I walked through the ready room of VF-103 and saw the pics of the Egyptian airliner on the tarmac at Sigonella. Great video Ward! I also did 2 deployments to Sigonella in the late 70's as a member of VP-45 (P-3s). Thanks for sharing this story with us.

[@czoom51]

Thank you for your service sir.

[@bobbycv64]

Jeff, thank you Brother other coast PACIFIC, got many stories, yes I remember this story well. I never knew the PUKING DOGS were on CONNIE??? We do great missions together as a unified Navy :-)

[@rayh53]

I was on the Yorktown tracking everything. Good times. :)

[@johnstackhouse82]

Same here. Was a Storekeeper.

[@davidanderson3684]

Small world I served also vs -30 diamond cutters cag17!

[@emitindustries8304]

Shooting an old man, in a wheelchair. How brave! They were probably afraid he could attack them, by rolling over their toes. And you know how much that hurts.

[@jameshisself9324]

You can run but you can't hide. Ooh-rah! I was active duty during this incident, but COMNAVAIRPAC so we didn't get any hand in this juicy action. Thanks Ward for retelling the story with great detail.

[@IMDunn-oy9cd]

At this time of this event, I was a CTO2 in the Med doing comms support for Med ships to include the Saratoga. After the F-14 actions, I remember a photo of a couple of F-14s being hung up on the bulkhead. Some enterprising Sailor wrote a caption underneath the photo "Welcome to Sigonella and thanks for flying Saratoga airlines."

[@baomao7243]

This is the best overview I’ve ever heard of this event - strategy, tactics, and “fog of war” issues. Well done.

[@gastarbieter]

I disagree. He just skimped over what happened in the ground and mainly focused on what happened in the air. In reality what happened on the ground at Sigonella was quite interesting.

[@michaeldavenport5034]

@@gastarbieter then please share all of this background information you have.

[@dananichols1816]

@@michaeldavenport5034 Yes. Like the the C-141B-models I happily saw parked in the background -- evidently the special asset rides that showed up so quickly... the "Bs" had (1980) just had upgrade-extended fuselages and -- important here -- air-refuelable capability... get anywhere with a lot of large, special, air-deliverable gear and the operators. All of the best training, gear & prep, and willingness to act immediately never seems to overcome getting shotgun intel from all quadrants & being flat lied to by some.

[@grandy0406]

Great story. Whatever happened to the terrorists who were taken into custody by the Italians?

[@Khronogi]

@@grandy0406 Well I can tell you what didn't happen to Palestine lol.

[@edwardjr7185]

This is very accurate as I was monitoring this while being a crew member of the VQ-2 EP-3E. We were flying a normal mission when this started, then switched by higher authority to support however we could. We were intercepted ourselves by F-14s. E-2 did ask for our help looking for an Egyptian 737. My job was to monitor Libyan air traffic and did report the Mig-23 launches. Another crewmen provided where the 737 would be at a certain time. Listened to the intercept . Great story and glad you reported it. Our crew received the Navy Unit Citation for the work that night plus various Crewmen received air medals and Navy Commendation.

[@antoniog9814]

Thank you so much, Mooch. I was a high school senior when this happened, but I only remembered hearing of the ship hijacking and Leon Klinghoffer's execution on the news. I didn't know of anything after that. As usual, you're a great story teller.

[@milantrcka121]

All due respect, that was Murder!

[@richpayton7162]

@@milantrcka121 Murder by execution?

[@milantrcka121]

@@richpayton7162 -murder by terrorists-

[@BOATSNAPS]

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

[@MichaelSmith-kr9qw]

I remember this incident quite well as a young Marine and we had just finished up Operation Display Determination 85 in Turkey ! We were out sea when the call came in they set course towards Sigonella. My Dad who was stationed at a small Air Station FLR9 base in Southern Italy near Brindisi later said that their base went into lockdown because of this incident. I spent a lot of my Career in the Mediterranean. Even got to see my Parents on the next port of call in Naples. Scary times but fun as well.

[@marksamuelsen3202]

I’m a 69yo disabled veteran and retired pilot and I spent just shy of 6 years in the USAF. I was not an Air Force pilot. I was assigned primarily to the DIA for 4 years. Keep up the great work you are doing here. Very impressive.

[@varrunningtrains4112]

The reported dialogue between the 104S pilots and the Tomcat pilots is almost straight out of a movie.

[@512bb]

Just found your channel Ward, what a superb thorough telling of that event. President Regan was an incredible leader, i joined the Army the day after seeing the rescued medical student kiss the tarmac after arriving home from Grenada, thank God President Regan isn't here to see what's being done to our country today. I'm now officially a new subscriber.

[@dananichols1816]

Outstanding, Ward -- just steady-on dependable! Like always, what immediately follows is the tremendous exchange plain honest "I was there and here's even more detail..." from your followers. Each of you out there, reading, engaging and sharing facts and stories are the unmatchable balance to this unique living history window that Ward has created. There's no chum-line of blogger stupidity trying to fog it up -- makes you wonder what keeps them at bay. What a hell of a great breath of fresh American history air! Press On, all of you, and thanks! (I happily noted, in the background pics, the C-141Bs -- then, all recently extended from ten-to-thirteen cargo pallet positions, and more importantly here, air-refueling-capable... 1980 on; that gave those powerhouse logistical platforms the reach to show up anywhere, with lots of critical players and gear.) I loaded and load-planned lots of the -141A-models, '76-'80. The waning respect I had had for the Nobel Prize went permanently down the crapper, the day they gave it to that filthy thug Arafat; his kind murdered a crippled, old man merely to satisfy primal bloodlust -- unchanged today. Then, that rapidly unfolding, territorial furball horseshit was almost beyond belief... except, it has just evolved to 5G-level these days. I was amazed that nobody involved got killed, with all of those regional air traffic crews not having "Nav lights - ON" on the checklists that they never read anyway. My pulse spiked just imagining the Tomcat crews trying to slide up and flashlight those tails for id. Jesus! First time I've heard of the sporty, little workhorse North American T-39 Sabreliner escorting/tailing anybody... especially while being tailed/escorted by a Lockheed F-104, with a Boeing 737 leading this bizarre conga line -- while carrying a load of pax who should have all been executed with good cause. I will always have deep respect for the memory of Robert Dean Stethem, 26-year-old U.S. Navy diver murdered in 1985 by high-jacker classmates of Arafat.

[@saboabbas123]

Excellent sea story and well told! I was on that cruise. We lost one sailor to apparent suicide, but no aircrew or aircraft were lost. After that excitement, transited the Suez headed to the Indian Ocean and spent Christmas in Singapore, entertained the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders enroute to diego Garcia where we tied up pierside, did a night transit of the Suez and made way to the Gulf of Sidra for a 3 carrier battle group crossing of Khadafy's "Line of Death". The crew were awarded Unit Citations, Sea Service Ribbons and Expeditionary medals after that cruise. Captain Unruh made Admiral too!

[@Alvi410]

I always loved this story. Reads straight out of a thriller. Some additional details: - The Carabinieri arrived later. The first italians on the scene were airport security forces from the air force. The Delta and Seals took position around them and the Carabinieri arrived in later taking position around the US Special Forces. This because the Italian Controllers at Sigonella realized something was off so the italian air force was ready and waiting for the airliner. - The italians let Abu Abbas go because of how quickly things went down. For them he had been instrumental in the resolution of the crisis as a negotiator. The 4 perpetuators were taken into custody by the Italian Police. Around a year later abbass was condemned to life imprisonment by an Italian Court but at the time of the Standoff in Sigonella his position was not clear to the italian authorities. (Edit: They were provided with information connecting abbass to the Highjacking only 5 days after the standoff at sigonella. So at the time they had little knowledge of him other than knowing he was one of the negotiators during the liberation of the cruise ship). To this one could add the possibility that Abbass had some sort of agreement for his own safety during the negotiations since his exact location was kept a secret till he left the country even from the Italian Judiciary authorities that will later condemn him in the afromented trial in absentia (Using the information provided by the US and Israeli secret services). - its also interesting because it shows that despite their position of power in the western block the US will still deal with the sovereignty of its allies instead of simply marching over them. Early in the standoff only a handful of italian airmen equipped with WW2 modernized beretta submachine guns stood between them and the terrorist. Yet they did not force their way trough. Probably not seeking cooperation from the italian authorities from the outset was the biggest flaw in the plan and the attempt to put them against a wall of the plane already landed did not work. The interception was probably the Smoothest part of the operation and pretty bad ass.

[@tehpw7574]

Although I probably wouldn't recognize or even consider this at the time (being a ASAA on my first tour @ NASSIG), I wonder if some of the things I seen occurring at the base in 1991, was result of 'negotiations' with the Italian NATO folks (like construction favorable to local contractors or purchases of technology) that resulted from our efforts to unruffled Italian feathers from the 1986 event?

[@theplum2706]

Italians were already pissed off because itavia flight 870: 81 civilians were killed in a clumsy attempt to kill gheddafi, still nowdays there are no culprits but its well known that 2 USN F-14 and 2 french naval jets were engaging a Lybian mig23(f14) and tailing the itavia (frenchs). Sigonella was the apex of deteriorated diplomacy between italy and USA.

[@Alvi410]

@@theplum2706 Erhmmm... respectfully. "Well known that 2 USN F-14" there were no F-14s in service in the med in 1980. Thats a pretty bad start. The USS saratoga embarked 2 squadrons of F-4 phantoms. And on top of that when the tagedy unfolded the Carrier was at anchor in Naples. A carrier cant launch airplanes when idle. It needs wind on the bow to perform both launches and recoveries.

[@theplum2706]

@@Alvi410 my bad, on ward's channel i can only think about F14s. Btw, both US and French naval jets were confirmed airborne that night. Ground controllers and 2 italian airforce pilots followed the situation for a while, specially the french ones, which is supposed by the italians, took off from the clemenceau carrier. It was also recovered near the itavia relict a fuel tank ID: Pastushin Industries inc. pressurized 300 gal fuel tank installation diagram plate 225-48008 plate 2662835

[@Alvi410]

@@theplum2706 But the Clemenceau was at port in Toulon as well while her sister Foch was undergoing Refit between 1980-1982. The French Naval Aviation master jet base is at Landvisau in Britanny. Why would they be sending F-8 Crusaders from there all the way to the Med to attempt an intercept of an airliner when there is a french air force base at Solenzara, but french air force planes do not use that 300 Gallon fuel tank you posted. Then the US planes. If the Carrier is in port she cant launch her planes. It means that theese fighters must have originated from somewhere else. Namely: Aviano, Sigonella or in a remote case a detachment was in Decimomannu, Sardinia. All bases that are jointly operated where it would be easy to confirm by Italian authorities on wheter such planes had taken off from. I know there there is a lot of speculation around the Itavia but honestly this whole American and/or french planes did always failed to convince me.

[@fargneta]

I am an ex-officer of the Italian Air Force, at the time, I was a second lieutenant, at the Comiso airport in Sicily, where I worked together with the "487th Tactical Missile Wing", and I remember this episode well. On the one hand I understand the anger and the search for justice for the United States, but everything had happened on board an Italian ship, therefore on Italian territory ... The US military then went into action, contacting Boeing via radio and carrying out the procedure of interception, ordering with wing movements to follow them: without prior warning, the American fighters thus hijacked the Egyptian plane on the air base of Sigonella, in Sicily, an Italian military airport that includes a Naval Air Station of the US Navy. Around 10:30 pm Colonel Ercolano Annicchiarico was warned of the arrival of an American formation. The request, denied, came from the Tomcats, 240 km from the Sicilian airport, and related only to the four F-14s and the Egyptian plane, no mention being made of the two C-141s, neither authorized nor foreseen. Only after the hijacking had begun, the American government attempted to contact the Prime Minister Craxi, who, disappointed by this improvisation, intended to allow the landing, but only on condition of managing the consequences independently. He secretly ordered the military leaders that terrorists and mediators be placed under the control of the Italian authorities. Immediately 30 VAM airmen and 20 Carabinieri, stationed at Sigonella airport, converged on the runway, surrounding the plane, as per orders received. A few minutes later two American Delta Force Lockheed C-141 Starlifters under the command of Brigadier General Carl W. Stiner also landed - with the lights out and without permission from the control tower - and it was immediately clear the intent to pick up hijackers and Abu Abbas, according to orders received from Washington; the runway lights were immediately turned off. The tension increased when the Delta Force raiders, descended from the C-141 arms in hand, surrounded the Italian airmen and the carabinieri of the base, but in turn were surrounded with weapons aimed by a second cordon of carabinieri, who had in the meantime arrived from the nearby barracks of Catania and Syracuse. Captain Marzo received from the control tower the order to park a tanker, a crane and the fire-fighting vehicles locked and guarded in front of the aircraft, in order to permanently prevent them from moving from the base. Each settled on its positions: at that moment there were three concentric circles around the plane. Minutes of very high tension followed ... Stiner - who had news from the United States in real time thanks to satellite equipment - warned Colonel Ercolano Annicchiarico that he was in contact with the Oval Office of the White House and declared: «The Italian government has promised to hand over the Palestinians to us; I don't understand the resistance of you soldiers ». Admiral Fulvio Martini, director of SISMI (abbreviated SISMI, Military Intelligence and Security Service), albeit with difficulty , heard Rome and made Stiner reply: "We have instructions to leave them there". The Italian authorities, in fact, remained on the line according to which, in the absence of an extradition request, no one was allowed to remove from Italian justice persons suspected of having taken part in a criminal act punishable under Italian law. The Egyptian plane leaves in the evening from Sigonella, destination Ciampino airport.The commander of the SISMI Admiral Fulvio Martini thinks of an escort and the Boeing is flanked in flight by four F-104s of the Italian Air Force. Careful choice, because the Americans did not give up Abbas: from the American sector of Sigonella, an American F-14 tomcat fighter rises without any authorization and soon intercepts the Boeing, trying more than once to break the formation to hijack it.This is not a simple disturbing action: the American fighter performs dangerous maneuvers to divert the Boeing's path, with a colorful exchange of communications via radio, ranging from threats to offenses up to a real delirium, all in the national airspace.The grip is released just in the vicinity of Ciampino, but the stars and stripes interference is far from over: shortly after the landing of the Egypt Air flight another American plane, a small North American T-39 Sabreliner jet that then it turns out that he flew low over many houses to avoid radar and avoided being identified by the national control towers, he asked to land at the Roman military port, which was however refused. At this point the jet declares a fuel emergency and turns off the radio, landing on its own not far from the Egyptian Boeing.On board the T-39 is General Steiner, the officer ready for a coup in Sigonella, and he did not arrive alone: ​​with him a commando of 5 sailors of the Navy Seals, the US special amphibious troops. Abu Abbas is still too important a prey to be let go and Steiner is the head of USSOCOM, the US Special Operations Command, improvising is his job as well as military planning, even in friendly countries. If I have to comment on this episode, I am happy with the firmness demonstrated by our president, but dissatisfied with the epilogue, because I would have liked Italy to try the terrorists, but at that moment there were many, too many political plots in place, and the terrorists were allowed to go unpunished ... THE SIGONELLA INCIDENT was the most serious accident in the history of relations between Italy and the United States. As he commented, with a certain dose of cynicism, Henry Kissinger: “We had to get mad, you had to sethim free ". Neither party had any other choice. Al understandable American resentment of the liberation of a coming individual considered as a dangerous terrorist, they opposed in fact,in addition to good legal and political reasons, the Italian resentment for the way the Americans had treated us. The crisis had done vibrate a non-harmful nationalist chord in Italy. Indeed, it could be said that the first quarrel with the United States had made us somewhat more"Adults"...

[@Rosco-P.Coldchain]

Probably one of the best comments I’ve seen on this platform I was gripped thankyou thats crazy..You would think after all these years someone somewhere hasn’t negotiated a peace deal in the Middle East but unfortunately the conflicts all over have been left to simmer for far to long..Until it’s sorted out we will never see an end to the hen fighting

[@TomFarrell-p9z]

I was a USAF Lieutenant stationed in England at the time, and with all due respect, your explanation sounds like legalese now, and at the time seemed a lot like Italian's attempting to appease terrorists. How it appeared to the terrorists, I don't know, but later that year Abu Nadal chose Rome airport as one place to commit mass murder. Was that in part because they thought they might have a softer target there? Seems like a tougher stand against terrorism by Italy--and a few other NATO countries--in those days might have made US strong arm tactics unnecessary and might even have helped prevent the tragedies from more brazen terrorist attacks in later years. There was no intent to step on Italian sovereignty that night by the US, simply lack of coordination due to the press of time, and a united front would have been more appropriate.

[@fargneta]

@@TomFarrell-p9z What you say is certainly true and historically correct, but you have to think that at the time, the line between making concessions to terrorists, or finding a compromise to avoid triggering episodes such as the attack on Rome's Fiumicino airport, on damage to El-Al, it was very subtle...Andreotti together with Craxi, in a certain way, had to find a pragmatic method of defending Italy... Then try to think if all this had happened in reverse roles. ..I, however, am always grateful for what the States did for us, both during the Second World War and in that period of uncertainty of Arab terrorism...!!!! A big and sincere greeting from Rome

[@markkuuss]

Great comment. Also, just on a side note. This attack was meant to be a retaliation to the death of several tunisian civilians causd by an Israeli airstrike in tunis, few week prior. Obviously, killing the old American Jewish man was an act of terrorism..but people should view the whole sequence of events that lead one to another. It is a never ending cycle.

[@michaelvangheem5893]

Thanks Mooch! Always informative, always entertaining!

[@harrylime3.143]

Great story from history,great pic of the airport. I just finished Keith Green's book "Black officer White Navy" and I'm started Punk's War. Love it so far.⚓🇺🇸💪

[@michaelsvestka8040]

USN submarine veteran (1977-1983) here: Thanks for your service and your videos, Ward! Great video, as always!

[@edwinkorteweg3612]

Great story Ward. I was 15 at the time and remember flints of the news. I always wanted to look up the story since I had the Achille’s ship’s doctor on board about 12-15 years ago. I was a 737 captain back then flying to Rome and had a passenger on board with a heart attack. He responded. A big guy who had at that time also been hardened in the gulf war. I remember him finding me too young to be a captain as he asked the purser who my pediatrician was! 😳😎. I know now where his mental reference came from. Thanks. 👍🏻

[@jamesmcintosh1521]

Great timing with this Tomcat account, Ward! I just finished reading Punk’s War, and started Punk’s Wing…both from my newly published and recently received Punk’s Trilogy!

[@NotOnDrugs]

Why is it called "punks" war? Who is the punk?

[@WardCarroll]

@@NotOnDrugs Seriously?

[@NotOnDrugs]

@@WardCarroll I haven't read them, sir. Serious question.

[@WardCarroll]

Punk is the series protagonist. Check it out at www.usni.org/punks-trilogy-reissue

[@buckshot704]

@@NotOnDrugs ; You will immensely enjoy reading “Punk’s Trilogy”. It’s a look inside the F-14 community that has no peer. ✈️😎👍

[@farley2408]

Brought a lot of memories for me,I was aboard the Saratoga, as an AD3 with VA-85, got love them A-6's and those KA-6d's.Great telling of the story keep them coming.

[@nightowl4843]

I was on the Saratoga as a ABH on the flight deck during that mission. Quite an exciting time.

[@paulloveless9180]

This was absolutely fascinating and extremely high quality. I am damn impressed.

[@spacecatboy2962]

Great attention to detail, and a great presentation Ward, well done. I had heard somewhere that the italian and american pilots traded insults while flying.

[@richhoffman3218]

Mooch, Your historical accounts of Tomcats in action are always thrilling and reveal way more than the contemporary news accounts of the time. BRAVO ZULU!

[@jamierife7789]

Wow, I knew the general story of the F-14 intercept and the stand-off on the tarmac between U.S. SpecOps and the Carabinieri, but this fills in all the background details. Awesome! Thanks Ward!

[@craenor]

I love your storytelling style (and writing style), Ward. Quality stuff.

[@WardCarroll]

Appreciate it!

[@billparsons7765]

This was one of my most favorite stories. I do hope that communication and operational coordination between allies has improved since then. Many thanks.

[@MrPhorne]

I was one of the SOLL II Loadmasters on one of your C-141B pictured was an interesting and very long night! Excellent historically accurate account so glad to hear the whole story. Appreciate your service Brutha! Thank you! Love love love the flir pics never seen before!

[@thomascaldwell6370]

Wow! Never heard the complete story before. Great presentation, Ward! This would make a fantastic DCS mission.

[@LloydBragg]

Check out The History Guy. He did a piece on this as well.

[@pfrstreetgang7511]

As an Air Force Brat I love this channel. You and your regulars clear up a huge amount of vagueness and misinformation.

[@bghammock]

All these stories from my teen years which I remember names and such but never really knew the details. Loving it! Thanks Ward and congrats on 150k! "You can run, but you can't hide" boy do I remember that though!

[@jimgutshall4855]

I also remember this but you added some great details I had never heard. Thanks

[@MikeManderachia]

@@jimgutshall4855 same here. I was in high school when this happened and we were pretty pissed. When we found out the navy grabbed these guys the story was they were forced down in Italy and arrested. We speculated the Egyptians and Italians were in on the operation, played stupid and lied to the world so they would be blamed by future terrorists. Interesting to find out they really didn’t know.

[@jrshivley]

Thanks!

[@WardCarroll]

Thanks for the support, John!

[@fr.garrettnelson9920]

Ward, thank you for sharing these stories! It’s really helps put things in perspective while simultaneously being very entertaining. Keep up the good work

[@M_J_Leininger_Jr.]

I did my summer engineering internship at the Naval Air Development Center in Warminster, PA. In the summer of 1980, I had the privilige of working with NADC engineers on a redesign of the gas-spring mechanism which held the TARPS pod door open (I got to draw the updated mechanical drawings). Thank you for your nice mention of the TARPS pod in your podcast. As civilian engineers for military projects, we rarely had opportunity to see the results of our work in action. I've enjoyed all of your real-life stories I've seen so far. The F-14 has been my favorite aircraft ever since I learned about it and TARPS in the summer of 1980. Thanks also to all of our US military & veterans for your service!

[@kcpilot63]

Hello Ward, thank you very much for another very interesting and informative video. I always look forward to watching your latest drop.

[@brainyskeletonofdoom7824]

Very well made video! I'm Italian and out of curiosity i'm triyng to confront American and Italian sources about the event (mainly about the Sigonella crisis), and, as one can imagine, the story varies wildly based on the side telling the facts

[@michaeldavenport5034]

Being stationed in England and having to do numerous deployments between 1985 through 1988 throughout Europe, certainly remember this one. A lot of, but not all, European citizens were not happy every time we struck back at terrorists. The main feeling was, just let the terrorists do what they want, don't hold them accountable. We were briefed on many occasions to just wear our uniforms back and forth to work. Do not stop anywhere while in uniform. This feeling was mainly from the younger generation of Europeans. The older generation of Europeans that lived through WWII didn't feel this way for the most part. Was certainly confronted many times downtown. Our hair cuts and accents naturally gave us away. Didn't care at all. You never back down from terrorists. Our feeling was you could never kill enough terrorists. Ward, thanks for great behind the scenes information.

[@beefsuprem0241]

@USN Patriot It's called PERSEC, I was UK 🇬🇧 military for 15 years. Unfortunately in Europe and UK there are a lot of domestic groups who would love to bump off a uk/us service person. It was standard not to wear uniform in public. However I did spend some time in Tampa and it was the opposite, regularly went outside the wire in uniform.

[@dananichols1816]

Michael Davenport, Well stated -- thanks for just reaffirming a pretty solid reason most of us show/showed up in our U.S. uniforms, every day. Re trying to focus on real-time reporting of these incidents, as they occurred, I'm simply apolitical -- just haven't got the chops to keep up with the "normal" lightning-fast, twenty-player Euro political loyalty-dumping. Then, like now, too many non-mil folks defaulted to assuming that we folks in uniform simply "knew every bit of detail, of any and all crises occurring, at any time..." Shit, I'm 64, retired five years, and am JUST NOW getting the most credible, concise and plain-language briefing on all of these various topics that Ward opens up for engaging feedback! The idiot blogger know-it-alls and agenda hacks are simply not touching this credibility chest full of real, articulate people, gathering around this channel... a pretty unique place for the rest of us -- anyone truly interested -- to clear the decks of decades worth of partial, sanitized news from back then. (I still cannot help from getting really pissed over learning of the incredible asset support waste and real risk to all of the players who showed up on a second's call -- leaning into and within reach of those murdering assholes, while the pouting and territorial crap was just spooling-up.)

[@michaeldavenport5034]

@@Bat21bravo thanks for trolling. Negotiations started under the Obama Administration. Kind of like the cages. Let's Go Bergdhal.

[@RCAvhstape]

@@Bat21bravo Nice. Have a Woke Cookie for Thanksgiving dessert.

[@daneaxe6465]

"The cowards never left home and the weak died along the way." An old saying from the western US.

[@weofnjieofing]

Egypt Air pilots “Turning right heading 280!! 😱 😱” after spotting the F14s. Thats how intimidating and revered that plane was.

[@rickwilliamson9248]

This was FASCINATING! I never knew how much had to happen behind the scenes. Thanks for this & Happy Thanksgiving!

[@JohnB9474]

I was a radio reporter in Jacksonville FL and was on the pier at Mayport Naval Station the day the "Terrorist Busters" arrived home. A navy homecoming is always exciting but this one was over the top considering the circumstances. So I'm on the air reporting live as the crowds cheered, sailors waved from the flight deck, moms, dads, wives, sisters, brothers and kids all waited for the first new dad to step on the pier. As the tugboat slowly eased the massive ship towards the pier, all of a sudden, over the ships loudspeaker system, Lee Greenwoods "God Bless the USA" blasted over the crowd. And this reporter, on the air live, became so overcome with emotion, that I totally lost my composure and could not continue. I asked to go to commercial break, and 2 minutes later I was back on the air, apologizing for my breakdown. It was a memory, to this day, that has stayed with me. The USS Saratoga will always be a part of my life.

[@normanperkel139]

Ward, another sad but unusual fact with regards to the Achille Lauro is that Leon Klinghoffer was distantly related to Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer as a fourth or fifth cousin.

[@jackshittle]

I did two deployments to Sigonella with VP-10 as an aircrewman (1991 & 1994) and had no idea that this happened. Great video.

[@sc1784]

Great stuff. I remember that incident growing up, but never really heard the full account. Excellent material as usual Ward.

[@g.patrickbryant9674]

This is my favorite youtube channel. I was a Navy MU attached to CINCLANTFLT for four years during the F-14 era and loved watching those magnificent airplanes.

[@zeppelin264]

Thank you for posting and sharing this. I've never heard of this incident until today. I was born in the summer of 85'. Very well told! Your delivery is amazing!

[@jdewitt77]

The Italians had jurisdiction in this incident, NOT the US.

[@ilovemuskoka]

And how did that turn out? They let the bad guy go.

[@Discipleofthelordandjesus]

No they did not! If a US/Israeli citizen dies in a foreign country we have THE right to investigate and retaliate. Italy is full of lies.

[@davidcartee2]

I read the entire wiki article after your teaser drop yesterday. When I read the flight was intercepted by F-14s , oh boy, Ward about to drop some knowledge on us! Been checking my notifications all morning for this one.

[@CheaperEngineer]

Chuck Pfarrer gives his account as a SEAL Team 6 assault element leader in his memoir "Warrior Soul". Thank you for filling in the gaps on the aerial intercept and aftermath. To think it all came down to RIO's with flashlights... Good story for this Thanksgiving; the US and western Europe were blessed to have a President and Pentagon chain of command who had courage and took a stand for righteousness. Very different from today.

[@buckshot704]

I remember handing our VF-74 RIOs Battle Lanterns from the passageway near our Line Shack. Bigger bulb than a flashlight.

[@Detroittruckdoctor55]

This channel is a goldmine for my commute. I looked up to tomcat pilots as a kid

[@robbowman8770]

As a Brit, I'd love to know about the squadrons, their history, why they're designated VA, V, VFA etc. I'm not very aviation savvy but I do watch most, if not all, of your videos @WardCarroll and find them very interesting

[@spacebear49]

I'm not Mr. Carroll, but if I'm not mistaken, the "V" denotes a fixed wing squadron (helicopters are designated "H"), "F" is fighter and "A" is attack, or strike... so VFA-103 would be strike fighter squadron 103. There is no "VF" anymore, as with the retirement of the F-14, all remaining tactical aircraft in the navy are multirole strike fighters.

[@h.r.puffnstuff8705]

USN operates a wide variety of aircraft. Driggible, Balloons, Fix wing, Rotor wing, etc Alpha designators describe what the aircraft is and it's primary mission capability. V= Fixed wing heavier than air. A= Attack (bomber) F=Fighter Etc etc etc. VF= Fixed wing fighter VFA = Fixed wing fighter and attack. It gets confusing. For example. The F14 was modded to carry bombs late in life but to best of my knowledge the F14 squadrons never changed their title from VF to VFA.

[@petersobotta7480]

Actually V designates Heavier than Air aircraft. It started when the Navy had both heavier and lighter than air craft and before helos. Like many things in the Navy, it's tradition.

[@robbowman8770]

@@h.r.puffnstuff8705 Nice! Thanks

[@Tinderchaff]

To go into a little more detail that was started by Space Bear we have in the Squadron numbering system (separate from aircraft designation); V= Heavier than air A= Attack F= Fighter Q= Electronic C= Composite P = Patrol R = Logistics or resupply I guess (it used to mean Reconnaissance) T = Training H = Helicopter SC = Sea Combat SM = Maritime Strike That covers most of the designations, there are a few more esoteric roles here and there but that list covers most eventualities. Aircraft designations are slightly different for example C means Cargo and E is Electronic so a C-2 Greyhound is a fleet resupply aircraft and an EA-6B Prowler had a Electronic role (specifically jamming radars and radio frequencies), the E-2 Hawkeye (same basic aircraft as the Greyhound just with a massive radome on top) was a giant airborne radar.

[@kevinhines1765]

That is the best, most detailed rendition of that story I've heard. Great video with graphics of the Sara, her air wing and of course the mighty Tomcat. Never knew there were TARPS pics from this. I was 21 at the time and only months past my ETS from active duty Army. I was already a huge F-14 fan since the 70s so when this event went down I had quite a chub. Superbly done Mr. Carroll! Thanks for putting that together!

[@hawgbreath]

Excellent presentation of this incident! I remember this happening. Thank you Ronald Reagan!

[@tscott6843]

One of the best ever Reagan broadcast lines. Thanks for playing the clip rather than quoting him. Awesome story (which I remember). Great video containing facts I don’t recall hearing before.

[@ThirdHornet]

Hey Mooch, I was watching a video called Carrier: Fortress at Sea. It's an older documentary filmed aboard the Carl Vinson. In that video there's a segment called the Mach one mishap where an Tomcat was doing a supersonic flyby past the carrier when it burst into flames and the crew had to punch out. Do you have any knowledge or insight to this incident and what caused the loss of this Tomcat and if so could you do a video on it? Thanks sir and I love the content, can't wait to check out the punks trilogy.

[@Skank_and_Gutterboy]

That is a good documentary. There's a condensed one-hour version of it that was shown after the original air-date on the Discovery Channel. Bag that, you want the two-hour version.

[@69beast440]

I was attached to VF-74 on the Saratoga during this event. Great story.

[@SJDevenney1]

Regan was amazing. He was able to effectively communicate and was not a pushover!

[@ThirdEye...]

Craps!

[@danielefabbro822]

Yeah, he clearly said with actions, in this case: "screw you italians". What a man. 🤬

[@randyrosy]

Apparently he was not able to communicate to the Italians

[@ron.7105]

Huge difference between carter and Regan! I was vf-101 f-14 side of the house, with Carter we had to rob components to keep airframe from going spintac, President Regan we had all the parts already in supply. Don't ask me what I think of the waffle-in-charge today.

[@nikonmark37814]

Another awesome sea story from Commander Carroll.

[@robertw.anderson6102]

I remember this incident well. But this was a poorly reported story back in the day. AGAIN, politicians get in the way, or some how fowl up a very successful mission. Those F-14's finding that aircraft like that was like looking for a needle in a stack of needles. Go Navy!

[@thunderstruck5484]

Thanks Ward I haven’t thought about this tragedy in decades but I did remember Leon Klinghoffer and what those cowards did to him thanks again and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

[@enricodelmedico5080]

I'm a former Italian sailor of Marina Militare italiana and I can say you for sure that the group of carabinieri was in reality a group of Italian navy seals (Com.Sub.In.) masked by carabinieri.

[@stanleybuchan4610]

I was stationed at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at the time, working in ATC and I remember being on call during this incident. Thanks for telling me the whole story!

[@2ksnakenoodles]

That string of growing fighter escorts was pretty funny to me lol. Then the fact that they jammed the radar before exiting was amazing. The prowler crew was done with that Sh!t Also congrats on 150k!

[@rexcochran2781]

Hi Ward, Rex here. I landed at Sigonella to catch LPD 14 Trenton in Palermo for my first class cruise. Summer of 86. Enjoying your channel. Left other notes FYI

[@aaronhrk]

Fantastic as always Mooch! The murder of Leo Klinghofer was the absolute height of cowardice. I fail to understand the antagonism and evasiveness of the Italian govt as well. I specifically remember this event as a 7yo as I couldn't wrap my 'child brain' around why someone would perpetrate such a thing against a wheelchair bound man. It truly shocked me. Just par for the course for the PLO and other terrorists as I was later to discover... Keep up the great work Mooch!

[@gregohb]

There are thousands and thousands of Palestinian women, children, babies, and grandparents killed brutally by Israel ... paid for by the US taxpayer. Which one is more of a terrorist?

[@gradystein5765]

Israel is an apartheid state genociding Arabs. Hope this helps!

[@raymorgan4657]

Excellent summary! One thing I would add (since I was there) was that one of the important things that aided in the F-14 lights out flight and tracking of the plane was the Aegis Cruiser, USS Yorktown. The Yorktown was instrumental and a big part in the tracking of the full picture of the skies and what was going on with all of the planes. Aegis radar was still fairly new at the time. The Yorktown was the second of the class and I believe the only one in the world deployed at the time due to the first, the Vincennes being in the yards at the time. The Yorktown's Aegis system was a big part in the Achille Lauro hijacking. We were also scheduled to go to Yugoslavia for port call and had to turn around. Edited to add: While the hijackers were still onboard the Achille and the Yorktown was in-route, we also prepared a boarding party and had it on standby. It wasn't used since the hijackers left the ship.

[@robertf3479]

My ship, destroyer USS Caron was part of the Saratoga Battle Group but was further east in the Med when the hijacking went down. We ended up trailing Achille Lauro from just over that ship's horizon, keeping a radar fix on her, following her back to Egypt. It really pissed us (Caron) off when we heard about Mr. Klinghoffer and about how the Italians did not seem interested that one of their merchantmen (Lauro) had been hijacked or pirated and how Abbas was let go. Well done to TIGERTAIL and the boys flying from Saratoga.

[@danielefabbro822]

First of all, there are other ways to deal with such events. Second of all, these folks are equal to terrorists. It was just a lucky shoot that Craxi decided to not start a war. That would have been the right thing to do at the time. But too many would have died for nothing. A chance that you americans never think about.

[@waynecoons9695]

Ward, I just finished "Punk's wing". It is the best book that I've ever read. In 2018 I read 50 books by Clive Cussler, so I have read a bit. Yours is the best. On Dec,30th, 1977 I retired as ATC, from the Navy, 20 years, so Naval Aviation is in my blood. Have ordered Punks Fight. Thanks.

[@WardCarroll]

High praise, Wayne! Thanks!

[@2ZZGE100]

Ronald Reagan regularly used F-14 Tomcats as reference in his speeches in order to support his argument on "show of force".

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

It's incredible how these real life stories stack up better than some of Hollywood's efforts. This was gripping from start to finish, and it seems hard to believe the Italian government obfuscated its responsibilities in this, given it was their ship captured in the first place. Probably a concession to avoid future terrorism incidents which were a feature of the late 70s early 80s. New Zealand prime Minister David Lange bumped into Yasser Arafat at a heads of government conference in India. He was the only dignitary with a handgun strapped to his side, which he refused to give up citing his personal need for security local authorities couldn't guarantee. He was probably right. Great stuff, Ward, as usual.

[@phantomsoldier497]

The Italian government secretly made deals with Lybia wich supported the palestinians in the late 60's early 70's to reduce terrorism on its soil and keep the oil flow. More or less what the US did with Saudi Arabia

[@keatonalexander8373]

Amazing story! Glad to hear it told, and told in such detail! Just goes to show the lengths we will go to protect Americans and American democracy. Well done Ward!

[@marbleman52]

Keaton Alexander....Except now we have a president who will go to NO lengths to protect Americans and our allies, but instead leave them for the Taliban to kill...and NOTHING is done by Biden. What a shameful chapter this administration will be in the history books.

[@carl5381]

@@marbleman52 the history books are written by academic ideologues. he is the hero that beat Trump to them and they will suck him off like they do now. lets go Brandon.

[@PhotoDesigner1]

... Not about protecting American Democracy, it was about American Prestige ....... Protecting American Democracy would be demanding accountability for the attack on our Capitol on Jan. 6th.

[@PhotoDesigner1]

@@marbleman52 ... Do you not realize your Orange Emperor wanted to bring the Taliban to Camp David (here in the U.S.)? ... He then opened the way for evacuating Afghanistan in May - earlier than what was ordered by the current President.... Facts are stubborn things.

[@lonscott6874]

Thank you this put together a lot of the missing story

[@FranktheDachshund]

President Reagan thinks that is a great idea! The difference between then and now.

[@Altafkalabihari]

President Reagan also thought it was a great idea to high tail out of Lebanon after the Beirut Marine Barracks bombing killed 280 marines and also he thought it was another great idea to sell weapons to Iranian Mullahs and before I forget Reagan also thought it was a great idea to do backdoor negotiations with Iranian revolutionary forces that had kidnapped Americans to delay their release so that it can help him with elections.

[@tf51d]

That event cost me a planned Mediterranean/Holy land cruise on the Royal Princess which was immediately cancelled after this incident. Was really looking forward to that!! Never got to go after that.

[@Kevin_747]

If the U.S. had a conflict of this nature now I have no faith in the Commander in Chief handling it as President Reagan would. Thanks for the story.

[@jimd4201]

I miss the days when the US government cared about its citizens

[@esphilee]

Love listening to your stories. F-14, SR71, Concord are some of the most beautiful aircrafts in that era.

[@martasanchez5142]

for all those commenting about italy being not a good ally - look at itavia bombing and the aldo moro kidnapping. By that time the US was already funneling significant funding to local right wing terrorist group in italy, trying to radicalize local politics (and a few hundred civilians died because of that). Cossiga and Craxi got quite a sense of that... also dont forget italy is a sovereign state and they didn't really need ronald reagan playing cowboy in the med with those cheese one-liners (seriously, "you can run but you cant hide" sounds pretty lame).

[@AA-xo9uw]

Lame only to a terrorist supporting sycophant.

[@thecommentaryking]

@@AA-xo9uw Like the Americans that supported the fascist terrorists?

[@ectv289]

I was on the USS Coral Sea with VMFA-314 Hornet Squadron. I can't remember if we had arrived in the MED yet, or were inbound during this event. Great story telling Mooch. A lot of research goes into your stories..... Bravo Zulu

[@madzen112]

A great story. The reasoning behind the Italian reaction might be hard to comprehend today, where terrorism is a much higher priority than during the Cold War, but to them, this was a clear breach of their national sovereignty and in their view, it was drawing a line to the cowboy Americans. Especially during the Cold War, with many European countries, even NATO-members, trying to walk some kind of a line between US and USSR, this was a sound and popular policy. Can't help to think it could've been handled differently. A little less F-14 and a little more diplomacy and the killers wouldn't have gotten away.

[@madzen112]

Or, rule of thumb, don't send troops into other countries without an invitation or a really, really good reason, ffs!

[@enricol5974]

You are right. Italy was already dealing with in house terrorism ( Brigate Rosse and far right NAR) , plus Black September attack at Fiumicino airport ( 30 people killed ) and Abul Nidal group attack at the Synagogue of Roma ( 1 child killed ). the Achille Lauro was an Italian ship and the Italian Navy surely planned a divers' assault, but it was called off in order to de-escalate the conflict. An Italian assault group was ready in Akrotiri air base in Crete.

[@niccracknell9780]

Great story, was aware of the incident in general terms but didn't know the detail that you brought Ward, super stuff!

[@joevignolor4u949]

I've also had many standoffs with the Italians during my life. They usually occur around holidays or other family functions such as weddings or family reunions. I've learned that its always better to just let them have whatever they want and then disengage because frankly arguing with Italians is a complete waste of time and effort.

[@emitindustries8304]

You really have to learn how to talk with your hands better. And arms.

[@joevignolor4u949]

@@emitindustries8304 Ha ha!

[@TakumiFujiwara80]

Especially if you are in someone else house. ;)

[@Johnajaeger]

Was serving in Rota, Spain as a junior ensign in my first command at the time. Remember the Achille Lauro incident well. Thank you for your video.

[@ClassicAudiobooksWithJohn]

As a Brit I have to say that this all took place at a time when the US President understood what was going on in the world; we can only imagine what would happen today.

[@ClassicAudiobooksWithJohn]

@@DSW964 If only I were as young as you think I am haha. Actually, during the 70s and 80s I was at school and living very close to Greenham Common which was the UK base where the US stationed its cruise and Pershing missiles so we were VERY aware of and paying VERY close attention to every move that Reagan and Gorbachev made. Were you living as close to one of the top targets for Soviet annihilation too? It was quite horrible wasn't it but we Brits understood that safety through strength worked. And guess what? In the end, it did! Yes there were a few wayward thinkers (CND etc) who campaigned against the idea of American strength and thought that US timidity would yield results but history proved them totally wrong. I live in Asia now and countries and people who, up until a year ago, looked to the US for guidance, protection and yes strength in the world are seriously fearful for the future. They watch as China remains unchallenged in any meaningful way by a US President who cannot even control his own bodily functions let alone Congress or foreign policy (the Afghan debacle being a major case in point). One of the few things that Biden said during the election campaign was that the world would be safer under his administration. From the brave guise of anonymity (DSW964), can you seriously claim - along with the now just 25% of Americans that support Biden - that we are safer than we were a year ago? Thought not. Maybe you are right that Reagan had some luck in the 80s in dealing with the Soviet Communist threat but that luck came through strength after Carter's miserable global surrender. Right now luck is the ONLY thing that we can rely on when dealing with China as there is no backbone or strength in US Presidential policy. Does the current situation make you feel good - that we can ONLY rely on luck, and luck alone? If so you are in an ever-dwindling minority, 25% and falling....

[@spacecatboy2962]

well these days the president would have to be reminded to put his pants on before giving the press conference

[@alasdairmunro1953]

I remember it all over the news. Great video Ward! 👍🏼👍🏼😀

[@30smsuperstrat]

Great stuff as always! If we could just find a candidate with most of Reagan's foreign policies, some of Reagan's economic policies, with lots of Dwight D era build from the middle class up we could have China shakin in their boots. Wait maybe if we came up with metrics for politicians we'd have some decent outcomes 😂. #forgetthefringepolotics

[@stephanregenass2411]

Thanks for this Ward, i have it forgoten.Now i remember the TV News from this Time

[@ilejovcevski79]

Knowing you have trusty allies across the pond just warms your heart, doesn't it....

[@carl5381]

and yet the cry for foreign aid and help whenever they demand it. NATO should be disbanded and let the EU rot

[@ilejovcevski79]

@@carl5381 sadly.....i kinda agree :(

[@DoDo-dq7yf]

@@carl5381 please, it would be amazing :)

[@thecommentaryking]

You mean the US? Because in this case it wasn't Italy that violated international laws and the laws of a sovereign country. The US don't own the world

[@johnharris7353]

Italy is very nice I was on a ship there in the navy. It was our home away from home USS Sierra AD18. I was in 6 years and there is tons of stuff I don't know! I knew my job though.

[@NeutronRob]

Thanks for the video and the added insight into how it all went down. All I remember was F-14s intercepted the Egyptian airliner and forced it to land in Sicily. Then our "trusted ally" Italy let the mastermind get away. Karma caught up with Abu Abbas in 2004.

[@pixelghostclyde8717]

That tends to happen when you treat your "trusted allies" like colonies.

[@NeutronRob]

@@pixelghostclyde8717 - More likely they feared retaliation from PLF.

[@Alvi410]

Maybe instead of calling them "trusted ally" in quotes you should realize that the whole thing took place on their own turf. On an airbase the lease to the US and without being consulted first and provided any information about Abbass during the stand off. Only several days later they were provided access to it despite it being readily available to the US. Its already a stretch that they tollerated a forced landing of a civilian airliner on their own soil. They have their own sovreignty and laws that one can't simply walk over. Yet after this messy situation they are still on the US side and many in the Italian governement argued that it would've been better if they just let the US do their thing.

[@NeutronRob]

@@Alvi410 - When you have a dynamic situation and things are moving fast, it isn't always feasible to communicate everything to our allies as you wish. As you saw there was a lot of moving parts and you just can't compromise OpSec by phoning Rome. The Italian government failed to see the bigger picture here; that they could've been a key partner in capturing a high value target. Instead they chose the low road and decided it was better to get even with the U.S. for offending their sensibilities. Our naval and USAF air assets had transit rights over sovereign Italian territory per our agreements with them. This was a surgical type operation that went off very well. It was only ruined by the Italian government because they felt slighted for the dumbest reasons.

[@Alvi410]

@@NeutronRob "When you have a dynamic situation and things are moving fast" The Standoff lasted 5 and a half hours. "just can't compromise OpSec by phoning Rome" Rome was phoned at 2300. About an hour before the plane landed. "The Italian government failed to see the bigger picture here" The Italian government probably acted accordint to their own law that probablty puts its Sovreigty above a foreign military operation in wich they havent being consulted yet takes place on their territory. "they could've been a key partner in capturing a high value target" For them it was not, information was omitted from them. The others were indeed arrested. "Our naval and USAF air assets had transit rights over sovereign Italian territory per our agreements with them" Yes and No. There are agreement in place and authorizations provided on a daily basis. But nowhere is written down that you can divert and land an escorted civilian airliner in an operation you did not cunsult them on their soil. They needed to agree to it first, wich they partially did. "It was only ruined by the Italian government because they felt slighted for the dumbest reasons" The uphold of law and sovreignty are dumbest reasons. Mind you that for them Abbass was a Nobody. Information related to him was only provided at a later date. He was condemned later to life inprisonment in an italian court. But at that time they weren't simply provided anything. They just found a civilian plane diverted on their base and two cargo planes filled with special forces on the ground that landed with no authorization. Being completely walked over by an ally is a dumb reason for you?

[@CoondawgPD]

“You can run but you can’t hide”- Ronaldus Maximus

[@sunny71169]

We had a President with a pair who loved this country in those days. Today? Milk and cookies for the terrorists along with an offer of asylum in a sanctuary city.

[@chowtimewithruss1411]

I was on the Saratoga when we did that!

[@dano727]

I just stumbled onto your channel. Excellent videos! Thank you for your service !!!

[@acefighterpilot]

Love your rundown of the aircraft on the Saratoga. So much beautiful Grumman hardware.

[@waynebooker498]

I remember when this happened, I was in high school. Never heard this story until now. Thanks.