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Welcome Aboard "Rivet Ball II"
Ray Damerell
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In October 1969, Rivet Ball II (#61-2663) entered service with equipment salvaged from Rivet Ball (RC-135S, #59-1491). The most famous piece of equipment was the gyro stabilized Ballistic Streak Camera (BSC) that recorded the very first Soviet ICBM test armed with Multiple Reentry Vehicles (MRVs) on 4 October 1968 (BSC Photo).
Click on the following links (1, 2, 3, 4) for Rivet Ball (491) salvage photos taken by Ray Damerell in 1969 when he was a USAFSS Russian linguist, aka "Spook", on "The Ball".
Click on the following links (1, 2, 3, 4) for photos of Rivet Ball II not long after it arrived on station in October 1969 when Col. Jack Gatewood was Commander of Det-1, 6th SW, SAC. Notice the single BSC window and dipole antennas inherited from the original Rivet Ball in photo #1. Photos provided by Sgt. Howie Appel. In 1969, Sgt. Appel was NCOIC of Operations in Hangar #2 with 663.
Not long after Rivet Ball II (#61-2663) became operational the name was changed to Cobra Ball I (Minimum). All follow-on RC-135S model aircraft are named "Cobra Ball" and have the right wing painted black as a tribute to Rivet Ball (491) and a mark of distinction even though it is no longer an operational necessity as it was on 491. There are currently three operational RC-135S aircraft named "Cobra Ball": #61-2663, #61-2662, #62-4128. Cobra Ball II, #61-2664, crash landed on Shemya in 1981 killing six crewmembers.
K. Hawes
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The original Cobra Ball patch, as shown above, was designed by Capt. Bob Davis when he was a Raven Three (R-3) on Cobra Ball I (#61-2663) in 1970. It is one of my most treasured patches. Thank you Bob Davis. You do good work. Click Here for a modern version of the 24th SRS, Cobra Ball patch.
Click on the following links (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) for high resolution photos of 663 responding to an alert, "gronking out of the hangar", in December 1981 (Photos by Steven Williams). Click on the following links (1, 2) for high resolution photos of 663 taken at Offutt AFB in October 2008 by USAF photographer Josh Plueger. Click on the following links (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) for high resolution photos of 663 taken in August 2008 at RAF Mildenhall by Roger Whitcomb.
On 2 October 1969, a 1.2 megaton nuclear weapon was detonated underground (Project Milrow) on the island of Amchitka.
On 3 October 1969, the 6th SW held a dining-In at the Eielson, AFB Officer's Club to celebrate its 50th Anniversary (1919-1969). Visit "Raven's Nest" on Page #16 under "Related Stories" for the entire program.
On 20 November 1970 Colonel Jack Gatewood handed over command of Det-1, 6th SW, SAC to Lt Col Donald M. Griffin. Click Here for historical photos provided by Colonel Griffin, USAF (Ret.), that include the change of command ceremony and a visit to Det-1, 6th SW by General Bruce K. Holloway (CINCSAC) in 1971.
Col. Griffin retired in 1981 with 38 years of military service (Active & Inactive) and more than 10,000 flying hours. He is currently serving as an elected board member with the 55th Wing Association.
On 13 June 1971, a modified C-135B (#61-0331) of "Burning Light" Task Force (USAF "Project III"), disappeared while returning to Hawaii after observing the French Encelade atmospheric nuclear test at Moruroa Atol. The aircraft was enroute from Pago Pago to Hickam AFB. Debri was found 70.6 miles SSW of Hawaii. All 24 crewmembers aboard perished including my good friend, Jack Tumas (Rivet Ball, LTV Tech. Rep.).
In September 1971, I was assigned to the HQ SAC Inspector General staff as an Operations Inspector. My primary area of responsibility was Reconnaissance Operations and Electronic Warfare. I served in this capacity for 4-1/2 years.
On 6 November 1971, a five megaton nuclear weapon was detonated underground (Project Cannikin) on the island of Amchitka. It is the largest underground nuclear test in US history. Click Here for video.
In March 1972, the "Big Safari" program delivered Cobra Ball II (RC-135S, #61-2664) to Det-1, 6th SW, SAC. Cobra Ball II (664), like Cobra Ball I (663), was equipped to monitor and record the terminal phase of Soviet ICBM testing.
On 2 April 1972, an EB-66C, call sign "BAT-21", was shot down south of the DMZ in Vietnam while flying a B-52 support mission. The navigator, LTC Iceal "Gene" Hambleton (BAT-21 Bravo), was the only survivor. After avoiding capture for almost 12 days, Gene was rescued by U.S. Navy Seal LTJG Thomas R. Norris and Petty Officer Third Class Nguyen Van Kiet. The rescue of Col. Hambleton was "the longest and most costly search and rescue mission during the Vietnam War."
Trivia: My good friend and fellow Raven / EWO, Col. Charles A. Levis, was killed on this mission along with four other crewmembers. Charlie was the lead Raven / EWO on Rivet Amber when we were flying reconnaissance missions with the 24th SRS, 6th SW out of Shemya in 1967-69. I also got to welcome him aboard when he reported for duty with the 42nd TEWS, 388th TFW at Korat, RTAFB in Thailand. When I asked him why he volunteered for a combat assignment he told me...... "I wanted to pull my oar before the war was over". Charlie was more than a professional warrior, he was a good friend and one of the nicest men I've ever known. I wear his POW / MIA bracelet to this day.
On 18-29 December 1972, Operation Linebacker II, a.k.a the "Christmas Bombings", ran its course against North and South Vietnam targets that resulted in final negotiations to end the war in Vietnam and release our POWs. The B-52 stood tall and ruled the day. It's time to go home. Click Here for "Records of U.S. Military Casualties, Missing in Action and Prisoners of War from the Era of the Vietnam War." Click Here for "Vietnam Prisoners of War Escapes and Attempts."
Trivia: On 21 December 1972 my good friend and fellow ACSC classmate Col. Bill Conlee was shot down over North Vietnam while flying a Linebacker II mission in a B-52G. He and the rest of the crew were captured and held in the famous Hanoi Hilton POW camp. The entire crew survived and were released at the end of the war during "Operation Homecoming".
On 3 April 1973 at 0900 GMT, the first Soviet manned "Almaz Space / Spy Station", Salyut-2, was placed in orbit. Click Here for "NOVA | Inside a Soviet Spy Station"
On 1 February 1975, a severe earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale damaged the runway and hangars on Shemya. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt. The patch below was designed by an Airman stationed on Shemya.
In 1976-77, I attended Air War College (AWC) at Maxwell, AFB and published a research paper titled "Airborne Optical Tracking (U)" . It was submitted to Aviation Week and Space Technology for review and publication
On 1 August 1977, the AN/FPS-108 Cobra Dane phased array radar became operational and replaced the AN/FPS-17 detection radar and AN/FPS-80 tracking radar on Shemya. The AN/FPS-17 Detection Radar at the Shemya AFB became operational in May 1960, and the AN/FPS-80 Tracking Radar became operational on April 1, 1962.
On 26 October 1978, a US Navy P-3C Orion, "Alfa Foxtrot 586", flying from Adak in the Aleutians ditched at sea west of Shemya with fifteen men aboard. Cobra Ball II (RC-135S, #61-2664), Call Sign: "Scone 92", from Shemya was the first aircraft to arrive on scene and spot survival rafts. Ten of the fifteen men aboard "Alpha Foxtrot 586" survived. Five perished including the Aircraft Commander, LCDR Jerry Grigsby, who was "Lost at Sea". Cobra Ball crewmembers aboard "Scone 92" received an Air Medal for their rescue effort.
On 3 June 1980, I was on "Airborne Alert" with the 2ACCS from Offutt, AFB. As a key member of the "Battle Staff" (EC-135C / Looking Glass) my primary responsibility was to brief and advise the "Looking Glass" commander, a general officer, regarding war plans (SIOP). At 02:25 a.m. (MST) NORAD Headquarters contacted us via secure phone (KY-3) and reported.... "Eleven ICBMs Inbound !" I briefed and advised the commanding general on duty of the situation as we prepared for the worst. Fortunately, it was a false alarm. It was my most memorable mission as a war planner aboard "Looking Glass".
On 15 March 1981, Cobra Ball II (# 61-2664) departed Eielson for Shemya with 24 souls onboard. While attempting to land on The Rock they encountered a rapid decline in weather that resulted in a crash landing. Six men lost their lives and several Medals were awarded for bravery. See "The Ides of March" by Dr. Kerry A. Crooks on Page #15 under "Related Stories" for details and "Cobra Ball II Memorial" on Page #16 under "Memorial Tributes".
