B-52 Pilot: “Ranger, we’re 5 miles out.”
USS Ranger: “We do not have visual…”
B-52 Pilot: “Look down”
Taken in the spring of 1990 in the Persian Gulf, the impressive pictures in this post feature U.S. Air Force (USAF) B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers buzzing USS Ranger (CV-61) aircraft carrier.
The story went as follows.
Two B-52s called the USS Ranger and asked if they could do a fly-by, and the carrier air controller said yes.
When the B-52s reported they were 9nkilometers out, the carrier controller said he didn’t see them. The B-52s told the carrier folks to look down.
B-52 Pilot: “Ranger, we’re 5 miles out.”
USS Ranger: “We do not have visual…”
B-52 Pilot: “Look down”
According to The Tailhook Association website, the B-52 paint scheme made it hard to see from above, but as it got closer, the sailors could make it out, and the water the B-52 jets were causing to spray out.
As we have already explained (click here to read the article) B-52s usually practiced low-level flights during the Cold War years to come in under Soviet radar. In this case, the B-52 pilots asked the carrier controller if they would like the bombers to come around again. The carrier guys said yes, and a lot more sailors had their cameras out this time.
Although it’s very rare for a USAF aircraft to do a fly-by below the flight deck of a carrier, it’s not rare seeing B-52sndoing low fly-bys over US Navy flattops.
In the winter of 1981 in fact, two Guam-based B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers performed a low fly-by over USS Midway (CV-41) aircraft carrier. Here you can read the whole story of the USS Midway low fly-by written by B-52 commander Doug Aitken.
Update: Tim Manley, the reader of #AW#, brought to our attention that the main photo used for this article was taken on the USS Independence (CV62) not the USS Ranger. A claim was proved by the tail markings on the F-14 from VF-154 and the E-2C from VAW-115 parked on the flight deck. Both squadrons were deployed as part of CAG-5 which is can be identified as NK in the tail of the aircraft that were assigned to CV-62. They were never deployed on the Ranger. Stay tuned for additional updates if further details on this story had to come to light!
Photo by U.S. Navy