Little Diomede (place, water, time)

[Лютый]

Got it. Thanks )

[wildcat2009]

Your name means February doesn't it?

[Лютый]

Originally Posted by wildcat2009

Your name means February doesn't it?

Is this question to me?
The point is that Russians call the wolf as «Лютый» (fierce) in folk-tales. In addition this name is such expressive that it is used for definition a lot of natural phenomenons and cases in the life. For example, «лютый мороз» (fierce/severe frost), «лютая буря» (fierce/violent storm), “лютая ненависть» (fierce/strong hatred) and so on. As for me so I had been named “Лютый» (Fierce) by my friends several years ago because of my love and respect to polar (chukchee) wolves. And else ... my work is in the field of the environmental protaction and ecology. That’s why I’m Лютый. Another hand "Luty" is pronounced like February in Ukrainian not Russian (in Russian "February" is "Февраль" = Fevral)

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by JohnPF

Cold War era was understandable of course. But the op question was about the Little Diomede...

As far as what's to guard?

Tin City Air Force Base was located on the south side of Cape Mountain, right on the Bering Straits. They operated an Air Control & Warning (short range) Radar, and their moto was "Tin City, first to know first to go". Every single one of them was absolutely convinced that if an atomic war broke out, the first bomb would be dropped on them! Somehow that was going to prevent them from warning the Lower-48 that the bombers were on the way. (That isn't logical, but it did keep their spirits up.)

They of course guarded/protected Little Diomede, which is just a few miles off shore. Or, that was the plan. In fact the only people allowed outside in the winter months were those whose work required it (the road crew, for example). Troops spent a one year assignment there, and a very high percentage developed a serious case of alcoholism. (Enlisted men were assigned to remote AC&W sites because of bad luck when they drew a name out the hat. Officers, at least for the last 15 years or so of their operation, were assigned there as punishment for screwing up. About 1 in 10 officers just accidentally happened to be picked when an assignment came up and nobody was in line for a penal colony.)

In the 1950's and 1960's the Russians used to fly Mig fighters deep into Alaska on a regular basis. We had slower fighters, and couldn't catch them. Worse than that, interceptor pilots who flew from Eielson AFB were far more worried that they would get shot down by a Nike missile while returning home than they were about being shot up by a Russian Mig.

[JohnPF]

In the 1950's and 1960's the Russians used to fly Mig fighters deep into Alaska on a regular basis. We had slower fighters, and couldn't catch them. Worse than that, interceptor pilots who flew from Eielson AFB were far more worried that they would get shot down by a Nike missile while returning home than they were about being shot up by a Russian Mig.

This I was aware of. But today, bases like that are quite obsolete, aren;t they. Satelites are much more convinient way of early detection. And they can track individuals too.

[Marty Van Diest]

Originally Posted by JohnPF

Just for the heck of it? On a remote island? I can assure you Ignaluk are not guarding the border...

Hey, don't tell those Russians there isn't anyone guarding the border.

I remember growing up in western Alaska we sometimes heard rumors that the Russians were coming.

If they showed up now we would just invite them in for coffee.

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by JohnPF

This I was aware of. But today, bases like that are quite obsolete, aren;t they. Satelites are much more convinient way of early detection. And they can track individuals too.

Well, satellite surveillance works well when there are no clouds... (or for individuals who have a transponder).

But the actual purpose of the radar today (they are called Long Range Radar Sites) is different than it was when they were Air Control & Warning sites. Now it's all about "control". These sites were initially put in all around the perimeter of the US and then became the backbone of the radar system used to control all air traffic within the US.

Nobody is worried about a Russian aircraft headed for the US in any way other than to make sure it doesn't have a mid air collision with any of the aircraft headed towards Russia from the US.

Satellites do provide navigation services today that are far more advanced than would be possible via radar tracking.

Oh, one other odd thing too. While these radars are intended for aircraft, at least the old ones could also spot ocean going vessels. I don't know if this is still true though. But back in the 1960's any time a barge broke loose in the Bering Sea, the only way they could usually find it was to ask the AC&W radar sites where it was!

[JohnPF]

That is odd. I thought planes were getting low to the water to avoid radar. Like Clint Eastwood in Firefox

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by JohnPF

That is odd. I thought planes were getting low to the water to avoid radar. Like Clint Eastwood in Firefox

What they would do is make a run right down a line exactly between two of the radars. If the weather was just right, if the radar wasn't performing well, or whatever, they might have a period of time when the coverage didn't overlap, and neither of the two would see them. They might also go straight at one, and make note of where they were when the radar locked onto them. That would tell them to go down that line between radars a little off to one side or the other.

Then once they made it past the outer ring, the real fun was what happened when one of the AC&W's in the Interior picked them up! A friend of mine just happened to be in the Operations Room (working on the telecom equipment) at Galena when they spotted a Mig once. He called me up later that night and was describing it to me in detail, laughing all the while. The next day the USAF came out with a denial that it had happened...

[Лютый]

Originally Posted by Marty Van Diest

Hey, don't tell those Russians there isn't anyone guarding the border. ...

You are so late, friend ... several years ago I had been there in front of US guard base in the Little Diomede.