What would happen if cosmonauts landed in the USA?

Factual Questions
61

Come on Stranger, you know what that big smiley face means. I really enjoy your posts and always look forward to the info you provide. Thoughtful, interesting, accurate.

I think the main reason people get mad here is because they’ve painted themselves into a corner and are trying to defend the indefensible and I think that’s what you’ve done. Or they try and move the goal posts.

But you’re only upset because you want “factual accuracy?” OK. Here’s what you wrote:

That’s just not correct. Here are the Navy recovery efforts that are certain:

Mission / Acft Type / Navy Reg no / Squadron / Acft
MERCURY 3 – HUS-1 BuNo 148767, HMR(L)-262, ET-44
MERCURY 4 – HUS-1 BuNo 148754, HMR(L)-262, ET-30
MERCURY 7 – HSS-2 (SH-3A) BuNo 148964, HS-3, AU-61
GEMINI 3 – SH-3A BuNo 148984, HS-3, AU-57
GEMINI 4 – SH-3A (BuNo unknown), HS-11, AS-64
GEMINI 5 – SH-3A BuNo 149005, HS-5, AT-58
GEMINI 7 – SH-3A BuNo 149006, HS-11, AT-56
GEMINI 10 – SH-3A BuNo 152134, HS-3, AU-63
GEMINI 11 – SH-3A BuNo 152134, HS-3, AU-63
GEMINI 12 – SH-3A BuNo 151556, HS-11, AS-66
APOLLO 7 – SH-3A BuNo 149918, HS-5, AT-55
APOLLO 8 – SH-3D BuNo 152711, HS-4, NU-66
APOLLO 9 – SH-3D BuNo 152695, HS-3, AU-54
APOLLO 10 – SH-3D BuNo 152711, HS-4, NT-66
APOLLO 11 – SH-3D BuNo 152711, HS-4, NT-66
APOLLO 12 – SH-3D BuNo 152711, HS-4, NT-66
APOLLO 13 – SH-3D BuNo 152711, HS-4, NT-66
APOLLO 14 – SH-3D BuNo 152121, HS-6, NS-500
APOLLO 15 – SH-3G BuNo 148996, HC-1, UP-001
APOLLO 16 – SH-3G BuNo 149930, HC-1, UP-001
APOLLO 17 – SH-3G BuNo 149930, HC-1, UP-001

Leaving:

MERCURY 6 – no helo
MERCURY 8 – Unknown
MERCURY 9 - Unknown
GEMINI 6 – Unknown
GEMINI 8 - Air Force
GEMINI 9 - Unknown

At least 21 of 27 missions and divers in the water are Navy. Navy helos commanded by Navy Officers in Navy squadrons off Navy ships. Do you really think this means that the Air Force “was responsible” and had “the divers you see in the water?” Was it so hard to type “my bad?”

I won’t even get into the discussion on Navy Frogmen being the precursor of SEALS which really isn’t up for discussion.

62

Pot, meet kettle. I have never said that the Navy was not involved in recovery operations for the sea-landing Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions, which would be an absurd claim on the face. I did say that USAF Pararescue was involved in search and recovery operations for Gemini and Apollo, and that I personally knew a (now deceased) PJ who was in the water for several of the Gemini missions. I have provided documentation that Pararescue training includes specific training for recovery of NASA astronauts. And back to the basic point, if astronauts were to be forced into a landing in hostile or uncontrolled territory, it would very likely be PJs deployed in the initial SAR operation, just as they are for downed fliers.

There has never in the history of the United States Navy any unit called “Navy Frogmen”. If you believe this to be the case, please come back with evidence to support this claim. “Frogman” is a generic term that has been applied to Navy divers, only a small portion of which are/were SEALs, UDT, Operational Swimmers, or Amphibious Scouts. Most Navy divers are not trained by Naval Special Warfare Center or part of the special operations community, which is specifically focused on counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations.

Stranger