“We Should Call It Star Wars!”

Date: 15 June 1981

Time: 0843 Local (+ GMT)

Location: The Barents Sea, approximately 100 Nm due west of Novaya Zemlya

The Protagonists

Dmitriy Donskoi (TK-208) Soviet Typhoon class Nuclear Ballistic Missile Submarine. Two days at sea. NSA (all resource/fusion) assessment is that 208 is conducting an “end-to-end” weapons system test / evaluation mission similar to the DASO conducted by US missile boats.

Kosmonavt Yuriy Gagarin Two days at sea. Four huge dish antennas dominate the superstructure of this Soviet telemetry and space tracking vessel. Purpose built for the Soviet space program, it’s capabilities have been widely cross utilized in military programs. NSA estimate – direct support of Typhoon 208 mission.

Northern Fleet Assets – Over the past week, roughly 1/3 of the fleet had been deployed in sectors covering the eastern reaches (30 percent) of the Barents Sea. Kirov, Moskva, Kresta IIs, Kyndas etc. Air wing elements including Tupelov TU – 142 Bear, Ilyushin Il-38 May and Kamov Ka-25 Hormone. Mission: Sanitize operating areas in support of Typhoon 208 mission. Submerged assets believed to be six – a mix of Victor IIs, and IIIs.

British Tactical Situation

At Periscope Depth (Scope is Down)

Alerted by NSA satellite monitors, Batfish made initial contact with 208 as she crossed the 100 fathom curve outbound from Guba Litsa submarine base. In loose trail, Batfish avoided detection and monitored Gagarin as she accompanied 208 in transit to their present location.

208 (Master 1) has been in a “Slow Racetrack Mode” in a perceived east / west steaming box for the last 6 hours while Gagarin (Master 2) conducts similar maneuvers roughly 4,000 yards to the northwest. Batfish has worked her way to a position approximately 2000 yards to the southwest of 208 in order to achieve optimal acoustic / visual conditions. Shadowing 208 movements, she will maintain best position for data acquisition.

Hushed Batfish Control Room

The entire ship’s crew has been at “Battle Stations” Manning status since 0516 when the Senior Rider (Russian Linguist) reported “launch readiness comms” during a scope exposure. Tension tempered by weariness has set in.

• 0843:30 PA: “On 342.”
• CO grabs the handles looks down the bearing / then rotates to the right, stopping periodically for a moment, shifts to high power then back to low power, move, stop, shift, move stop shift.
• 0843:35 PA: “5 seconds , 10 seconds…….”
• 0843:45 CO: “Down scope!!!”
• (Click – whuuuuuuuurssssshhhhhh kerrrchunk)
• 0843:48 Conn-Radio: “Rider says they are shooting”!!
• 0843:53 Conn-Sonar: “Multiple Transients bearing 025!!!”
• 0843:57 CO: “Dive – 62 feet smartly, ahead two thirds, raise ESM mast, raising both scopes”
• (Click – whuuuuuuuurssssshhhhhh kerrrchunk)
• (Click – whuuuuuuuurssssshhhhhh kerrrchunk)
• 0844:25 Dive: “62 feet sir”
• 0844”27 CO: “Ahead 1/3. Lets get every scrap of data we can!!!”
• 0844:55 CO: “””Holy sh…………………..!!!!!!!”””
• (What transpired over the next 8 minutes was nothing short of a prelude Armageddon as 20 (Twenty) RSM 52 first generation ballistic missiles were ripple launched on a southeastern trajectory.)

Date: 4 July 1981

Time: 2243 Local (+ GMT)

Location: The Oval Office – President Ronald Reagan (5 months into his presidency) has just viewed the National Mall Fireworks Display from the balcony of the Whitehouse with his family and senior staff.

A few minutes later …

• RR: “Holy Sh ……………. !!!!!!!

And the idea that came to be known as “Star Wars” was firmly implanted in Reagan’s mind.

(The ownership of the pictures of the submarine and of Reagan and Bush are as of yet unidentified.)