The AGI Vertikal Incident,
ca. January-September 1965
The 1972 US-USSR Incidents at Sea Agreement
(Contributions are from Rick Hollis and
Glenn Krochmal, with additional material and commentary from EG Adams.) |
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For a period of some months, ca. January to
September of 1965, USNS Dutton was harassed by the Soviet Intelligence
Trawler AGI Vertikal. Such harassment was common during the Cold
War. Soviet "trawlers" lay in wait outside Fleet Ballistic Missle
Submarine bases, violated nautical rules of the road to interfere with
carrier flight ops, and followed ships like Dutton in an ultimately
futile attempt to defeat her mission.
Soviet Naval planners had never considered what would happen when they
sent one of their experienced intelligence gathering pirates up against
the TAGS sailors of USNS Dutton. Glenn Krochmal's account of what
happened is documented
here on his
"COMMENTARIES..." page. |
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The New York Times reports these incidents in an April
3, 1965 article, although as is usual for the Times it gets its facts
wrong and calls the Dutton a "Cable Ship". The full article is on
the right, the paragraphs related to Dutton on the left.
(Submitted by EG Adams from the NYT archives, and by Glenn
Krochmal.) |
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The Vertikal and her sisters were
variously described by Jane's Fighting Ships
as "Intelligence Trawlers" or "Direction Trawlers". They were
equiped with electronic communications intelligence equipment and
operators, and charged with intercepting the communications of American
ships, especially when those ships were operating under warlike or emergency conditions. There
could be no doubt the Rooskies knew just what a TAGS was and what it was
doing (we steamed in straight lines, back-and-forth, back-and-forth, and
made loud noises underwater), plus Jane's Fighting
Ships published our essential mission, although not the
particulars.
(Copies of Jane's Fighting Ships
entries subitted by EG Adams.) |
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The Russian Intelligence Trawler AGI
Vertikal.
Photographed by PH1 Fred Martin from USNS Duttton, 1965.
(Contributed by Glenn Krochmal) |
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The RAF Avro Shackleton MR.3 maritime patrol aircraft, which buzzed
the AGI Vertkal in response to Dutton's distress calls. The Brits
have always been the good guys (after 1814, that is!).
Photographed by PH1 Fred Martin from USNS Duttton, 1965.
(Contributed by Rick Hollis)
The aircraft was identified for the TAGS site by Clare Carr,
Assistant Curator, Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, UK
http://www.rafmuseum.org
"This
(aircraft) entered service with the RAF in 1957 and was operated by nos.
120, 201, 203, 206 and 220 Squadrons. Unfortunately I cannot make out
the aircraft serial numbers on the aircraft, other than that it was
Y-Yankee."
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Closeups of AGI Vertikal.
Photographed by PH1 Fred Martin from USNS Duttton, 1965.
(Contributed by Rick Hollis)
Fred was promoted to PHC for his fine photographic work.
(Unfortunately we have only digital scans of xerox copies of copies of
Fred's original work. Oh, to have the negatives!) |
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The forepart of Vertikal.
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The bridge of Vertkal. Just visible in deep
shadow in the port bridge window is a Vertikal crewman with a pair of
binoculars to his eyes. Standing on the port wing is another
crewman, possibly holding a camera.
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Another Vertkal crewman, just bringing a pair of
binoculars up to his eyes. He's standing just aft of the bridge,
forward of the stack.
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As a result of such hazardous
maritime incidents as that between USNS Dutton and AGI Vertikal, The
United States and the USSR concluded the
"Incidents at Sea Agreement",
signed May 1972.
This paper by by the naval historian David F. Winkler in the The Journal of
Strategic Studies recounts the history of the agreement.
The Dutton-Vertikal incident is described on p373.
(Submitted by EG Adams.)
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The incident is also described on p30 of Winkler's "Cold
War at Sea".
(Submitted by EG Adams.) |
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| Palomares
Incident, ca. late January, 1966 |
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On 17 January 1966, a B-52 bomber collided with a KC-135 tanker while
refueling over Spain. Of the four nuclear weapons carried by the B-52, three
fell on Spanish soil and one landed in the Mediterranean sea off Palomares,
Spain.
USNS Dutton was there, along with
Rick Hollis, who preserved these news
magazine accounts of the incident:
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Readers Digest, September, 1966
Dutton is mentioned in the bottom left panel of p262. |
All Hands Magazine, Sept, 1966*
The Dutton is mentioned briefly on p53.
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Look or Life Magazine, 1966
Dutton is not mentioned. |
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SAGA Magazine, September, 1966.
Unidentified by name in the article, a photo of Dutton appears on p3 in the lower left pane. |
Sandia LabNews, January, 1995
Dutton is not mentioned. |
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*- ALL HANDS magazine back issues are online at
http://www.navy.mil/allhands.asp , however this scan of Rick Hollis'
original copy is higher resolution. |
