Share this article
If you are ready, let us turn back the clock to the mid-to-late-1980s and take a ride aboard the S-3A Viking alongside our intrepid SENSOs during their heyday and discover what it took to make it in this exclusive community.
Though overshadowed by the flashier Tomcats, Corsairs, Hornets, and Intruders it flew alongside, the Lockheed S-3 Viking was arguably the most versatile platform of the carrier air wing of its era. Introduced to the fleet in 1974 as an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft, it went on to serve as an air-refueling tanker, conducted surface surveillance and attack, and was also modified to gather electronic intelligence. It would be relieved of its ASW duties in 1998 and, ultimately, leave frontline service in 2009.
TheViking was also unique for a fixed-wing carrier-based tactical aircraft in thatit carried an enlisted aircrewman as a member of its crew. United States NavalAviation is largely the refuge of commissioned officers, which made the enlistedcrewman’s presence on the crew that much more remarkable. It was in the leftaft seat the S-3 Sensor Operator, or SENSO, sat and operated the aircraft’scutting-edge acoustic analysis systems for underwater threats. An extremelychallenging, yet incredibly rewarding, line of work, it defined the careers ofNavy sailors like Gregory “Ferris” Bules and Michael “Cheeseburger” Worth,placing them in a class all their own.
So,if you are ready, let us turn back the clock to the mid-to-late-1980s and takea ride aboard the S-3A Viking alongside our intrepid SENSOs during their heydayand discover what it took to make it in this exclusive community.
Airborne Sub-Hunters
Inthe U.S. Navy, enlisted personnel are referred to by their respective “rating,”which denotes their occupational specialty within the service. S-3 SENSOs weredrawn from the pool of Aviation Anti-Submarine Warfare Operators (AWs), whoaccording official Navy literature of the time:
…operate airborne electronic equipment usedin detecting, locating, and tracking submarines. They also operate radars toprovide information for aircraft and surface ship navigation.
Inaddition to the S-3, AWs also flew aboard the Lockheed P-3 Orion, a land-basedASW and surface surveillance aircraft, along with helicopters. Those who flewaboard helos cross-trained as rescue swimmers in addition to operating ASWsystems.
Onthe Viking, SENSOs sat directly behind the pilot, a Naval Aviator (NA), andbeside the Tactical Coordinator, or TACCO, a Naval Flight Officer (NFO).Rounding out the crew and sitting next to the pilot was the Co-Pilot/TacticalCoordinator (COTAC), who was initially an NA before being replaced by an NFOlater in the S-3’s service life. The SENSO monitored the S-3’s vast array ofsensors, working closely with the TACCO, who oversaw the tactical picture andmade the lion’s share of major decisions related to tracking and, if necessary,attacking hostile contacts.
The AW rating was later re-named to “Aviation Warfare Systems Operator,” then to its current title of “Naval Aircrewman.” Aboard fixed-wing aircraft, the rating is presently divided into three specialties – Mechanical (AWF), Operator (AWO), and Avionics (AWV). AWFs act as flight engineers and loadmasters, while AWOs fulfill the same role the rating did in its previous iterations, except exclusively aboard land-based P-3 and P-8 Poseidon aircraft. AMVs are in-flight technicians/troubleshooters for the aircraft’s avionics, as the name implies. AWs assigned to helicopters are designated as either “Helicopter” or “Tactical Helicopter.” The former serves as utility crewmembers aboard non-ASW-capable Navy helicopters, while the latter flies aboard ASW-capable helos.
The SENSO’s
Forits time, the S-3A possessed a cutting-edge avionics suite for detectingsurface and sub-surface contacts. Its primary means of underwater detectionwere 60 sonobuoys coming in four varieties, including one search-and-rescuesonobuoy, whose signals were run through a sophisticated processing system. TheS-3 also had a 20-foot Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) boom which extended fromthe tail of the aircraft like a “stinger.” Large, metallic objects, likesubmarines, create disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field; the disturbance waswhat the MAD looked for and was employed for final confirmation of asubmarine’s presence underwater.
For surface detection, Vikings utilized a radar specially designed to detect contacts at sea up to 150 miles and a Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR), the latter which was housed in a pod that was extended from underneath the cabin. The FLIR imagery pod allowed for close-up observation of contacts at all times during the day, including low-light conditions, and during inclement weather. Finally, the S-3A was geared with the most sophisticated Electronic Support Measures (ESM) system available among carrier-based aircraft upon its debut. Primarily a defensive system, it also allowed the Viking to act as a quasi-Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) platform, a concept later expanded upon and implemented in the dedicated ES-3A Shadow ELINT variant. The S-3A had no active defenses, however, such as chaff and flare for defeating inbound missiles.
TheSENSO’s console consisted of two screens; one for displaying radar data andFLIR imagery, while the other displayed acoustic detection data. These displaysand associated systems were operated using a fold-down keyboard-like controlconsole known as the Integrated Control System (INCOS). The INCOS sat higherthan the McDonnell Douglas Escapac 1E zero-zero ejection seats the crewmemberssat in, so that it would be pushed away by the tops of the seats as theyrocketed skyward and through the opaque canopy above the SENSO and TACCO.
TheS-3A carried a surprisingly diverse array of ordnance for such a specializedplatform on its two underwing hardpoints and bomb bays. In addition to the Mk.46 air-dropped torpedo, depth charges, and mines for ASW, the Viking alsocarried Mk. 80-series General Purpose Bombs, cluster munitions, unguidedrockets, and even nuclear bombs. Its arsenal would expand in the proceedingvariant to come.
Being specifically designed to fit onto and operate within the confines of a crowded carrier flight deck did not diminish its performance, either. The SENSO alone was a highly-skilled and trained specialist; together with the other three crewmembers, the Viking could equal the performance of its larger land-based counterpart, the Lockheed P-3 Orion, despite possessing less than half the crew complement – the S-3’s lone AW did the work of three AWs aboard an Orion.
Likemost military aircraft, Vikings were not designed for comfort. “That ejectionseat might be designed to save your life but sit on it long enough and it feltlike it was ‘cutting’ into you,” as bluntly characterized by Bules.“Fortunately, the S-3 was spacious enough we could get up to stretch our legsand relieve ourselves in-flight using a ‘piddle pack.’ But you never wanted tostay out of your ejection seat for too long, in case of an emergency, lest itblast off without you in it!”
Theupgraded variant, the S-3B, entered frontline service in 1988 and graduallyphased the S-3A out of service. The B-variant featured improved avionics anddetection systems and carried a wider-range of weaponry, including theair-to-ground AGM-65 Maverick missile and the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile.As surface attack gained greater emphasis, ASW lost emphasis with the end ofthe Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union. Sensing a diminished underwaterthreat, the Navy elected to cut costs in part by stripping the S-3 of its ASWmission, removing equipment designed for that mission and de-necessitated theneed for a SENSO and TACCO in the back. The final ASW-geared and SENSO-mannedS-3 flew in 1998; all subsequent flights were crewed by a pilot and co-pilotonly.
The Making of a SENSO
GregBules went through a “Rambo” phase during his late-teen years. Inspired by theSylvester Stallone-starring 1982 action movie, the Ohio-native decided hewanted to become a U.S. Army Ranger. That was, until, he met “Jack,” a familyfriend and Navy Blue Angels flight demonstration team crew chief, and his lifewas changed forever.
“Myparents were understandably leery about me joining the Army and becoming agrunt, so they split the difference and drove me towards a differentdestination in the military,” remembers Bules. “Luckily, I had a mentor,‘Jack,’ to vector me by getting the recruiter to introduce me to the AWrating.” Initially, the recruiter suggested Bules become a rescue swimmer,which sounded like an exciting, adrenaline-rush of a job. InJune 1986, the day after graduating high school, Bules left for recruittraining after spending most of his senior year in the Delayed Entry Programwith a guaranteed AW ‘A’ school slot, with hopes and dreams of flying on a Navyhelicopter as a rescue swimmer.
Meanwhile,in Florida, Michael Worth dreamt of flying in the Navy since high school. Butflying requires an officer’s commission, which, in turn, requires a collegedegree, which his family found difficult to afford. As fate would have it, afriend who enlisted in the Navy at around the same time introduced him to theAW rate which, Worth was pleasantly surprised to discover, would allow him tofly without becoming an officer!
Butthe Navy recruiter, according to Worth, “pursued his own agenda,” attempting toforce young Michael down a different career path. Determined to fly, Worth didwhat most recruiters and recruits would consider unthinkable – ship to recruittraining without a guaranteed job. Doing so created a high likelihood the Navywould pick a job, any job, for him and he would be stuck with it for theduration of his enlistment contract, whether he liked it or not.
“Iwould never recommend that to anyone,” says Worth in retrospect, “It was arisky gamble.” But, ultimately, his Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery(ASVAB) test scores, knowledge of the AW rate, and sheer determination allconverged at a single point, allowing him to take his pick of rates and choosewhat he always knew he wanted. Worth reported to recruit training a full yearahead of Bules, in June 1985.
Regardlessof rating, all Navy enlistees begin their career at Recruit Training Command,or RTC. Today, RTC is located exclusively at Naval Station Great Lakes, northof Chicago, but prior to the mid-1990s, Navy recruit training was also offeredat Naval Training Centers Orlando and San Diego – Bules attended San Diego,while Worth went through RTC in Orlando.
Aftergraduation, prospective AWs headed for Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida,and the Naval Aircrewman Candidate School, or NACCS. NAS Pensacola, referred toas the “Cradle of Naval Aviation,” is best known as the starting point for NAsand NFOs. Though there were once multiple enlisted aircrew schools, Pensacolahas served as the single starting point for all AWs since 1983. During the S-3era, NACCS was a five-week course that taught basic safety and survival skillsand instills the physical conditioning necessary to survive and thrive as AWs,regardless of which platform they ultimately flew.
Duringthe approximately one-month-long course, the aircrew candidates were putthrough a grueling physical training regimen, among the toughest in the Navy.The running was endless; daily three and five miles were the norm, coupled withother conditioning workouts. In the end, male candidates were expected to runone-and-a-half miles in no less than 11 minutes, 39 seconds to pass NACCS, withwomen expected to do it in 14 even, plus an obstacle course where each stationwas to be completed successfully.
Thenthere was the swimming, which put the “naval” in “Naval Aircrewman.” Candidatesswam almost exclusively in flight gear, beginning with a one-mile swim in aflight suit, then adding the helmet, harness, gloves, boots, and other apparel.Drown-proofing was taught in the swimming pools of NACCS and in the waters offthe Pensacola coast, attempting to instill confidence in one’s ability tosurvive, in addition to teaching hard survival skills, parachute training (noactual jumps were involved), and being hoisted up a rescue helicopter.
Therewas also the helo-dunker, a.k.a. “Panic in a Drum,” where trainees were testedin their ability to escape from an overturned helicopter in water. A mental, aswell as a physical test, the dunker separated those who possessed the calmnessand the ability to fall back on their training versus those who resorted topanic and could not apply what they had been taught. Candidates went throughthe dunker four times, switching crew positions each turn, and the last two“dunks” with opaque goggles on to simulate a nighttime ditch.
Continuingthe theme of preparing for helicopter work, NACCS trainees even engaged inboxing matches. Indirectly serving as a form of stress relief, boxing alsoprepared trainees to take the literal hit in the form of a controlled helicoptercrash. As Worth discovered, no punches were pulled during these matches.
“TheNavy likes to know you can think while you’re getting your bell rung,” heexplained. “My final match was against a Marine that was maybe five-foot even;I was five-foot-nine. Everyone thought I had the advantage and I certainly didhave the longer reach. But Marines being Marines, he cleaned my clock good! Hesays I rang his bell plenty, too, when we went to dinner afterwards. We werefriends before the match and better friends after.”
Likemuch of the NACCS curriculum, boxing helped build the confidence necessary toperform dangerous tasks with no room for error. Other situations with no roomfor error included dealing with hypoxia, the training for which took place inthe pressure chamber. The goal was to recognize the signs and symptoms ofhypoxia and retain the awareness and presence of mind to take steps necessaryto address the situation before the lack of oxygen overwhelmed the flyer. Thepressure chamber was part of an overall aviation physiology curriculum, whichalso included learning about vertigo and how to perform the Valsalva maneuverto clear one’s ears due to changes in air pressure.
NACCSclasses were typically comprised of anywhere from 10 – 20 candidates. Some,like Greg Bules and Michael Worth, were brand-new recruits, a portion of whomdreamt of becoming pilots or NFOs, but either were not college graduates and,thus, lacked a commission, or were not medically qualified to become pilots.Others were “salty dogs,” as Bules described them, who had cross-rated as AWsafter spending years performing other specialties in the Navy. At the time, allwere male.
Acrossthe way was the now-defunct Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS), madefamous in the 1982 classic film AnOfficer and a Gentlemen. Graduates of each candidate schools who wentthrough each program at the same time would eventually fly together as well.
“Theyplayed us off each other,” says Bules. “Our instructors reminded us [the pilotsand NFOs] would be relying on us to successfully execute the mission and theirinstructors would remind them we’d be depending on them to accomplish themission and make it back home.”
Thefive weeks eventually came to an end with a brief graduation ceremony, but withno other fanfare. Shortly before the end of NACCS, the question on everytrainee’s mind was addressed for the first time – which aircraft would theyfly? Each candidate filled out a “dream sheet,” with Worth picking S-3s first,helicopters second, and P-3s last. Bules had counted on helicopters but foundhis uncorrected eyesight did not meet the stricter standard demanded of rescueswimmers, which was 20/50 uncorrected – Bules was 20/70. Narrow margins,indeed, but the standards were not flexible. He picked the next-best option ashis top choice, which sounded exciting. “It was the summer Top Gun came out,” Bules pointed out. “Who didn’t want to fly off an aircraft carrier after seeing that?”
Thestory continues next week in Part Two, as the training continues and thechallenges mount. Will Greg Bules and Michael Worth successfully complete theirtraining and make it into the fleet? How was life in an S-3 squadron ondeployment and what was it like hunting submarines? Find out by reading thenext installment!
Technical information regarding the S-3 was taken from S-3 Viking In Action by Brad Elward.
Photo credit: PH1 Ronald Beno and LCDR Tom Twomey / U.S. Navy and Willy Peeters
Share this article
