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Rickover’s NR-1: The Little Nuclear Sub That Could by Will Dabbs MD

Admiral Hyman Rickover bullied physics, bureaucracy, and common sense into submission and birthed the Nuclear Navy. His side quest, the pint-size NR-1 on truck tires, became the weirdest, coolest tool in Cold War deep water.

From Polish Kid To Nuclear Pit Boss

Admiral Hyman Rickover was unique in the annals of the US military. Born in Poland and brought to the US as a child to escape persecution of Jews, Rickover took his first paying job at age nine, earning three cents an hour holding a light for a neighbor who was operating a machine. He entered the US Naval Academy in 1918. In 1922, Rickover graduated 107th out of a total of 540 midshipmen.

Admiral Hyman Rickover portrait 1955 Father of the Nuclear Navy
Admiral Hyman Rickover was a serious piece of work. He is rightfully known as the Father of the Nuclear Navy. Public domain.

Rickover was acerbic, difficult, and mean. However, he was also notorious for getting stuff done. He spent World War 2 organizing and fixing things on ever-increasing scales. He helped coordinate repairs on the battleship USS California in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attacks and ended the war in command of a ship repair facility in Okinawa.

When Nuclear Power Hit The Ocean And Everything Shifted

Admiral Hyman Rickover inspecting USS Nautilus pioneering nuclear submarine
Admiral Rickover was the driving force behind the use of nuclear reactors in modern warships. He accompanied every new nuclear boat on its first trip out to sea. Public domain.

The Manhattan Project and the two prototype nuclear weapons that ended World War 2 changed the way the world worked. A vast effort was subsequently expended developing novel applications for nuclear energy as both tools and weapons. In 1946, Hyman Rickover took a job at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His passion became nuclear power for warships.

The original plan was to use miniaturized nuclear reactors to drive US Navy destroyers. Rickover, however, felt that effort would be better expended on submarines.

The Navy, like all bloated military enterprises, enjoys a great deal of administrative inertia. Superior officers who disagreed with the driven little man had him assigned to an office in a disused female restroom in an effort to sideline his efforts. Rickover bulled his way through in the same way he did everything else in his life.

Pressurized Water, Unlimited Endurance, New Tactics

USS Nautilus nuclear reactor core S1W concept image
The USS Nautilus was the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine. The Nautilus fundamentally changed the nature of naval combat. Public domain.

In February of 1949, Rickover threw himself into the development of a pressurized water nuclear reactor for submarine propulsion. The prospects were indeed tantalizing. If he could pull this off, Rickover faced the possibility of a stealthy warship that could operate submerged indefinitely. With essentially unlimited energy, a theoretical nuclear-powered submarine could make its own breathable air and clean water.

It could patrol the world’s oceans at will, loitering as needed to avoid detection. At that point, crew endurance and food stores became the limiting factors in operational deployment. Rickover felt that this was a crusade worth fighting for.

His was an inexplicably unpopular position. As a result, Captain Rickover’s superiors wanted him put out of the Navy for failure to achieve flag rank. The list of names the Navy submitted to the US Senate in 1953 for congressional approval of admiral rank did not include Rickover’s.

Where approval of this list is typically a fairly routine, perfunctory thing, the Senate, in this case, refused its blessing without Rickover. The Secretary of the Navy subsequently convened a special promotion board with the express purpose of approving Rickover for that list. The US Senate left the exchange happy, and Rickover got his star.

S1W reactor that powered USS Nautilus cutaway public domain
This is the S1W nuclear reactor that powered the USS Nautilus. It represented cutting-edge 1950s-era engineering. Public domain.

The S1W reactor that Rickover developed was a miracle of 1950s-era technology. Highly reliable and exceptionally safe, this device would fit into a submarine hull with a 28-foot beam. In 1954, the US Navy commissioned the USS Nautilus, powered by an S1W. The Nautilus was the world’s first operational nuclear-powered submarine.

Safety Record That Shamed The Soviets

USS Nautilus SSN-571 collision damage 1966 no reactor failure under Rickover
The Nautilus suffered an underwater collision with the American aircraft carrier USS Essex in 1966. However, none of Rickover’s boats ever suffered a serious reactor failure. Public domain.

Building a compact, self-contained nuclear power plant was a Gordian challenge. Making that device safe to operate for long periods underneath the sea bordered on impossible. However, Rickover pulled it off.

Over the course of the Russian nuclear submarine program, there have been fourteen known catastrophic reactor breaches. Thanks to Rickover and his superhuman compulsion for detail, the US Navy has had none. Spillover tech from US Navy nuclear programs contributed substantially to the safety of American terrestrial reactors as well.

The Interview Chair Trick And Other Rickover Tortures

Rickover was driven beyond all reason. He was also a miserable boss. He personally supervised the launch and shakedown sortie of every nuclear boat launched on his watch. During his tenure as chief of the Navy’s nuclear programs, every candidate for the nuclear power course had to interview with him personally. The content and nature of these interviews became the stuff of legend.

I have a friend who survived his encounter with Rickover. He said that, for starters, Rickover sawed off the front two legs of the chair you sit in a bit shorter than the back two. This meant that if you tried to get comfortable during the interview, you would gradually slide forward out of the chair. Rickover then proceeded to grill you mercilessly just to see how you responded under pressure. Candidates who lost their composure were remanded to Rickover’s unlit coat closet for a time to regain their wits before resuming their interviews.

Power, Eccentricity, And The Personal Submarine

Elon Musk visit public domain comparison to powerful eccentrics in Rickover narrative
If I were as rich and cool as this guy, I’d be weird, too. Public domain.

All seriously powerful people are eccentric. These eccentricities either drive them to their unusual positions or develop subsequent to their arrival. I would submit Elon Musk, Howard Hughes, Donald Trump, George Soros, Adolf Hitler, and Vladimir Putin as examples. These eccentricities are not necessarily bad. However, there inevitably results a sense of entitlement to one degree or another.

I’m not blaming these people. Were I Elon Musk with half a billion dollars in the bank and my own rocket ship company, I’d expect some cool perks as well. In Rickover’s case, he felt he needed a personal submarine.

CIA vs Rickover Over Nuclear Turf

USS Halibut nuclear submarine CIA operations Cold War image
The nuclear submarine USS Halibut was eventually acquired by the CIA for clandestine use during the Cold War. Hyman Rickover was absolutely livid over that. Public domain.

At such rarefied levels, military operations often distil down to petty little turf wars. Flag officers are absolutely insane about maintaining their own little fiefdoms. Hyman Rickover felt that all nuclear-powered submarines should answer to him personally. Naval Intelligence and the CIA felt otherwise.

The CIA co-opted the USS Halibut as an underwater intelligence gathering platform as part of Operation IVORY BELLS. IVORY BELLS was a fabulously successful initiative designed to locate, isolate, and tap Soviet underwater communication cables.

The communists assumed the cables were secure, so they did not bother encrypting their communications. Once we tapped into these cables, we could surveil Russian military activities in real time with no one being the wiser.

NR-1 The Tiny Nuclear Sub That Went Where Divers Could Not

NR-1 small nuclear powered submarine sea trials public domain
NR-1 was a small nuclear-powered submarine that was originally proposed as a search and rescue vessel. Reality was a good bit murkier. Public domain.

The very existence of the Halibut was like sand on Hyman Rickover’s eyeballs. When he realized that the CIA wasn’t going to give its spy submarine to him, Rickover decided that the next best thing would just be to build his own. Rickover’s personal nuclear-powered midget sub was designated NR-1. NR-1 was launched in 1969 at a cost of $30 million. That would be about a quarter billion dollars today.

NR-1 was an exceptionally capable machine. She could safely descend more than 2,300 feet deep and use her remote manipulator arms to do Sneaky Pete stuff on the ocean floor at depths well beyond the capabilities of even hard-suit divers. To thrive at those depths, the hull had to be perfectly circular and utterly uniform. Tolerances were less than a millimeter all around. Under Rickover’s direction, naval engineers pulled it off.

Not even the Father of the Nuclear Navy could write a check for a quarter billion bucks without some good reason. Rickover, therefore, declared that NR-1’s mission was actually Deep Sea Rescue. While an honorable pursuit, NR-1 didn’t technically possess the means to rescue anybody. It just went really, really deep.

Inside NR-1 What Made It Work

Early design sketch of NR-1 with Goodyear truck tires on the keel
This is an early concept drawing of NR-1. You can see the truck tires on the bottom that allowed the sub to creep along the ocean floor and gather bits of discarded Russian kit. Public domain.

While NR-1 was an exceptionally capable machine, it was also cramped and fairly austere on the inside. Crew space for the 7-man complement was minimal, and support equipment for stuff like food preparation was decidedly suboptimal. The boat would sortie for up to a month at a time, during which the crew subsisted on instant TV dinners. However, the tech built into the vessel was unprecedented.

Lead shielding for submersible reactors is always a technical challenge in submarine design. NR-1 got around this by incorporating a single lead bulkhead that separated the miniaturized reactor in back from the crew spaces up front. Once complete, NR-1 would indeed operate submerged indefinitely. In actual practice, the limiting factor in operational deployments was the capacity of the toilet.

NR-1 incorporated a set of wheels on the bottom that allowed the sub to creep along the ocean floor. These wheels were equipped with otherwise standard Goodyear truck tires. One crewmember was positioned on his belly in the bottom of the sub behind a set of portholes. In this configuration, NR-1 crept along the sea floor gathering up the remains of Soviet nuclear missiles that splashed down after operational tests.

What We Know About NR-1 Missions And What We Don’t

NR-1 orange sail search and recovery work Cold War operations
NR-1 was a weird boat commissioned by kind of a weird guy. It was, however, undeniably cool. Public domain.

Even today, nobody is completely sure what NR-1 actually did operationally. Her conning tower and sail were painted orange in keeping with the charade that she was actually a search and rescue boat. In 1976, NR-1 located an F14 fighter jet that rolled off the deck of the USS John F. Kennedy and sank in 1,960 feet of water. Ten years later, she helped locate the remains of the space shuttle Challenger after it broke up in flight. NR-1 was formally retired in 2009.

President John F. Kennedy with Admiral Hyman Rickover White House meeting
Hyman Rickover served through thirteen Presidential administrations. Reagan eventually forced him to retire at age 82. Rickover was rendered apoplectic by that. Public domain.

Hyman Rickover got a special dispensation from Congress to spend a total of 63 years in uniform. He was the longest-serving member of the US armed forces in American history. Rickover served under thirteen different Presidential administrations and oversaw 3,000 ship-years of accident-free nuclear warship operations.

USS Hyman G. Rickover SSN 795 Virginia-class attack submarine 2021 commission
This is the second nuclear-powered attack submarine to be named after Hyman Rickover. It remains in service today. Public domain.

Despite his legendarily grueling work ethic, Rickover was married twice and fathered one child. His first wife died of natural causes after 41 years of marriage. The Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Hyman Rickover was commissioned in 2021 and remains in active service today.

Despite this draconian approach, or more likely because of it, US Navy nuclear power officers have earned a righteous reputation for excellence in both military and civilian circles. Rickover succumbed to a stroke in 1986 at age 86, four years after he retired from the Navy. His nicknames included “The Father of the Nuclear Navy,” “The Kindly Old Gentleman,” or, simply, “KOG.” Rickover’s ghost still drives the Navy’s nuclear power program to this day.

NR-1 Specifications And Quick Reference

Model NR-1
Caliber N/A
Barrel Length N/A
Overall Length N/A
Weight N/A
Capacity 7 crew
MSRP $30,000,000 (1969)

Pros And Cons Of Rickover’s NR-1 Legacy

  • Pros: Extreme depth capability, remarkable safety culture, innovative mission systems like manipulator arms and seafloor wheels.
  • Cons: Cramped crew conditions, limited galley, ambiguous official mission, zero true rescue capability despite the cover story.
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Army Marksmanship Badges

Army Marksmanship Badges

Army marksmanship has always played a key role in American military readiness, starting with musket drills in the Revolutionary War and continuing through today’s precision rifle competitions.

The Army’s firearms training has evolved from a basic battlefield skill into a comprehensive program that encompasses training, competition, and recognition. Understanding this history shows how Army marksmanship badges maintain strong combat skills and set a standard that also shapes civilian shooting sports.

Historical Foundations: Army Marksmanship Badges

The American military has valued marksmanship since its earliest wars. During the Revolutionary War, frontier riflemen demonstrated the importance of accurate shooting, but formal training was not always consistent.

During the Civil War, many soldiers lacked strong marksmanship skills. Studies showed that thousands of rounds were fired for each casualty. This led military leaders to recognize that winning in battle required more than just giving soldiers weapons.

The Army began to focus more on marksmanship after the Spanish-American War, when it was clear that American soldiers often did not shoot as well as their opponents. In response, the Army set higher training standards and started keeping records of who qualified. In the early 1900s, the Army introduced standardized courses in which soldiers demonstrated their skills at various distances and in different positions.

World War I accelerated these changes. The Army realized that good marksmanship required organized training, not merely prior hunting or shooting experience.

Training camps added rifle ranges, and marksmanship became an essential part of basic training. This was also when qualification badges were introduced to recognize shooting skill, a tradition that continues today.

Timeline Of Notable Developments

a photo of the m16 battle rifle

Developed by Eugene Stoner at Armalite in 1957, the M16 replaced heavier weapons and became the military’s standard-issue battle rifle.

World War II 

This era saw large-scale mobilization, so the Army made marksmanship training uniform across all bases. The M1 Garand became the primary infantry rifle, and training courses focused on its use. Training also became more realistic, with time limits and added stress to better prepare soldiers for combat.

1956

The Army started the United States Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) at Fort Benning, Georgia. This unit was created to improve marksmanship throughout the Army and to compete in shooting competitions both in the U.S. and internationally. The USAMU has produced numerous Olympic medalists and world champions, thereby establishing a strong reputation among military shooters worldwide.

During The Vietnam War

The Army adopted the M16 rifle, which was lighter and had less recoil than the M14. This change meant soldiers had to learn new shooting techniques. Training began to focus more on combat skills, such as moving while shooting, engaging multiple targets, and practicing in realistic scenarios. The Army stopped training exclusively with stationary targets and then adopted more active methods.

Since The 1980s

The army’s marksmanship programs have continued to improve. New equipment, such as better rifle optics, night vision, and laser sights, led to changes in training.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan made combat marksmanship even more important, as soldiers had to hit targets at different distances in both cities and rural areas. Today’s training includes practicing under stress, making quick decisions, and combining shooting with other combat skills.

The USAMU remains a leader in American competitive shooting. Its Service Rifle, Action Shooting, and International Rifle and Pistol Teams have won many national championships and Olympic medals. In addition to competing, the USAMU is the Army’s primary center for marksmanship, developing training methods and equipment that support soldiers across the Army.

Civilian Marksmanship Program Connection

a photo of a man at a Civilian Marksmanship Program event

Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Green, Bogalusa, with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit’s Service Rifle Team. (Credit: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)

The Army’s link to civilian shooting sports is managed through the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). Congress started the CMP’s earlier version in 1903, believing that citizens who could shoot well would help national defense. The Army initially operated the program but transferred it to a federally chartered nonprofit organization in 1996.

The CMP’s mission remains closely linked to military readiness. It provides firearms safety training and rifle practice for citizens, especially young people. Through the CMP, civilians can purchase surplus military rifles, participate in shooting competitions, and receive marksmanship training. Many CMP matches use courses similar to those in the Army, directly linking civilian practice to military skills.

Army marksmanship teams often compete with civilian shooters at CMP events. The National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio, bring both groups together in what some call the “World Series of Shooting.” These events allow Army shooters to compete with top civilians and help spread marksmanship culture across the country. Many soldiers continue to compete in civilian matches after leaving the Army, so skills and experience are shared both ways.

The CMP also runs programs in schools and shooting clubs across the country, often with help from Army marksmanship experts. Because of this community approach, many recruits already possess basic shooting skills when they begin basic training, so qualification takes less time and effort.

Marksmanship Qualification Badges

The Army displays shooting skill with qualification badges worn on uniforms. These badges recognize individual achievement, encourage soldiers to improve their performance, and set clear standards for marksmanship.

Marksman Badge

The basic qualification level is awarded to soldiers who meet the minimum standards on the Army’s weapons course. It still requires safe handling and the ability to hit targets at different distances. This badge’s design is a squared-off cross.

Sharpshooter Badge

This award is the middle level and requires better performance on the qualification course. Soldiers who earn it demonstrate consistent accuracy and strong foundational skills. The badge resembles the Marksman badge but adds a set of target rings to the center. Many soldiers see the Sharpshooter badge as a true mark of skill, not just the minimum standard.

Expert Badge

The highest regular level, indicating exceptional marksmanship. To earn it, soldiers must hit targets at long range, do well under time limits, and show strong shooting skills. The Expert badge is a source of pride, and many units hold friendly competitions to see who can earn and keep it. This badge takes the sharpshooter design and adds a laurel wreath around it to indicate its highest status.

Each badge can be awarded for different types of weapons. The Army gives badges for rifles, pistols, machine guns, and more. Bars hanging below the badge show which weapon the soldier qualified with. For example, a soldier might wear an Expert Rifle badge with several bars for different rifle types.

Distinguished Badges

These are above the regular qualification levels and honor outstanding marksmanship. The Distinguished Rifleman and Distinguished Pistol Shot badges are the highest awards outside of competition teams. To earn one, a soldier must collect points by placing high in several matches over time. These badges are rare and highly respected in the Army.

Soldiers who earn Distinguished badges often become marksmanship instructors for their units and share their skills with others. The selection process ensures that only those who demonstrate consistent excellence, not merely a single exceptional performance, receive this honor.

Army Marksmanship Badges: Heritage & Prospects

a photo of a soldier receiving army marksmanship badges

Army Marksmanship Badges: Soldiers earn marksmanship badges to recognize achievement and encourage excellence.

The program continues to change to meet new challenges. Today’s training draws on lessons from recent wars and focuses on integrating shooting with movement, communication, and decision-making. Advanced simulators enable soldiers to practice scenarios that are difficult or impossible to reproduce on conventional ranges.

The connection between military marksmanship and civilian shooting sports remains strong. The CMP continues to help Americans improve their shooting skills. Army shooters who compete internationally continue a tradition of excellence that is over a hundred years old, representing both their service and the wider American shooting community.

The badge system is updated periodically to reflect new weapons and training, but its primary goal remains the same: to recognize achievement and encourage excellence. Whether a soldier earns a Marksman badge through hard work or a Distinguished badge after years of competition, these awards show the Army’s ongoing commitment to marksmanship as a key military skill.

Even as technology and warfare change, the basics of Army marksmanship remain the same: disciplined training, standard testing, and recognizing achievement. These principles help American soldiers keep the shooting skills they need to succeed and set a high standard that extends across the Army and into civilian life.

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U.S. Invasion of Grenada — A Forgotten Armored Assault By Tom Laemlein

Code named Operation Urgent Fury, the United States invasion of Grenada is perceived by some as a minor military engagement during the Cold War. However, the conflict was more important than many people might realize.

BTR-60 upside down during Operation Urgent Fury — the U.S. Invasion of Grenada
BTR-60 “028” after it was knocked out and pushed off the road by the Rangers. Image: NARA

What may have also escaped the notice of most Americans was the unexpected aggressiveness that the Cubans displayed with their armored vehicles, resulting in the only American armored engagement in the Western Hemisphere.

The Case for War

“On the small island of Grenada at the southern end of the Caribbean chain, the Cubans, with Soviet financing and backing, are in the process of building an airfield with a 10,000-foot runway. Grenada doesn’t even have an air force. Who is it intended for?

“The Caribbean is a very important passageway for our international commerce and military lines of communication.

More than half of all America’s oil imports now pass through the Caribbean. The rapid build-up of Grenada’s military potential is unrelated to any conceivable threat to this island country of under 110,000 people, and totally at odds with the pattern of other Eastern Caribbean States, most of which are unarmed.

“The Soviet and Cuban militarization of Grenada, in short, can only be seen as power projection into the region, and it is in this important economic and strategic area that we are trying to help the governments of El Salvadore, Costa Rica, Honduras and others in their struggles for democracy against guerrillas supported through Cuba and Nicaragua.”

— President Ronald Reagan, in a nationally televised speech on March 23, 1983.

Selwyn Strachan, the Grenadian Minister of Mobilization stated publicly in 1981: “that Cuba would eventually use the new airport to supply their troops fighting in Africa, and the Soviets would also find the runway useful because of its strategic location astride the sea lanes and oil transport routes…”

Enemy at the Ready

The U.S. invasion of Grenada had just begun, and it appeared that the assault troops were already in trouble. The Lockheed AC-130 gunships sent to support the United States Army Rangers landing were equipped with low-light TV sensors and these immediately showed that the Point Salines runway had been blocked with boulders, construction vehicles, and a tangle of pipes and cables to prevent aircraft from landing.

Soviet BTR-60 photo
US Army ID photo of the BTR-60PB. Note the 14.5mm KPVT machine gun in the turret and the firing ports for riflemen to fire from cover. Image: NARA

The decision was made to drop the Rangers from low altitude, and they jumped from the lead Lockheed MC-130 planes at just 500 feet. Nearly 700 Rangers were floating down in their parachutes while they were engaged by small arms fire from Cuban troops were clearly ready for their arrival. Several ZU-23-2 twin-barreled 23mm anti-aircraft (AA) guns and a ZPU-4 quadruple 14.5mm AA gun, positioned above the Point Salines runway were firing on the MC-130 transports.

BTR-60 Urgent Fury Genada view front
Two of the three BTR-60s involved in the abortive attack on the Rangers at the Point Salines airfield. The vehicle in the foreground attempted to reverse and collided with the second. Image: NARA

The first group of Rangers were scattered along the length of the 10,000-foot runway and while the men struggled to get out of their parachutes, two Soviet-made BTR-60 armored personnel carriers (APCs) appeared at the end of the runway and quickly began to close on the American airhead. The KPV heavy machine guns mounted in the BTRs began to chatter, and soon 14.5mm rounds were splattering off the tarmac among the American troops.

pair of BTR-60 Urgent Fury Grenada
Another view of the two BTR-60s — this one from the reverse angle. Note the flattened tires. Image: NARA

As the People’s Revolutionary Army BTR-60s quickly closed the range, it may have appeared that the Rangers’ drop zone would be overrun.

However, the American Rangers were tougher than the communists expected. When the armored vehicles reached the mid-point of the runway, the BTRs were suddenly struck with hollow-charge anti-tank rounds. Fast-acting Rangers set up M67 recoilless rifles and immediately scored hits with 90mm HEAT rounds. This anti-tank miracle came just in time, as the sky above was filled with the descending parachutes of the next wave of Rangers.

Supported by two AC-130 gunships circling overhead, the second group of Rangers immediately assaulted the 23mm AA guns positions atop a hill near Point Salines airfield. Within 10 minutes, the AA guns were silent too. Most of the American transports had been hit at least once by their fire. This is how the invasion of Grenada began on the morning of October 25, 1983.

American Forces Engaged from Beirut to Grenada

Operation Urgent Fury was already fast and furious as America’s Rapid Deployment Force, including elements of the 82nd Airborne Division, the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army Delta Force, and the U.S. Navy SEALs, moved to secure the island from revolutionary Grenadian and Cuban communist forces.

82nd ABN M-151 & BTR60 Urgent Fury
Men of the 82nd Airborne in a M-151 “Mutt” scout jeep pass BTR-60 “072”. Image: NARA

President Reagan’s concerns about the communist forces stationed there grew to a point where he directed US forces to Grenada to guarantee the safety of 600 American medical students on the island. The action in Grenada came just two days after the deadly terrorist attack on the U.S.M.C. barracks in Beirut, Lebanon where a suicide truck bomb killed 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and 3 soldiers. The Cold War was quickly escalating to a boiling point.

Order of Battle

Communist forces on Grenada, comprised of the Grenadian “People’s Revolutionary Army” plus more than 700 Cubans (many posing as “engineers”) had no tanks, but they did have other armory vehicles including eight BTR-60 APCs and a pair of BRDM-2 armored cars. The BRDM-2 amphibious armored scout car was armed with a KPVT 14.5mm machine gun and a PKT 7.62mm co-axial machine gun. Its welded steel armor was 14mm at its thickest (in the hull nose), with the turret frontal armor at 10mm.

BTR-60 II
The BTRs came dangerously close to compromising, even closing the airhead at Point Salines. Image: NARA

The BTR-60 armored personnel carrier had the same armament. The BTR-60’s thickest armor is on its turret front at 10mm, and protection on the hull front is 9mm.

American troops were alerted to the presence of wheeled armored fighting vehicles on the island, and the assault troops arrived on Grenada with M72 LAW rockets, M47 Dragon AT missiles, and the venerable M67 90mm recoilless rifle. All would see action during the three-day battle for the island.

Armored Counterattack at Point Salines

By mid-afternoon on the first day, the communist troops regrouped and counter-attacked the American positions near the Point Salines International Airport. Three BTR-60s led the attack, which drove into the Ranger platoon’s forward positions. The Rangers responded with fire from their rifles, M60 machine guns, LAWs, and a 90mm recoilless rifle.

Urgent Fury Port Salines runway 1983
The critical runway at Port Salines. Image: NARA

The first two BTRs were hit, with the lead vehicle struck in the turret mantlet. The second BTR crashed into its rear, and both were knocked out of the fight. The third BTR-60 attempted to retreat but was hit in the rear.

An AC-130 gunship was called to the scene and finished off the third BTR.

A Rough Time for SEAL Team 6

During their raid on Radio Free Grenada, SEAL Team 6 fell afoul of a Grenadian force supported by a BRDM-2 armored car.

Caught without anti-tank weapons, the SEALs were forced to retreat after destroying the radio transmitter. They escaped into the ocean and swam to safety aboard the USS Caron (DD-970), a Spruance-class destroyer supporting the combat operations offshore.

Urgent Fury 82nd ABN with M47 Dragon and multiple LAW rockets 1983
Men of the 82nd Airborne Division armed with the M47 Dragon anti-tank missile (background) and the M72 LAW anti-tank rocket (foreground) during Operation Urgent Fury. Image: NARA

During the SEAL’s October 25th mission to rescue Governor Gerald Scoon at his mansion in St. George, the teams again came up against Grenadian armor.

After the SEALs reached the Governor’s residence without opposition, BTR-60s quickly appeared and trapped the operators in the mansion — hammering the building with their 14.5mm KPVT machine guns. Despite several airstrikes the SEALs remained trapped for nearly 24 hours.

U.S. Marines with M60 Tanks

Meanwhile, the Leathernecks of the 22nd Marine Amphibious Unit, diverted from a deployment to Lebanon, and landed four M60 main battle tanks at Grand Mal Bay. By the next morning, they had advanced to the Governor’s mansion to relieve the SEALs and rescued Governor Scoon.

M-60 tank comes ashore during combat operations
A U.S. Marine M60 tank comes ashore from Landing Craft Utility 1656 (LCI-1656). Image: 1LT R. R. Thurman/NARA

Soon after, the fast-moving Marine tankers engaged and knocked out a BRDM-2.

After three days, communist resistance evaporated, and the armored engagements of Grenada were over. They were unique as the only time U.S. forces have engaged enemy armor in this hemisphere.

United States Army M-60 tanks in formation AH-1 Cobras overhead
Tankers give hand signals from M60 main battle tanks while moving in formation. Two AH-1 Cobra helicopters are hovering overhead. Image: NARA

While the mission was a success, it was not bloodless. Nineteen American troops were killed on Grenada and nearly 120 were wounded. Communist forces lost 5 dead with about 350 wounded. Of the eight enemy armored vehicles on Grenada, Americans destroyed seven of them.

This was the price to halt Soviet and Cuban communist expansion in the Caribbean. The American students on the island were returned safely to the U.S.A.

BTR-60: Unexpected Adversary

While intelligence reports noted the existence of BTR-60 armored personnel carriers on the island, the planners of Urgent Fury certainly did not expect them to be used aggressively (by their Cuban crews) to contest the Rangers’ airhead. Consequently, American troops found themselves in a pitched battle against enemy armored vehicles within the Western Hemisphere.

BTR6-0 ID side view
US Army ID photo of the BTR-60PB. The BTR-60PB had a crew of three and could carry seven infantrymen. Image: NARA

To provide some background on the BTR-60, the following information comes from a US Army evaluation of the BTR-60 written in 1989:

Versatility, lethality, and deployability of the BTR-60

The BTR is fairly lethal for a wheeled vehicle. It has two of the Soviet Union’s most durable machine guns mounted in the turret. The most powerful of the two is the 14.5mm KPVT. It has an effective range of 2000 meters and can fire at the rate of 600 rounds a minute. The armor-piercing round of the 14.5mm KPVT can penetrate 32mm of armor at a range of 500 meters and 20mm at 1000 meters…

The other machine gun, mounted coaxially, is the 7.62mm PKT. It has an effective range of 1500 meters and can fire 650 rounds per minute. It can penetrate 8mm of armor with its armor-piercing round fired from 500 meters…The BTR has stowage space for two AGS-17 automatic grenade launchers. The AGS-17 can also be mounted on the outside of the vehicle and fired from the inside…

Looking Back on the Danger

Despite the careful preparations made for the attack on Grenada, the aggressive use of the BTR-60 and BRDM-2 armored vehicles could have created a disaster in the landing zone at Point Salines.

Urgent Fury 23mm AA twin
One of the twin 23mm guns (Zu-23-2) defending the Port Salines runway. These guns managed to score some hits on U.S. transport aircraft. Image: NARA

Lt. Col. George A. Crocker of the 82nd Airborne Division wrote in Grenada Remembered: A Perspective, A Narrative Essay on Operation Urgent Fury:

“The 82nd has been criticized for being slow to move out of the airhead, and too deliberate in expanding the operational area to take the strategic plum of St George’s city, but let’s review from the worms-eye view:

-The Rangers had incurred unexpected opposition.

-The Frequente arms cache had revealed large amounts of weapons, enough to give credence to some intelligence reports of several thousand enemy.

-The airhead had been counterattacked by armored vehicles.

-The Rangers had lost a gun Jeep and crew to an ambush just east of the airfield.

A Personal Perspective

Operation Urgent Fury has often been passed off as a lesser military engagement, without any particular significance. But the island location of America’s only armored clash in the Western Hemisphere is much more important than just the answer to an AFV trivia question.

Urgent Fury M67 recoilless rifle 82nd ABN Honduras March 1987
The M67 recoilless rifle (47 pounds loaded), using the M371A1 HEAT round can penetrate up to 350mm of armor at a maximum of 300 meters. Image: NARA

The Soviets and their Cuban partners were preparing for major operations in Central and South America, with Grenada as an important base. In the opinion of many, they had to be stopped.

Despite several tense moments, particularly at the beginning of the operation, the communist threat in Grenada was removed. Most of America never heard much about it. Maybe that is for the best, and we can talk about it in detail now, more than forty years later.

I recently lost a dear friend who was with the Marines on Grenada during Urgent Fury. It was just one of many violent places he visited in his long career in the U.S.M.C. We talked about Grenada a couple of times and he’d always say something like: “Hell Lem, we barely had time to break a sweat. It wasn’t much fun, but we’ve seen a lot worse.” True enough, I suppose, but America still needs to know about the sacrifices made there. And to Major Mac, I say farewell and thanks for all the good times. Semper Fi!

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All About Guns This great Nation & Its People

St. John of Browning!

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All About Guns The Green Machine This great Nation & Its People War

Viet Cong’s Secret Weapon: The AK-47 in Vietnam By Will Dabbs, MD

I have a great friend named Sario who captured some of the first Kalashnikov rifles encountered in Vietnam. Sario just happened to be a Green Beret. While today he’s a fit, vibrant, jovial man in his 80s, back in 1965, he was a Special Forces advisor running patrols with the Montagnards against the Viet Cong during his first of three combat tours downrange.

author with AK-47 in Vietnam
The radically advanced AK-47 rifle surprised American troops when it first appeared, but became more common the longer the war in Vietnam dragged on.

On one particularly memorable outing, Sario’s patrol was ambushed. His vicious tribesmen fought their way out of the kill zone and overran the enemy positions. Along the way, they picked up a pair of brand new AK-47 rifles.

The AK-47 was a rude awakening for American troops who expected to outgun whatever they faced in the field. It was hard-hitting and seemingly indestructible.
The AK-47 was a rude awakening for American troops who expected to outgun whatever they faced in the field. It was hard-hitting and seemingly indestructible.

AK’s are background clutter nowadays, most anywhere in hot zones where people are trying to kill each other. Back in 1965, however, they were still pretty exotic. So much so that General Westmoreland himself choppered in with his entourage to take possession of the captured weapons. Westmoreland’s aide promised to get the guns back to Sario and his mates. However, as expected, they never heard from them again.

The Guns

The AK-47 came as a shock to American troops in Vietnam. We were accustomed to having the best of everything when it came to combat equipment. However, here we had insurgents packing a select-fire rifle that was hard-hitting, maneuverable and practically unkillable in the field.

The author’s friend, Sario, began his career in the U.S. Special Forces in the late 1950’s. He is an amazing man and patriot.
The author’s friend, Sario, began his career in the U.S. Special Forces in the late 1950’s. He is an amazing man and patriot.

At the time, Sario carried either an M2 Carbine or an M3 Grease Gun in action. His Montagnards wielded WWII-surplus weapons as well — Garands and lighter M1 Carbines, mostly. The M16 had not yet made its way out to his Special Forces camp. Those AK-47 rifles were the shape of things to come.

Origin Story

The Russians called it the Avtomat Kalashnikova Model 1947. The Chinese variants most commonly encountered in Vietnam were the Type 56. Over on this side of the pond, we would designate the gun the Type 3 AK-47. Regardless of what you call it, this seminal rifle — the most-produced firearm in human history — will forever be indelibly linked to one man.

Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov was born in 1919. He was the 17th of 19 children in a Russian peasant family. Families were big back then to compensate for the simply breathtaking infant mortality rates. Not all of the Kalashnikov kids survived into adulthood. Apparently, young Mikhail’s dad had run afoul of Stalin at some point, so the young man’s early life was spent struggling to survive in Siberia.

Kalashnikov designed this rifle so that almost anyone could run it effectively, and the Vietnam War proved just how right he was.
Kalashnikov designed this rifle so that almost anyone could run it effectively, and the Vietnam War proved just how right he was.

Despite leaving school after seventh grade, Kalashnikov actually aspired to become a poet. He ultimately penned six books of assorted verse. After the family’s deportation to Tomsk Oblast in Siberia, young Mikhail used his father’s rifle to hunt game to help feed his family. Kalashnikov remained an avid hunter well into the 1990s.

World War II meant something entirely different to the Russians than to us. The Western Front was ghastly, but the Eastern Front was unimaginable. By war’s end, one in every seven Russians had been killed. That’s just tough to get your head around. This likely shapes (and distorts) the Russians’ weird geopolitical behavior to this day.

The underfolding-stock version was rare in Vietnam but highly prized by those who got their hands on one. Special Forces troops and helicopter crews appreciated its compactness when carried or stored.
The under folding-stock version was rare in Vietnam but highly prized by those who got their hands on one. Special Forces troops and helicopter crews appreciated its compactness when carried or stored.

Mikhail Kalashnikov did his bit fighting the Nazis as a tank crewman on a T-34 tank and was badly wounded fighting the Germans during the Battle of Bryansk. While recovering in the hospital, he purportedly heard his wounded infantry counterparts complaining about the ineffectiveness of their small arms. Kalashnikov subsequently devised the design for a new assault rifle to defend Mother Russia. This radical new gun and the comparably radical 7.62x39mm intermediate cartridge it fired would ultimately fundamentally change human civilization.

Particulars

Kalashnikov’s original rifles orbited around a stamped steel receiver. These early guns were deemed to be insufficiently robust, however, so he developed a milled steel receiver version instead. These guns were ridiculously labor-intensive to produce, but the communists had plenty of laborers. The Soviets turned them out by the literal shiploads.

chrome plated AK-47 magazine followers
Magazine followers on Vietnam-era Chinese AK mags (right) were chrome-plated.

The Soviets and the Red Chinese have always had a strange relationship. Not unlike Sunni and Shia Muslims, they share a common philosophy, but they still don’t always see eye to eye.

During the Cold War, their common hatred of the West made them allies. As a result, in 1956, the Chinese began production of AK rifles themselves. These were the weapons that were most commonly encountered in the latter stages of the Vietnam War.

1956 was a big year for guns in Red China, and they named their weapons based on when they were introduced. As a result, the Chicom SKS, AK and RPD light machinegun were all called the Type 56. Yeah, that’s pretty confusing.

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This great Nation & Its People War

The Irish and the American Civil War