F-4B bath

[Finn]

A Phantom lost part of it's port main gear during a lading attempt so the barricade was rigged:

 

 it took the net but went off the side:

 

The pilot ejected when his part of the cockpit was under water, the RIO tried to eject but only his canopy came off so he unstrapped and stepped out:

 

 

from another angle just before the net was cut away and the plane sank:

 

 

Jari

[AlbertD]

That's an expensive hydraulic failure. I hope they were both ok.

[easixpedro]

The backseater is none other than Jim Laing. you likely know him from this photo:

 

it’s taken after their MiG killing mission in April 67. He’d punch out again a month later and be rescued in Laos.
 

The above pics I took in the Navy’s archives to use in a presentation I gave a few years back (they’re public domain, so I’m not concerned...happy the story is getting out).

 

The rest of the story is that sequence of pics would’ve been his 3rd ejection in less than a year. Except his seat didn’t fire!! Look at the second to last pic-#you can see him climbing out of the cockpit to go swimming! His pilot (can’t remember the name and don’t have my notes handy) punched out and skipped across the water. He lived, but broke an ankle in the process.
 

AND OBTW, all of this as a 23 yr old Ensign! Following this cruise he got assigned to VF-121 and became the initial cadre of instructors for TOPGUN. 

 

These dudes had huge cajones...

-Peter

 

[Confusionreigns178]

An incredible set of images. I've always found the idea of ejecting whilst underwater to be a very strange one, but obviously it was possible to do. 

 

Thanks for sharing with us. 

 

Chris.