Across the Wing-Stories of Navy Carrier Combat Squadrons in the Vietnam Theatre



ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED 27 OCTOBER 1966

RIPPLE SALVO… #239… OF SYMPATHY TO THE CAPTAIN AND CREW OF CVA-34…. but first…
Good Morning: Day TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-NINE OF A LONG–FIFTY YEAR–LOOK BACK TO OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER…

27 OCTOBER 1966… NEW YORK TIMES HEADLINES and then some… On a sunny and pleasant day in New York…

As reported on THE FRONT PAGE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES… “43 Die In Fire On Carrier Off Vietnam”…

“Flames swept through the blunt gray nose of the United States aircraft Carrier Oriskany today in the worst naval accident of the war in Vietnam. At least 43 men were reported to have died and 16 to have been injured in the fire. The Oriskany along with carriers Constellation and Franklin D. Roosevelt, was cruising in the Gulf of Tonkin where in the last several weeks she has been sending attack planes into North Vietnam daily. A United States Navy spokesman said the fire was apparently touched off at 7:28 AM by a flare that ignited in Hangar Bay 1, a compartment in the forward third of the ship where planes are stored, refueled, armed with bombs, rockets, 20mm cannon shells and given minor maintenance.

“A locker filled with flares then burst into flames and within the forward section of five decks of the carrier was engulfed. Both sides of the hangar bay are lined with officers quarters and a number of  the dead were believed to have been officers trapped in their staterooms by the flames. An elevator used for lifting planes to the flight deck opens at the forward end of the hangar bay which is approximately 100-feet long and 80-feet wide. Beyond the elevator are the quarters for enlisted men. It has not clear whether the flames extended to them. In an initial damage report officers aboard the ship said, two helicopters were destroyed and four A-4E Skyhawk jet bombers damaged. In addition, the officers said extensive damage was done to the bulkheads and low ceilings of the hangar bay and to the forward officers quarters, the catapult areas, forward elevators and electrical circuits.”….

Page 1: “President Visits G.I.s In Vietnam In Surprise Trip”…”President Johnson flew to South Vietnam today to salute his troops, to thank them, to decorate them, to eat with them, to joke with them, to be photographed with them. And after two hours and 24 minutes of solemn ceremony, happy banter and urgent pep talk, he flew off again–speed and surprise, serving, as intended, as his best protection. Before many people could miss him in Manila, the President had crossed the China Sea and landed amid the dunes of this enormous natural harbor, the newest and most secure of American bases in an unsecure and embattled land. The President’s plane flew the 735 miles from the Philippines to South Vietnam in an hour and 40 minutes. Before an official word was spoken about the journey to South Vietnam the Commander in Chief viewed some troops, met some wounded, eaten some chow, and pressed many hands. Wearing a ranch suit with the seal of his office on his breast, the President loped through the sand or rode in the back of a jeep, nodding, winking, yielding both hands to the crowds, a figure in tan in a milling throng of green combat fatiques. ‘Thank you, thank you,” he kept saying informally. ‘You’all come back safe and sound now. I came here today for one good reason,’ he said formally, ‘simply because I could not come to this part of the world without coming to see you.’…” …a small part of his address to assembled troops…‘American fighting men. Isalute you. You have the respect, you have the support, you have the prayers of a grateful President and of a grateful nation. I hope through each of you to take this message to all of you…We believe in you. We know you are going to get the job done. and soon, wwhen peace can come to the world, we will receive you back in the homeland with open arms, with great pride and great thanks. Thank you.”…

27 OCTOBER 1966… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times… “In the war, monsoon rains continued to cut heavily into United States air strikes against the North. Pilots flew only 62 missions yesterday, half the usual number. They reported having destroyed or damaged 7 barges, 3 bridges, 22 buildings and 10 storage areas.”… “Vietnam: Air Losses” (Hobson) Two fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 27 October 1966…

(1) MAJOR DALE ALONZO JOHNSON was flying an F-105D of the 333rd TFS and 355th TFW out of Takhli on a strike on a road/bridge bypass north of Dong Hoi and was hit by ground fire in his attack, from which he did not recover. There was no parachute and a short beeper signal faded. A SAR was unable to find MAJOR JOHNSON, who was subsequently declared Killed in Action. MAJOR JOHNSON was the Wing standardization officer and regularly flew with the 333rd. He perished while engaged with the enemy in his homeland fifty years ago… we remember… he rests…

(2) MAJOR ROBERT EARL KLINE was flying an F-105D of the 421st TFS and 388th TFW out of Korat on an armed reconnaissance mission in Steel Tiger and participating in an attack on a concentration of North Vietnamese when hit by automatic weapon fire. He was able to fly 10 miles clear of the target area before ejecting. An O-1 FAC located him on the ground and a Bright Light team from Dak To was flown in to extract him to fly again another day (actually, another week–MAJOR KLINE would perish on a mission in the Red River Valley a week later)… Fate is the hunter…

RIPPLE SALVO… #239… The Oriskany fire and the death of 44 Yankee Station warriors led Secretary McNamara to send the following message of sympathy to Captain John H. Iarrobino, the crew of USS ORISKANY, and the families of the fallen…  

“To you and your gallant men and to the families of the brave sailors who lost their lives in the fire at sea, I send heartfelt sympathies.

“My visit aboard the Oriskany during fleet operations earlier this month afforded me opportunity to observe the courage, professional skill and dedication of your officers and men.

“These attributes assure that even in this hour of tragedy the men who sailed in Oriskany are preparing to resume their proud role in our fight against aggression.”  

Lest we forget…                  Bear              ……….  –30–  ……….

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