RIPPLE SALVO… #264… ON THE LINE THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY DAYS… but first…
Good Morning: Day TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-FOUR of a daily return to the air war over North Vietnam waged fifty years ago…
21 NOVEMBER 1966… HOME TOWN HEAD LINES from the New York Times… On a partly cloudy and cold Monday in the 30s…
Page 1: “Israel Will Attempt To Seal Borders Against Intrusion. Premier Levi Eshkol told his cabinet today that a major effort would be launched to seal Israel’s borders against Arab infiltrators. He spoke of strengthening the deployment of forces on the borders, especially with those of Jordan and Syria…patrols will be increased, ambushes set and fences and lights will be used where suitable.”… Page 1: “G.I.s Pay Dearly In 7-Hour Battle of equal forces. Enemy death toll set at 166 after an Army battalion is surprised in the central highlands and engaged in 7 and 1/2 hours of fighting yesterday. The allied forces who exacted that kill paid dearly with heavy casualties as well in a fight of equal sized forces.”… Page 1: “U.S. Vietnam Force to be 475,000 in ’67…Military command reported accepting figure without significant objection. Force at end of 1966 will be 375,000. Current force (21 Nov) at 358,000.”… Page 1: “Romney Attacks Rockefeller Plan On 1968 Strategy, says G.O.P. needs leadership, not consensus to win Presidency. Statement is a surprise as Michigan governor said he won’t seek New Yorker’s support at today’s luncheon in Puerto Rico.”… Page 1: “Food Stamp Plan Is Sought By City. Federal approval is needed on use of program to aid poor by cutting costs. The city’s 600,000 welfare recipients and 250,000 others whose income is deemed low enough will be eligible.”… Page 1: “A Changing Of Sex By Surgery Begins at Johns Hopkins. The hospital has established a gender identity clinic…’although the controversial surgery has been performed in many Europen countries in the last 15 years and a few surgeons in this country, Johns Hopkins is the first hospital to give it offical support.”…
No President’s Daily Brief notes available for 21 Nov 1966.
21 November 1966… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… NYT… No coverage of air war in North Vietnam…”Vietnam: Air Losses”(Hobson) There were no fixed wing aircraft losses in Southeast Asia on 21 November 1966… ooohrah…
RIPPLE SALVO… #264… NATIONAL AIRCRAFT CARRIER MONTH… Over the next five weeks your Humble Host’s RIPPLE SALVO will pay tribute to each of the nineteen carriers –15 attack carriers and four anti-submarine carriers– that cruised to carry the fight to the enemy in his homeland–North Vietnam. The suggestion to do so comes from several quarters. Thank you for the push. My sources for the summaries of each carrier’s participation in Operation Rolling Thunder, and other combat operations, include Hobson’s “Vietnam: Air Losses,” and Rene’ J. Francillon’s “Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club: Carrier Operations off Vietnam,” two essential books for your Vietnam War library.
First up, the three cruises of USS AMERICA (CVA-66) between 10 April 1968 and 24 March 1973 that included 370 days on the line in the Gulf of Tonkin engaged in combat operations. Carrier Air Wings SIX (1st cruise) and NINE (2 and 3) were embarked and lost a total of 27 aircraft and thirteen warriors (including two who were POWs and died in captivity and two who remain MIA) on the three cruises. In addition, four POWs came home.
USS AMERICA (CVA-66) homeport Norfolk, Virginia…
First cruise: 10 April 1968- 16 December 1968 with Carrier Air Wing Six embarked…
Combat Losses:
31 May: A-7A of VA-82…Lt K.W. Fields (recovered)…
4 June: F-4J of VF-33…LT E.P. Price (KIA) and LTJG W.A. Summers (recovered)…
10 June: A-7A of VA-86…LCDR R.W. Ford (POW) (died in captivity)…
16 June: F-4J of VF-102…CDR W.E. Wilber (POW) and LTJG B.F. Rupinski (KIA)…
18 June: F-4J of VF-33…LCDR J.W. Holtzclaw (recovered) and LCDF J.A. Burns (recovered)…
24 July: F-4J of VF-33…CDR D.G. Elliott (recovered) and LTJG A, Dambekaln (recovered)…
24 July: A-7A of VA-82…LCDR D.S. Greiling (POW died in captivity)…
25 July: F-4J of VF-102…LT C.C. Parish (KIA) and LT R.S. Fant (POW)…
28 Aug: A-6B of VA-85…LTJG R.R. Duncan (KIA) and LTJG A.F. Ashall (KIA)…
6 Sept: A-6A of VA-85…CDR K.L. Koskey (POW) and LCDR R.G. McKee (recovered)…
Operational Losses: 5 A-7A (VA-82 and VA-86)
Highlight: 10 July: Lt Roy Cash and LT Joe Kain of VF-33 Killed a MIG ooohrah…
Second Cruise: 10 April 1970– 21 December 1970 with Carrier Air Wing NINE embarked…
Days on the Line: 100
Combat Losses: None oohrah
Operational Losses: 2 F-4Js ( 1 Killed) and 1 EKA-3B
Third Cruise: 2 June 1972–24 March 1973 with Carrier Air Wing Nine embarked
Days on the Line: 158…that’s ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-EIGHT…
Combat Losses:
17 Jul: A-7C of VA-86…CDR W.D. Yonke (recovered)…
17 Jul: A-7C of VA-86…LT D.K. Anderson (recovered)…
10 Sep: A-7C of VA-82…LTJG S.O. Musselman (MIA)…
11 Sep: F-4J of VFMA-333…MAJ L.T. Lasseter (recovered) and CAPT J.D. Cummings (recovered)…
18 Sep: A-6A of VA-35…CDR V.G. Donnelly (KIA) and LCDR K.R. Buell (KIA)…
27 Oct: A-7C of VA-86… LCDR J.W. Hall (MIA)…
29 Oct: A-7C of VA-82…LT C.T. Wieland (POW)…
23 Dec: F-4J of VFMA-333…LCOL J.K. Cochran (recovered) and MAJ H.S. Carr (recovered)…
24 Jan 1973: A-6A of VA-35… LT C.M. Graf (recovered) and LT S.H. Hatfield (recovered)…
Operational Losses: 2 A-7C and 1 F-4J (1 Killed)…
Highlight: 11 Sept: MAJ Lee Lassiter, USMC, and CAPT John Cummins, USMC, shot down a MIG-21… OOOHRAH…
Carriers Forever!!!! And for your reading pleasure, or a great gift for a young man who isn’t sure where he’s going, how about REAR ADMIRAL PETE BOOTH’s GREAT JOURNAL, “AIRCRAFT CARRIER COMMAND?” Contact Pete on his web at peterbooth.com … I gave my copy to a High School junior here in Utah when I interviewed him two years ago and now he’s doing very well at the USNA. I have a lunch date Tuesday with his grandfather, who will tell me just how well young Trent is doing and what he has his eye on (Flight School!!!)……
Tomorrow: the SIX combat cruises of the USS Bon Homme Richard…
Lest we forget… Bear -30-