Bear Taylor 
RIPPLE SALVO… #269… NATIONAL AIRCRAFT CARRIER MONTH continues… but first…
Good Morning: Day TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-NINE of a look back to the air war over North Vietnam… the 1000 days of Operation Rolling Thunder one day at a time…
26 NOVEMBER 1966…HOME FRONT HEADLINES from the New York Times on a perfect Saturday for football in the Empire State…
Page 1: “Smog Emergency Called for City– Relief Expected as Jersey and Connecticut call for voluntary action to cut down pollution. Clearing today is seen, but halt in non-essential driving and use of incinerators is recommended (Article accompanied by large picture of smog and haze hanging over New York City– caption: “NYC in a shroud of gray, gasps for air.’ )…Page 1: “Johnson Clears $1 billion In aid For Needy Pupils…Approves funds for migrants, delinquents and Indians to help more than 7 million children in low income areas.”… Page 1: “Security Council Censures Israel For Jordan Raid…U.S. resolution warns that new reprisals will bring more effective action…14 members of Security Council back move…Israel lays tension on Arab belligerence.”… Page 1: “Jordan Forces Repress Rioting Palestinian Arabs” … Page 1: “U.S. Views On China Linked to Soviet Union…Washington is said to avoid drastic policy shift lest move disturbs Moscow.” … Page 1: “Hoover Says Facts Show Oswald Acted Alone…’Not one shred of evidence has been developed to link any other person in a conspiracy with Oswald to assassinate President Kennedy. all available evidence and facts point to one conclusion–that Oswald acted alone in his crime.’…”
Page 7: “Biggest Operation Of Vietnam War Comes to an End”…”United States military commanders announced this morning the termination at midnight of Operation Attleboro, the largest American offensive of the war. At one point more than 20,000 American troops were engaged in the operation. Those troops along with a few companies of South Vietnamese irregulars killed 1,001 enemy soldiers and captured 44 in the 42 days of the operation which began October 15. They also captured 2,384 ton of rice–more than ever sized before in a single operation.”… Page 10: “Pentagon confirms cutback in draft call for January–cut from 27,000 to 15,000.”…
26 November 1966… The President’s Daily Brief…CIA (TS sanitized Sept 2015)… VIETNAM: We see some signs that the Cambodians are indeed trying to limit Viet Cong use of their territory as a sanctuary (several inches of copy remain redacted). A Cambodian soldier captured last week in Tay Ninh claims he was part of a team sent across the border to warn the Viet Cong they would be fired upon if they attempted to enter Cambodia… JORDAN: As of 1200 noon EST, the situation is quiet, but tense…. SYRIA: Damascus is threatening to take over the pipeline that carries oil from northern Iraq through Syria to the Mediterranean. The Syrians have tried a bit of Bedouin brigandage by demanding more money for transit fees, but the Western companies that own the pipeline can get oil elsewhere and are hjolding firm. If the pipeline is shut down, Iraq will lose about 40% of it government revenue. However, the radical Syrian regime, abysmally ignorant of economics, apparently does not recognize that Syria too will suffer….
26 NOVEMBER 1966… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (27 Nov reporting 26 Nov ops) Page 1: “27 Americans Die In Vietnam Crash”…”A USAF C-47 transport plane crashed into a rice paddy and burned a mile north of Tan Son Nhut airport at Saigon tonight while attempting an emergency landing. Reuters reported that all 27 persons aboard perished. Twenty-six men were Air Force officers and men and one was an American official. One of the plane’s two engines failed on take-off. The pilot circled around once in an effort to return to the 10,000 foot concrete runway. As the pilot approached the runway he discovered that his landing gear was not functioning. It is believed that the pilot applied full power to the single engine but was unable to stop the descent. ‘Suddenly,’ the spokesman said, ‘the plane made a nose dive into the paddy from about 1,500-feet and exploded in a ball of fire.’ …” NYT no apparent copy on the air war over North Vietnam… “Vietnam: Air Losses”(Hobson) Two fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 26 November 1966…
(1) A CF-47B of the 388th TFW out of Korat crashed as noted in the NYT article. Here is Hobson’s report in his one-of-a-kind book on Vietnam War air operations.
“The 388th TFW’s C-47 crashed while on a flight from Saigon killing all 31 passengers and crew aboard, including one civilian. The aircraft had taken off in darkness from Tan Son Nhut for the return flight to Korat. But the pilot radioed that he was returning to TSN with an engine problem. The aircraft had to go around from the first approach as the under-carriage would not lower. The aircraft crashed in a rice paddy near the airfield with its port engine propeller in the feathered position. Putting the two reports together it appears that the tragedy took the lives of a total of 29 USAF officers, one enlisted crew chief and one civilian. A complete list of the fallen, who are listed as “Killed While Flying”(KWF) has not been researched by RTR.
(2) A C-121C of the 19th ACS and315th ACW out of Tan Son Nhut was hit by .50 cal machine gun fire on takeoff from the small air strip at Dau tieng, 45-miles north of Saigon. Hydraulic lines were severed and a fire broke out on board. The 37 ARVN paratroops on board as passengers panicked and tried to force the emergency door open. CAPTAIN R.A. NAGEL, the pilot, successfully turned the aircraft around and executed a belly landing on the runway he had just departed from. CAPTAIN NAGEL was assisted by his co-pilot 1LT ANAVIL. All on board survived with minor injuries…
RIPPLE SALVO… #269… NATIONAL AIRCRAFT CARRIER MONTH provides RTR an opportunity to focus in turn on all 17 USN carriers that participated in Operation Rolling Thunder strike operations and other support for the ground war in Southeast Asia between 1965 and 1973. All but one of the Atlantic Fleet attack carriers participated in the air war fought from Yankee station in the gulf of Tonkin, thereby balancing the tempo of operations across the entire Navy fleet of attack carriers. USS INDEPENDENCE (CVA-62) home ported in Norfolk, Virginia took a turn in the last half of 1965. The following summarizes INDY’s contribution to the Gulf of Tonkin Yacht Club’s sustained outstanding performance in Operation Rolling Thunder. As usual, I center attention on the valiant warriors who did not return home with their squadron and ship mates. INDY would leave 15 of her bravest behind, including 9 POWs, who would eventually (1973) come home after enduring more than seven years of deprivation and torturous punishment… Heroes all…
THE INDEPENDENCE COMBAT CRUISE OF 1965…
FROM AND TO NORFOLK, VIRGINA with CVW-7 embarked on 10 May 1965 to 13 December 1965 (7 months)…
Days on the line: 100
Combat Losses: 13
14 July: A-6A of VA-75… LT DON BOECKER… (recovered) and LT D.E. EATON… (recovered)…
18 July: A-6A of VA-75… COMMANDER JEREMIAH DENTON (CVW-7 OPS)… (POW) and LTJG WILLIAL TSCHUDY…(POW)…
24 July: A-6A of VA-75… LCDR DEKE BORDONE… (recovered) and LTJG P.F. MOFFETT… (recovered)…
13 Sep: A-4E of VA-72… LTJG J.R. MOSSMAN… (KIA)…
17 Sep: A-6A of VA-75… COMMANDER LEONARD F. VOGT, JR., CO-75… (KIA) and LT ROBERT F. BARBER… (KIA)…
20 Sep: A-4E of VA-72…LTJG J.R. HARRIS… (recovered)…
16 Oct: RA-5C of RVAH-1… LCDR JAMES F. BELL…(POW) and LCDR JAMES L. HUTTON… (POW)…
17 Oct: F-4B of VF-84…LCDR STANLEY E. OLMSTEAD…(KIA) and LTJG PORTER A. HALYBURTON…(KIA)…
17 Oct: F-4B of VF-84…ENSIGN RALPH F. GAITHER…(POW) and LTJG RODNEY A. KNUTSON…(POW)…
17 Oct: F-4B of VF-41… LT RODERICK L. MAYER…(POW) and LTJG DAVID R. WHEAT…(POW)…
25 Oct: F-4B of VF-41… LT G.G. ERICKSEN…(recovered) and LTJG J.L. PERRY… (recovered)…
28 Oct: F-4B of VF-41… LCDR A.M. LINDSEY …(recovered)… and LTJG R.W. COOPER…(recovered)…
1 Nov: A-4E of VA-86… LCDR BILLY V. WHEAT… (recovered)…
Operational Losses: 4 ( 2 C-1As, 11 recovered; 1 RA-5C, 2 killed; 1 E-1B, four recovered)
CARRIERS FOREVER… tomorrow the three combat cruises of USS INTREPID (CVS-11)…
Lest we forget… Bear -30-
Bear,
The site keeps showing “zero comments”…Something must be wrong.
We both know, Naval Aviators must be trying to comment???
I check RTR every day.
Thanks,
Cliff Ruthrauff Cdr. USN ret.
VA-112, CVA 63 1966-68