COMMEMORATING THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE VIETNAM WAR (1961-1973) and honoring the bold volunteer Naval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers, and aircrewmen who carried the war into Ho Chi Minh’s well defended backyard during Operation Rolling Thunder (1965-1968)…
GOOD MORNING. Faithful Scribe has yet another tale of guts and glory to tell. WHEN NAVAL AVIATION ROARED. Tale #26. USS ENTERPRISE and ATTACK CARRIER AIR WING NINE wipe out the Haiphong Thermal Power Plant East on the morning of 10 May 1967. The afternoon strike on the same target was cancelled: “…there was nothing left to hit.”… (Source; CINCPACFLT Awards Files, author’s notes, 1985)…
PROLOGUE. In April 1967 NEWSWEEK magazine published a short article in a Periscope column that informed the world that “when the weather clears over North Vietnam Navy pilots from carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin will strike the thermal power plants at Haiphong.” Sure enough, when the weather cleared, the Navy strike groups pounded the thermal power plants at Haiphong. Of course, the enemy had read Newsweek and they were ready with extra guns, SAMs and MiGs in May when the Navy strike groups came booming in…
On 10 May 1967 Air Wing NINE conducted an eminently successful twenty-six aircraft strike against the Haiphong Thermal Power Plant East. The strike was coordinated with a simultaneous strike by the USS HANCOCK (CVA-19) on Kien An Airfield and closely followed a strike on the Thermal Power Plant West by the USS KITTY HAWK (CVA-63). The strike group of the ENTERPRISE attack consisted of ten A-4C aircraft forming a lead division of four A-4s, and two divisions of three aircraft each. Flak suppression was provided by two divisions of three F-4B Phantoms. Iron Hand support was provided by four A-6As with two A-4Cs as Pouncers. TARCAP was provided by four F-4B aircraft…
THE TARGET. The TPP (East) had an installed capacity of 7,000 kilowatts, comprising five percent of the national electrical generating capability of the nation. One of two power generating facilities in the Haiphong area, the East TPP was the primary source of power for the port city. Disruption of electrical power to the port of Haiphong significantly increased the unloading time of cargo carrying vessels in the port and effectively reduced the flow of war material to both the aggressor forces in South Vietnam and to the air defensive forces in North Vietnam. The target was located on the southeast bank of the Cun Cam River, 1.7 miles northeast of the center of Haiphong…
THE DEFENSES. The Haiphong area was one of the most heavily defended areas of North Vietnam. Haiphong and its environs were defended by twenty-three 85mm antiaircraft sites, containing 96 barrels, thirteen 37/57mm antiaircfraft sites, containing 78 barrels, and numerous automatic weapons sites. Of the larget caliber weapons, 75 per cent had associated fire control radar (Firecan/Whiff). There were nineteen photo confirmed SA-2 surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites covering the target area, five of which were noted to be active by ELINT aircraft at the time of the strike. The enemy’s air order of battle provided a total of forty-seven MiG-17 and fourteen MiG-21 aircraft available to protect the Haiphong area on 10 May 1967.
THE PLAN and EXECUTION. The ten clean wing A-4C aircraft were loaded with one MK-84 and two MK-83 bombs each. The limited fuel required precise fuel planning and that an expeditious rendezvous be executed to reduce total flight time. The rendezvous was rapidly accomplished and the strike group proceeded to their coast-in point fifteen miles from the target. Five miles prior to coast-in point the Iron hand A-6A aircraft accelerated and proceeded to their assigned orbit areas covering the five active SAM sites. The flak suppression elements accelerated and preceeded the main strike elements. As the strike group entered the SAM envelope, the first of twelve enemy missiles was detected tracking towards the flak suppression aircraft and the main strike group. Evasive maneuvers were initiated and their effectiveness was enhanced by the individual skill of element leaders and the superb airmanship of all pilots in the strike group. They maintained their positions in the formation and preserved the flight integrity in order to receive the maximum protection from the aircraft and ECM equipment. Following the initial SAM firings, heavy barrages of antiaircraft fire commenced from the north side of the Cun Cam River covering the preplanned rollin point and from sites in the immediate vicinity of the target. (It was as if the enemy knew the Navy was coming for the TPPs)… The flak was in three distinct layers from 3,500-feet through 11,000-feet with tracking fire observed intermixed with the barrage fire. The strike group maintained effective flight integrity as evasive action was continued to avoid the flak and the unabated barrage of SAMs. Each element initiated their attack from the optimum position, and the strike pilots disregarded the heavy enemy fire and SAM warnings to press home their respective dive delivery on their assigned TPP targets. All thirty bombs were seen to impact within the close confines of the TPP target complex. Successful retirement from the target area was effected by all aircraft, with only minor damage being received by two aircraft. Extreme accuracy of bomb delivery was required for both total damage to the target and to avoid collateral damage to adjoining industrial plants (workers) and urban areas in order to reduce to a minimum any civilian casualties, as directed by Higher Authority.
THE DEBRIEF. The strike was flown exactly as planned and briefed by the strike leader COMMANDER PETE SHERMAN, CO-VA-56. The air discipline and radio discipline were practically flawless. Despite formidable opposition in the form of a dozen SAMs and relentless and heavy AAA through the entire profile of the flight over the beach, every flight crew pressed on to the prescribed pushover and concentrated on an accurate bombing run. The results of such professional perfectionism were as expected. The power plant was devastated with minimum collateral damage to adjoining urban areas with minimum battle damage to our 26 aircraft… Detailed analysis of bomb damage photography revealed: boiler house destroyed, main generator hall gutted, a transformer building gutted, POL storage area destroyed, auxiliary generator hall damaged, and all other support buildings destroyed or heavily damaged. After studying the BDA Commander Task Group 77.0 cancelled the ENTERPRISE restrike on TPP (East) scheduled for the afternoon of 10 May: “…There is nothing to hit.”….
BITS OF RIBBON. Strike Leader CDR Pete SHERMAN was recommended for the SILVER STAR, which was awarded posthumously. He was killed while leading the Iron Hand support for an Alpha Strike on the Van Dien SAM Support Depot one month later, on 10 June 1967. His remains were returned to the United States in 1991. Pete rests among the warriors interred at Arlington National Cemetery and is remembered here with admiration and respect…
Seventeen of the 10 May strike pilots and NFOs were recommended for the DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS: CDR Sheldon O. SCHWARTZ, CO-VF-96; LCDR John B. PAISLEY, VA-56; LCDR Dean E. NORDELL, VF-96; LCDR E. James BOCK, VF-92; LCDR Jackie D. HAMILTON, VF-92; LCDR George E. WALES, VA-113; LCDR Thomas P. “One Shot” SCOTT; VA-113; LCDR Edward “Cash” BRONSON, VA-113; LT Arne “Bud” JOHNSON, VA-113; LT Robert M. SIMMONS, VA-56; LT Austin E. CHAPMAN, VA-56; LTJG Thomas R. HOLTON, VA-113; LTJG Ernest E. CHRISTENSEN, VA-113; LTJG David J. FORMO, VF-92; LTJG William B. ROBERTS, VF-92; and ENSIGN Frank A. SCHUMACHER, VF-96. CINCPACFLT only approved five of these DFCs, the rest were downgraded to Air Medals and NCMs with combat device. Fifteen additional aviators were recommended for Air Medal or NCM valor awards, all but five were approved.
END NOTE. On 10 May 1967, USS HANCOCK and Carrier Air Wing-FIVE lost the Commander of the Air Wing, CDR Roger M. “Dutch” NETHERLAND during the KITTY HAWK, ENTERPRISE and HANCOCK coordinated strikes on targets in the Haiphong area. CAG NETHERLAND was a flak suppressor for the HANCOCK’s strike on the airfield at Kien An. He was opposed by a volley of three SAMs. He was able to evade two but the third nailed his A-4 Skyhawk of VA-94. He was able to turn back toward the Gulf streaming fire and fuel but failed to eject from the aircraft before it rolled inverted and crashed into the water. He was listed as MIA until 1973 when his status was changed to KIA, Body Not Recovered. In 1989 his remains were recovered and returned by the Governmentof Vietnam. CAPTAIN NETHERLAND rests in peace at Arlington National Cemetery. His widow Diana, a heroine in her own right, is interred with him at Arlington. Both are remembered here with highest respect and admiration. Readers of RTR are invited to share more of the heroic but tragic Netherland story and remembrances at:
https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/ROGER_M._NETHERLAND,_CAPT,_USN
NEXT POST. Tale #27. The boys of Bonnie Dick pound Kien An airfield on 25 April 1967…
Lest we forget… Bear