... I used to live here.
I was an Aviation Electrician's Mate in VA-93, one of the attached squadrons that made up Carrier Air Wing 5. I was aboard for the last WestPac cruise and the forward deployment to Yokosuka Japan.
If you follow the link, you'll find a listing of accidents that occurred aboard over the ship's years of service. The listing for October 1972 refers to a battle damaged A-6 from VA-115 who's starboard landing gear collapsed upon impact with the flight deck which caused the tail hook to disengage. The plane veered rightward and slid into the aircraft packed into the catapult area towards the bow. AOAN Dan Cherry, along with several others unknown to me personally, was killed as a result. His name can be found on the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC. I will maintain the solemnity of the moment by not recounting any of several liberty memories from Subic Bay port calls. Sufficient to say that the side was not let down.
I would like to point out that the next listed accident of a fire aboard while the ship was in Long Beach may well have happened, but not in November, 1972; we were all the way across the map to the other side of the Pacific Ocean in November of that year, and only a month away from hosting a Bob Hope Christmas Show while in Singapore harbor.
I also note there is no mention of a North Korean gunboat during 1974. Curious.
Thanks to commenter EX_STAB at Free Market Fairy Tales blog for providing the link down memory lane.
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1 comment:
Danny was my friend as was Karl Blankenship VA-56 who was also killed in the accident. I was supposed to be on VA-93's 310 but I was screwing off in the seat shop instead. 310 went over the side.
AME-3 Michael Ferreira Va-93 1972-1973 Memebr of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club
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