ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 185920
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| Date: | Monday 14 April 1975 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Grumman A-6A Intruder |
| Owner/operator: | VA-196, US Navy |
| Registration: | 155601 |
| MSN: | I-327 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | off USS Enterprise (CVN-65), Yankee Station, Gulf of Tonkin -
 Vietnam
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | USS Enterprise (CVN-65) Yankee Station, Gulf of Tonkin |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
A-6 Intruder BuNo. 155601 of VA-196, US Navy "Main Battery" on board the USS Enterprise. Lost on April 14, 1975 on a Training mission at Yankee Station, in the Gulf of Tonkin, off the coast of North Vietnam. Pilot - Lt Commander D. Wright and bombardier/navigator Lt J. Miller - ejected.
USS Enterprise (CVN 65), along with USS Midway, USS Coral Sea, USS Hancock, and USS Okinawa deployed to waters off Vietnam on April 19 for possible evacuation contingencies as North Vietnam overran two-thirds of South Vietnam and pronounced the carriers' presence a brazen challenge and a violation of the 1973 Paris Peace Accords.
Ten days later, on April 29, in a period of three hours, Operation Frequent Wind was carried out by U.S. Navy and Marine Corps helicopters from the Seventh Fleet. Frequent Wind involved the evacuation of American citizens from the capital of South Vietnam under heavy attack from the invading forces of North Vietnam.
The military situation around Saigon and its Tan Son Nhut airport made evacuation by helicopter the only way out. President Gerald Ford ordered the evacuation when Viet Cong shelling forced the suspension of normal transport aircraft use at Tan Son Nhut airport. With fighter cover provided by carrier aircraft, the helicopters landed on Saigon rooftops and at Tan Son Nhut to evacuate the Americans. The airport became the main helicopter landing Zone: it was defended by Marines from the 9th Amphibious Brigade flown in for that purpose. All but a handful of the 900 Americans in Saigon were evacuated. The last helicopter lifted off the roof of the United States Embassy at 7:52 p.m. carrying Marine security guards. During Operation Frequent Wind, USS Enterprise aircraft flew 95 sorties. One A-6 was lost on April 14 due to undertermined causes. CVN-65 returned to home port May 20, 1975
Sources:
1. http://web.archive.org/web/20171103001143/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/a6_prowler.htm
2. http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries19.html
3. http://web.archive.org/web/20180422222159/http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com/A-6.html
4. http://www.uscarriers.net/cvn65history.htm
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Frequent_Wind
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Mar-2016 17:24 | Dr.John Smith | Added |
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