| Date: 21 May 1968 |
| Aircraft type: A-4F Skyhawk |
| Serial Number: 154988 |
| Military Unit: VA-93 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Bon Homme Richard |
| Name(s): |
| Lt(jg) John Allen Douglass, Jr. (Survived) |
| During a strike on a road bridge at Trang Song, 15 miles north of Vinh, one of the attacking Skyhawks was hit by automatic weapons fire. The aircraft (call sign Raven 313) began to trail flames from the rear fuselage and the controls started to stiffen. Lt Douglass headed out to sea and gained altitude but about 10 miles from the coast the hydraulic system failed completely and the pilot lost control. Lt Douglass ejected safely and was rescued by a Navy helicopter.
HC-7 Rescue Helicopter Combat Support Squadron SEVEN (HC-7) was established September 1, 1967. While simultaneously providing several fleet support activities in the Gulf of Tonkin, HC-7 assumed the responsibility for North Vietnam naval combat search and rescue. HC-7 prepared for action using UH-2B Kaman Sea Sprite helos inherited from HC-1 and were stationed in detachments aboard small boys, destroyers (DDs) and Guided Missile Frigates (DLGs), patrolling off the coast of North Vietnam primarily for the purpose of Search and Rescue (SAR) duty. The information at the following link was compiled by Ron Milam, the historian for HC-7, from ship's deck logs, official HC-7 Rescue Reports, other official and unofficial documents, interviews with crew members and survivors, and other sources, including the Chris Hobson book upon which this site is based. The details for the rescue associated with this fixed wing loss can be accessed by clicking on this link. |
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