| Date: 24 July 1968 |
| Aircraft type: F-4J Phantom |
| Serial Number: 155551 |
| Military Unit: VF-33 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS America |
| Name(s): |
| Cdr O G Elliott (Survived) |
| Lt(jg) Andris Dambekaln (Survived) |
| A strike on a road ferry 12 miles west of Vinh was accompanied by a flight of Phantoms to provide flak suppression. Cdr Elliott dropped his bombs on an anti-aircraft gun position and pulled up but as he was passing through 4,500 feet his aircraft (call sign Root Beer 203) was hit by AAA. The hydraulic system began to fail as he headed towards the sea and he had to use the rudder to keep the aircraft straight and level. About five miles off the coast the port engine overheat light came on and the crew ejected. They were both rescued by a Navy helicopter from a SAR destroyer. In a repeat of the incident that killed Maj Gen Worley the previous day, ‘Tex’ Elliott’s canopy failed to release after his back-seater’s ejection seat fired. Fortunately, Cdr Elliott managed to push the canopy free and his seat then fired. ‘Tex’ Elliott. VF-33’s executive officer, survived and wrote a report about the problem and it was discovered that a venturi effect occurred between 400 and 500 knots that kept the front canopy from releasing. Phantoms were later fitted with a gas-operated pistons that pushed up the leading edge of the front canopy after the rear canopy had left the aircraft.
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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