| Date: 6 September 1968 |
| Aircraft type: A-6A Intruder |
| Serial Number: 154127 |
| Military Unit: VA-85 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS America |
| Name(s): |
| Cdr Kenneth Leon Coskey (POW) |
| Lt Cdr Richard Grant McKee (Survived) |
| The CO of VA-85 set off on a night low-level attack on targets near the city of Vinh. Carrying 10 Mk36 bombs and four CBUs, the aircraft (call sign Buckeye 506) first bombed a road ferry at Linh Cam, 10 miles southeast of Vinh, before proceeding to the Ben Thuy road ferry, two miles to the southeast of the city. After it dropped CBUs on the target the aircraft started a climbing turn but was hit by a 37mm shell in the fuselage. The aircraft started to pitch and roll violently and, unable to regain control of the stricken Intruder, the crew ejected. The aircraft crashed on a small island in the Song Ca River just to the east of Vinh and the two men came down close to the wreck but were separated. By the time the SAR helicopter arrived the rescue forces had made voice contact with Cdr Coskey who told them that he had injured his leg but would try to make his way to the wreck of the Intruder. However, when the helicopter approached the wreck it was fired at by North Vietnamese militia and had to depart after picking up Lt Cdr McKee. Cdr Coskey was captured on the island and was held as a POW until his release on 14 March 1973. He had only taken command of VA-85 on 28 June 1968 and was the Squadron’s fourth CO to be lost since 1963.
HC-7 Rescue Attempt 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 attempt associated with this fixed wing loss can be accessed by clicking on this link. |
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