| Date: 28 September 1968 |
| Aircraft type: A-4F Skyhawk |
| Serial Number: 155011 |
| Military Unit: VA-55 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Hancock |
| Name(s): |
| Lt Donald Jay Wright (Survived) |
| A Rolling Thunder strike on the Tam Da railway bypass 11 miles north of Vinh resulted in the loss of one of the raiders. Lt Wright was pulling up from his attack on the target when his aircraft (call sign Garfish 511) was hit by 37mm flak as it climbed through 4,000 feet. The aircraft began to stream fuel and a large hole was observed near the port wing root. The engine flamed out just as the aircraft crossed the coast and Lt Wright ejected a few miles offshore. He was rescued by a Navy SH-3 under the protection of a flight of A-7s and returned safely to his carrier.
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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