| Date: 19 September 1972 |
| Aircraft type: A-7E Corsair |
| Serial Number: 158653 |
| Military Unit: VA-192 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Kitty Hawk |
| Name(s): |
| Lt Warren A Robb (Survived) |
| A formation of Corsairs from the Kitty Hawk attempted to bomb a bridge about 25 miles south of Vinh but were frustrated by bad weather. The flight headed north and flew along Route 1A looking for a target of opportunity and came across a bridge near Ninh Xa, about 10 miles south of Vinh. As Lt Robb pulled up from a 45-degree dive attack his aircraft (call sign Jury 304) was hit by flak and caught fire. He turned out to sea and managed to fly about 20 miles off the coast before being forced to eject when he lost control. As he was descending in his parachute he saw his Corsair dive into the sea below him and noted that the entire tail section had broken away.
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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