| Date: 10 November 1972 |
| Aircraft type: A-7B Corsair |
| Serial Number: 154399 |
| Military Unit: VA-56 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Midway |
| Name(s): |
| Lt Wayne Paul Lotsberg (Survived) |
| After nightfall yet another Corsair was lost on the 10th. Lt Lotsberg was the Number 2 in a section of Corsairs on a road reconnaissance mission along Route 1A south of Vinh. The section discovered a truck about seven miles southeast of Ha Tinh but Lt Lotsberg’s aircraft (call sign Champion 401) was hit by 23mm AAA just as he was about to roll in on the target. He headed towards the sea but his flying controls froze almost immediately and he ejected at 15,000 feet just off the coast about 90 seconds after being hit. He was later 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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