| Date: 1 December 1965 |
| Aircraft type: A-4C Skyhawk |
| Serial Number: 149560 |
| Military Unit: VA-144 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Ticonderoga |
| Name(s): |
| Lt(jg) John Vern McCormick (KIA) |
| The first day of December saw the Navy make another attempt to drop the Hai Duong Bridge near Thanh Hoa. During the raid the Ticonderoga suffered its first combat loss of the war, which was remarkable considering that the ship had spent a total of 86 days on the line in two cruises up to this date. Lt McCormick’s aircraft (call sign War Paint 547) exploded instantly when it was hit by 57mm flak at about 6,000 feet on its dive into the target. He had no chance to escape and the wreckage fell about half a mile from the bridge. |
You may return to your search results, go to the Search Form, or go back to the Home Page.