| Date: 23 July 1966 |
| Aircraft type: A-4E Skyhawk |
| Serial Number: 152100 |
| Military Unit: VA-163 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Oriskany |
| Name(s): |
| Cdr Wynn Franklin Foster (Survived) |
| On the 23rd the Oriskany flew a major strike on a POL storage site seven miles north of Vinh. The raid was led by Cdr Wynn Foster, CO of VA-163, who was flying his 238th combat sortie. Soon after the formation crossed the coast north of Vinh at 12,000 feet en route to the target Cdr Foster’s aircraft (call sign Old Salt 301) was shaken by the close detonation of a 57mm AAA shell. Shrapnel from the shell smashed the cockpit and severed the pilot’s right arm just below the shoulder. Cdr Foster was stunned by the impact and looked down to see his right hand resting on the aircraft’s radio console. The aircraft’s wing was also damaged resulting in a slow fuel leak. Bleeding profusely and in danger of losing consciousness completely, Cdr Foster managed to fly out to sea using his knees to hold the control column as his left arm held the shattered remains of his right arm and tried to stem the flow of blood. He realised he would probably not be able to make it back to the carrier even if the aircraft could reach it, so he flew to the nearest ship (the SAR destroyer USS Reeves) and ejected about 20 miles offshore. He was picked up by a boat from the destroyer, which fortuitously had a doctor on board at the time, and was rapidly evacuated to the Oriskany. Once on board the carrier the doctors further stabilised his condition until he was transferred to hospital at Cubi Point in the Philippines a week later for onward transfer to the USA. Following a long convalescence, Cdr Foster was fitted with a prosthetic right arm in March 1967 but then spent a frustrating year fighting a legal battle to stay in the Navy rather than be retired on medical grounds. He eventually won his case and even returned to sea duty as an operations officer before retiring from the Navy on 1 August 1972. He later wrote an excellent account of his career that was published with the title Captain Hook, the nickname he acquired during the latter stage of his long naval career. |
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