| Date: 12 February 1967 |
| Aircraft type: RA-5C Vigilante |
| Serial Number: 151623 |
| Military Unit: RVAH-7 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Enterprise |
| Name(s): |
| Cdr Donald Homer Jarvis (Survived) |
| Lt(jg) Paul Maurice Artlip, Jr. (Survived) |
| The Enterprise lost two aircraft on the 12th, its first combat losses during its second cruise. An RA-5C and its Phantom escort were flying at 500 feet and 560 knots just off the coast near Long Chau, 30 miles northeast of Thanh Hoa, when they ran into a heavy barrage of anti-aircraft fire. The Vigilante (call sign Flare 105) was hit in the starboard wing and soon became uncontrollable forcing the crew to eject just offshore. A large SAR operation swung into action involving an E-2A, two SH-3s, four F-4Bs, four A-1Hs and a USAF HU-16 Albatross as well a US Navy destroyer. Cdr Jarvis was rescued by the Albatross amphibian flown by Lt Col A R Vette, commander of the 37th ARRS, while Lt Artlip was picked up by a Navy SAR helicopter. During the rescue an orbiting F-4B fired a Sparrow air-to-air missile at a North Vietnamese patrol boat that attempted to capture the downed airmen. It was unclear if the missile actually hit the boat but the vessel turned away and made for home. |
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