HEAVY ATTACK SAILORS

[OLDNAVYMCPO]

The thread on fighter aircraft got me to thinking about the heavy attack birds and you sailors that maintained and flew them. So here's a shout out to all you Viet Nam era vets who served with Heavy Attack Squadrons. Did you fly or work on A3D, A3, A3J, A5A or RA5C's? Were you stationed at Sanford, Albany or Key West? What Squadrons were you in and what shop did you work out of?

I was in RVAH-3 from '64-'68 at NAS Sanford,Fl. Then with RVAH-12 at sea from '70 to '73 out of NAS Albany, Ga.

The A-3 Douglas had been phased out when I came aboard RVAH-3. We did have some TA3B's for training R/N's. Made some test flights on those. Made a transition to the A5A Vigilante and before I left three, we had gone to the RA5C.

I worked out of the ASB shop (Airborne Systems Bombing) with the ASB-1 and ASB-12 systems. Worked the flight deck at sea and on the last cruise as night check CAG ( Carrier Air Group) Maintenance Chief on the Connie.

The RA5C had the greatest loss rate of any bird in the Navy during Viet Nam because of its mission of pre-strike photo recon and post-strike BDA( Bomb Damage Assessment).

 

[cougar14]

In 1968, we got combat pay for the month of June or July as best I can remember. We sent in a Vigilante the last day of the month to set up bombing raids beginning soon thereafter. That was the first and last plane into the combat zone from the ship.
It didn't come back.

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

For a minute I thought you were talking about over weight sailors in a bar with a bunch of Marines......

The plane I crewed on was pretty heavy on takeoff, a tad over 78,000# when loaded for bear. Flew missions out of Cam Ranh Bay in support of Operation Market Time. Carried 4 M-60's, 8 rockets and torpedoes if the mission required them. We also carried a cardboard box full of wooden plugs of all sizes to plug any bullet holes because we could only land in the water.

 

[ditrina]

Hey Master Chief..

As I get to see her at least once a week.. Thought you might like to see her yourself.. NAS Sanford Fl. ( Sanford International Airport)

 

[OLDNAVYMCPO]

Lee in Quartzite, your talking about wood plugs to fill bullet holes reminds me that a sister squadron flew a low level photo mission and came home with a bullet hole in the wing. It had another mission on the turn around so they patched it with a bolt with rubber washers on both sides of the wing since the wings were wet (fuel cell).

When they developed the film from the mission, there as plain as day is a VC shooting at the bird as it flew over. A bombing mission was immediately launched on his ***.

 

[STCM(SW)]

I see the Brown Shoe Navy is here.....
MCPO DD's, DE's,FF, FFG, CG/CGN
1960-1992
Yea, Black Shoe Navy!

 

[ditrina]

I see the Brown Shoe Navy is here.....

There's a BROWN SHOE NAVY??

ditrina
ADJ2
HC-4
1966/1970

 

[AJ]

By "heavy attack" I thought you meant the A6's. At 28 500 pound Mk82's in her racks not much hauled more ordnance except a B52. I put two tours in SEA and was around for Desert Storm with these aircraft. Was an electrician, Maintenance Control Chief and a Flight Deck Coordinator for these birds. She was a heavy bird at 26K, with 16K of fuel and 14K of bombs.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Heavy Seven 1975-8 (Key West). After a few months in FRAMP, I joined the squadron on the Forrestal in the Med for three months, then spent a couple of years TAD to NIPSTRAFAC (I was a PH). When I made Chief, I went back to the squadron in charge of organizational-level photo maintenance, and went out on the Kitty Hawk (WestPac) for a few months, leaving mid-cruise for knife and fork school when I made LDO.

 

[nlghthawk]

Nothing to really add here, just showing support to my fellow sailors. FlightDeck Veteran and a Sand Sailor.

 

[OLDNAVYMCPO]

Most of the landlubbers out there probably don't understand the significance of the Black Shoe vs Brown Shoe Navy. Naval Aviation Chiefs and Officers wore brown shoes with khaki and green uniforms whereas the rest of the Navy wore black shoes and didn't have a green uniform . We all wore white bucks with the white uniform and black shoes with the blue uniform.

 

[Tradewind36]

NAS Key West '72-'75, Station SAR in the H-3. I remember going on at least 2 or 3 missions for downed RA-5s. If I remember correctly they were having some hydraulic problems.

 

[STCM(SW)]

I did wear brown shoes with my dress Kahki's but they did away with that uniform soon after I may Chief.

 

[BUFF]

I'm just a small child here with my naval experience limited to a one day 'family day cruise' on the U.S.S. Ranger, the "CV-BY GAWD-61" but my Dad, Bill Lone and his brother, my Uncle Bob Lone, served in the Navy in the Pacific during WWII. Dad was a SeaBee and called himself a "nail bender." Dad primarily repaired combat damage on Higgins boat landing craft returning from combat, the Higgins having a lot of wood content and getting pretty shot up while landing invading Marines and soldiers on hostile beaches.

Uncle Bob flew in the back seat of a light observation floatplane called a Curtis OS2U Kingfisher. These planes were carried by battleships and heavey cruisers. The Kingfishers were catapulted off the rear turrets of the ships, spotted gunnery for the ships' guns and watched for submarines, sometimes landing to rescue downed sailors or airmen. Unca Bob was the observer, radio operator, navigator and rear gunner while the rest of the crew, the pilot, flew the airplane. At the end of the mission, they found their ship and landed alongside while the ship was still moving, and the ship deployed a floating net which the Kingfisher pushed itself onto. The ship's crane then swung a hook over and down to the still floating, prop spinning floatplane and the radio operator/navigator/observer/navigator/rear gunner would crawl out of his cockpit and up on the pilot's slid open canopy and grab the swinging crane's hook and secure the hook to the anchor ring on the Kingfisher, and then the ship lifted the Kingfisher aboard. Uncle Bob flew from the heavy cruiser U.S.S. Pensacola, sister ship to the U.S.S. Salt Lake City. The Pensacola won more battle stars than any other cruiser in the Pacific.

Seemed to me that the Douglas A-3, the Whale, didn't do much bombing in Viet Nam but earned its fame primarily as a tanker, passing extra gas to others who, without it, would have been shortly transformed into floaters and sinkers.

The RA5 suffered great losses due to Robert MacNamara's moronic insistence of flying missions at known times, altitudes and routes that the North Viets quickly learned and could set their watches by, concentrate all their AA guns and SAMS along the known RA5 routes after the bomb runs, knowing where to be pointing their weapons when the Vigilanties came over to take their BDA photos.

MacNamara cost this country and the Vietnamese hundreds of thousands of killed and wounded with his stupidity. May he rot in hell.

 

[fordson]

Most of the landlubbers out there probably don't understand the significance of the Black Shoe vs Brown Shoe Navy. Naval Aviation Chiefs and Officers wore brown shoes with khaki and green uniforms whereas the rest of the Navy wore black shoes and didn't have a green uniform . We all wore white bucks with the white uniform and black shoes with the blue uniform.

OH, those Aviation Greens and Dress Khaki uniforms! You could go on an all night bender wearing those and still look good the next morning. Think I still have mine hanging in the upstairs closets somewhere. :
Brought my first set at Abbots in P-cola on Paxton St. A long time ago, and a galaxy far away

 

[OLDNAVYMCPO]

BUFF,

You are exactly correct about the same flight schedule, day after day. Another thing that made no sense is that we constantly bombed the railroads in the North day after day. The NVA would pre-position repair materials and crews and repair any damage within a short time. Flight crews would request time delay fuses, time after time and would be denied because bomb loads and schedules were dictated out of Washington. The same crappola probably continues to this day.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

OH, those Aviation Greens and Dress Khaki uniforms! You could go on an all night bender wearing those and still look good the next morning. Think I still have mine hanging in the upstairs closets somewhere. :
Brought my first set at Abbots in P-cola on Paxton St. A long time ago, and a galaxy far away

Palafox St, I believe.

BTW, RVAH sailors might want to check out the following link: RVAHNAVY'S RecceNet - For those who served in the RVAH Community, their families, and friends! .

 

[OLDNAVYMCPO]

Palafox St, I believe.

BTW, RVAH sailors might want to check out the following link: RVAHNAVY'S RecceNet - For those who served in the RVAH Community, their families, and friends! .

I really appreciate the link, had no idea it existed. Maybe now I can renew some old friendships. Thanks again

 

[the ringo kid]

Most of the landlubbers out there probably don't understand the significance of the Black Shoe vs Brown Shoe Navy. Naval Aviation Chiefs and Officers wore brown shoes with khaki and green uniforms whereas the rest of the Navy wore black shoes and didn't have a green uniform . We all wore white bucks with the white uniform and black shoes with the blue uniform.

I kinda do even though I was never accepted to serve Army or Navy.

 

[VN Vet]

Heck yes, Heavy 12 here. USS Independence, USS Constellation, NAS Albany and NAS Key West. I was an AKAN, AK3 & AK2. I was discharged right before the World Cruise on the USS Enterprise to show off the then brand new F14 Tomcat. I was TAD to Ship's Aviation Supply when we were WestPac on the Connie.

PM me.....