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Shaun Thomas (Underdog), OSC
to remember
Deuter, Richard Carl, LT.
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Commander L. W. Richards and then-Lieutenant (junior grade) Richard Deuter were flying as lead in a section of two A-6A INTRUDERS, operating under FAC control against a target near Tavouc in southern Laos. Richards, flying A-6A BuNo 155613, rolled in on the target and released his weapons, but as he pulled out of the dive-bombing delivery the wing structure failed and the aircraft disintegrated in flight. Richards was able to escape and was picked up about 30 minutes later, but Richard Deuter apparently went in with the aircraft.
In a separate incident, LCdr Richard F. Collins and LT Michael E. Quinn, flying A-6A BuNo 155607, were conducting a night armed reconnaissance mission along the Ho Chi Minh Trail further to the north. A second A-6 was operating at some distance in trail. The crew of the second aircraft sighted a large fireball estimated to be in the vicinity of Ban Tampanko, Laos. There was no radio contact with either crewman and SAR efforts failed to locate either crew or aircraft.
As of 07 Dec 2002 the remains of the three men have not been repatriated.
The loss mentioned by Mike Munson above was F-4J BuNo 155889 from VF-143, crewed by LTJG Herbert C. Wheeler and LTJG Henry J. Bedinger, who went down while conducting a bombing strike near Ban Nampakhon, Laos. Low clouds required that Wheeler conduct a relatively flat dive delivery, rolling in from less than 8,000 feet. When he attempted to level his wings for the drop, the aircraft refused to follow the control inputs and continued in a left roll and an increasingly steep dive toward the ground. As the aircraft passed through the minimum possible recovery altitude, the crew ejected. LTJG Wheeler was picked up by a USAF "JOLLY GREEN" HH-53A helo, but Bedinger was surrounded by enemy troops and captured. Bedinger eventually was moved to a prison within North Vietnam and was repatriated on 28 March 1973 - one of the few aviators who survived capture in Laos.
Description A Western Pacific Cruise is a ship's deployment from her home port, usually lasting between 5 and 8 months. Ships visit different ports such as Phuket, Thailand; Salalah, Oman; Darwin, Australia, Bali, Jebel Ali, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong. The ships hosted foreign militaries, performed numerous underway replenishments-at-sea and conducted general quarters drills, fire drills and maritime patrols.
US Navy provides during these deployments provocative "freedom of navigation" operations, known as FONOPS, that send warships into the disputed areas around the world on any given year.
Any cruise is hazardous with sailors injured or killed during flight, refueling, ordnance, operations or weather; day or night. Foriegn military vessels threatening by fast approach to ramming. Often at times ships are endangered by low fly overs from hostile aircraft.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
January / 1969
To Month/Year
December / 1969
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories After 5 months of intensive operations, Ranger called at Hong Kong 5 May 1968 and then steamed for home. There followed a shipyard availability at Puget Sound that ended with Ranger's departure 29 July for San Francisco. Three months of leave, upkeep and training culminated in another WestPac deployment 26 October 1968 through 17 May 1969. [edit] 1970s She departed Alameda on yet another WestPac deployment in October 1969 and remained so employed until 18 May 1970 at which time she returned to Alameda, arriving 1 June