Jensen, Randy, PT3

Memories
CARRIER
True stories on an aircraft carrier, just not all the same day.

The swells of the ocean were slamming into the bow of the ship. Forty foot waves as it pushed ahead into the wind to launch the aircraft. The spray was thirty feet higher against the bow, but the F4 Phantom jet was preparing to slide down the catapult and into the wind, ninety feet above the ocean, loaded down with five hundred pound bombs, destined for targets unknown to most. Alongside, on number two catapult, an A-6 Intruder was loaded with five hundred pound bombs and two Shrike missiles that are protection against SAMs (surface to air missiles). The deflector shield for both aircraft were raised at the rear of the aircraft. Then with the night skies overhead the F4 Phantoms catapult officer signaled the F4 pilot to crank up the jet engines. As the engines began roaring, turning the night sky into red, purple, blue and yellow from the thrusts of the jet, the heat grew, as the heat bounced off the deflector shield and the smell of JP5 fuel was in the air. The final signal was given as the catapult officer dropped to one knee and pointed his arm forward. The jet slid down the ship's bow, over the ocean, above the waves, and into the sky of the Gulf of Tonkin. The deflector shield dropped and another plane moved up, taking its place while the A-6 Intruder on catapult two turned up its engines and being a bigger aircraft, its thrust made more noise. The catapult officer again signaled the pilot and dropped to one knee with one arm outstretched. The bomber shot down the catapult, flames from the thrust, screaming as it left the ship, it dropped a little closer to the waves, then climbed into the night sky. The deflector shield dropped. A new plane moved up until the launch was complete. Most jets had targets over North Vietnam, and back then there were few TV or Laser guided bombs, so targets were found by coordinates or just lights on a road or train tracks.
Later the planes began returning on the horizon, ready to touch down on the bouncing postage stamp on the sea, each lining up for their turn to land. The landings were beautiful. It wasn?t until the last minute you saw the jet coming in under the dimly lighted flight deck, trying to catch one of the four arresting wires with their tail hook. The planes touched down at one hundred and fifty miles per hour.
First the F4 phantoms landed as they burned the most fuel per hour. They were a beautiful bird to see coming in from the conning tower above the flight deck, one after another, pure power, and sort of a thoroughbred of the Vietnam War. And the phantom came in with a roar. Then another plane came in. This was an A-6 Intruder, the one with the two Shrike missiles, and both were missing . The Shrikes had been fired at SAM sights (Fan Song radar installations that controlled the SAM's guidance systems.). The Shrike missile followed the radar signal back to the trailers that issued the signal and blew them up.
Then there was another A-6 Intruder that had to be caught in the flight deck safety net because it had dodged SAMs by flying lower going into antiaircraft fire and then flying even lower to dodge the antiaircraft fire over Hai Phong. The pilot, realizing the thump in his wing and his engine meant they had hit the top of the trees, and they kept on flying. Leaves and tree branches had hit bomber. They were not taking any chances on this landing. So, as the A-6 landed and caught the arresting wire, the safety net also stopped the jet, preventing a carrier accident in a landing. But the intruder landed safely and everything worked out OK, even with tree branch sections imbedded in the wing.
Next was another A-6 Intruder that had a 2000 pound bomb hung on its wing that failed to fall off onto its target. The Bomb could fall off at anytime. The pilot was given permission to land and the deck was cleared of non-essential personnel. As the jet approached I was just under the flight deck. I was broadcasting a closed circuit TV camera from IOIC (Intergraded Operational Intelligent Center) to all squadron ready rooms, showing the A-6 landing. Time was up; the lights of the plane were approaching and visible. You could see the plane's tail hook was down. We followed the pilot in on camera just above us. You could hear the landing and the pulling of the arresting wires. Then it happened! The bomb fell off the planes wing, sliding along the carrier's deck. The cameras caught it all. You could hear the 2000 pound bomb slide down the flight deck, would the bomb explode as it slid down the flight deck and then the bomb went off the side of the ship. You could hear a pin drop. Silence, then a roar of joy as the bomb didn't have time to drop far enough to arm itself. All was well. The landing ended and the crews prepared for another launch, some of which were not always the best.
One of those launches involved our squadron Commander Earnest and his co Pilot LCDR Jackson. As they launched something went wrong . The thrust failed or the plane was flipped by the wind. The co pilot LCDR Jackson punched out. But the squadron Commander Earnest did not and he went down with his plane. Lost forever in the Gulf of Tonkin, down in Davey Jones Locker. The co-pilot LCDR Jackson was rescued though.
Then there was an A-7 pilot who was shot down over North Viet Nam, Squadron planes were diverted to search for him. One pilot, back on the carrier, in his debriefing, said he saw this plane being hit by a SAM missile and the wing blown off, and saw the pilot punch out. Upon their return, when the debriefing acknowledged his signal, and his location had been picked up, several planes diverted to look for the downed pilot. This brought in what was referred to as "BIG MOTHER," a helicopter rescue team that did highly dangerous and classified missions, their mission being, to fly back to the same location where the plane was shot down, find the signal and bring back the pilot alive and well.
Where was the pilot? Well he was operating on SERE tactics in the North which stood for "Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape". Of the North Vietnamese people, most were armed, and they were all looking for the pilot. To escape he was crawling through the rice paddies, smearing himself with what he thought was mud, to hide the white of his skin under a full moon. It smelled like a toilet and most rice paddies are just that. The workers defecate in the rice paddies as they work during the day. One rice paddy to another he crawled, smearing the mud on his exposed skin, with just his head above water. Suddenly a peasant sighted him, pointed his AK-47 at him, then yelled for others who were searching for him. Surprisingly the peasant turned and ran for help (Why the pilot thought? We were both scared). Then the pilot also ran and hid, finally reaching his pick up point. He waited.
Back at carrier command, the planning and strategy were being put together with the "BIG MOTHER" team and their support. The next night chopper teams flew off into the night, over to the same area where the A-7 had been shot down. Just above the tree line, at the recovery point, "BIG MOTHER" dropped down to the ground where the pilot lay flat on his belly. Guns start blaring, cutting just about everything down that stood. Then silence. The pilot stood up and started running towards "BIG MOTHER". Into the helicopter he jumped and the guns started blaring again as the chopper rose and headed off into the night. The pilot was rescued, and only minutes had taken place.
Upon his return there was a grand welcome for the pilot. Two days later was a debriefing in front of the squadron and ship's personnel as the pilot explained his story. He had great respect for the "BIG MOTHER" team and the complete rescue party . This was one pilot who did not become a P.O.W. and have to shake Jane Fonda's hand.