McConnaughhay, Dan Daily, SF2

While the SH-3 helicopter was designed and equipped for anti-submarine warfare, it was commonly used for intership transportation among the 7th Fleet ships operating in the Gulf of Tonkin and South China Sea areas. The USS NAVASOTA (AO-106) was a fleet oiler which replenished the warships with fuel oil, aviation gasoline, and jet fuel. During operations offshore Vietnam, three NAVASOTA crewmen were lost at sea when the SH-3A (BuNo 149926) they were aboard enroute it went down. As with most at-sea losses, their remains could not be recovered. They had been returning from a collision of 2 destroyers the USS Brinkley Bass and the USS Waddell. 

The three men were
Chief Shipfitter Bernard J. Sparenberg, Baltimore, MD
Shipfitter First Class Glenn E. Asmussen, Washington D.C
Shipfitter Second Class Dan D. McConnaugehay, Artesia, CA.

This Sailor has an (IMO) In Memory Of Headstone in:Fort Logan National Cemetery (VA), Denver, Colorado.

This letter was written to Ernest's cousin, Roxie Icephine McConnaughhay on January 9, 1972. "Dan Dailey McConnaughhay, born in 1942, at Fountain, Colorado, married Evelyn Quint in 1960. Their children are: Aleisha-born in 1961, Kim-born in 1965, and Dan Jr.-born in April, 1966, two months after his dad was lost at sea.

 Dan was lost at sea during one of those south seas Monsoons on Feb. 6, 1966. Two destroyers had run together and one was taking a lot of water, and a call went out for help. They needed someone who knew how to weld under water, Dan had that experience and volunteered, eleven men made the trip of a mile or so in a helicopter.

The strom was so bad that the chopper had to hover and take the men in one at a time. They plugged up the hole and were returning when suddenly the chopper went out of control and plunged into the high waves then turned up-side down. All were rescued but three, Dan and two others.

I still pray that he might have been picked up by some Chinese junk or by a miracle, but I know that I will have to live in the right way in order to see him in heaven."