When the Okinawa returned to North Island I wanted to see Madeline, my fiancee. In those days there was no bridge yet. Travel from North Island was by ferry boat. One of the other officers was in the duty section and had to stay on the ship. He also had a car at North Island. … More Stick Shift for the first time.
In 1968 USS Okinawa was designated as the prime recovery ship for Apollo 6. She was, at the time, the smallest ship to have that role. Apollo 6, in case you didn’t know, was the last unmanned test of the Saturn rocket and Apollo capsule combination. It was plagued by minor problems, but still regarded … More Apollo space capsule recovery
The Okinawa was lucky ship. We had a number of almost disasters, but somehow, managed to recover from them without serious damage or injuries. One such incident oc combined with fuel that was sprayed into the d when we were just leaving San Diego. There is a narrow channel between North island and point Loma … More Leaving San Diego – Oops.
I’ve seen plenty of crises, including aircraft crashes. But one that sticks out happened when we were sortieing from Subic Bay. We had been given a break from sitting off the Vietnamese coast and had returned to Subic Bay. Our embarked marines all went ashore to go out in the field to do what marines … More Routine Heroism
I got to be involved in one more amphibious landing before we returned to the USA. This one was a little bit further south. It looked like someone poked a finger at the map and said “We need another airfield about here”. The place did not have a prior name. It was just an open … More Third Landing – Chu Lai
During our first stay in Danang harbor/bay we were quite concerned about security. The possibility of a hostile swimmer reaching the ship and planting a bomb on the hull was taken very seriously. One of the measures we took wa to keep two boats out at night circling the anchorage. Each boat crew consisted of … More Danang harbor patrol
Landing at Hue 14 April 1965 After a short interval the amphibious group embarked another Marine battalion to bring to Vietnam. The combat troops went ashore in Danag and were moved, mostly by helicopter, to the town of Phu Bai, almost adjacent to the old city of Hue. Heavy equipment and supplies would be delivered … More Landing at Hue – 14 April 1965
Squeezing Electrons My second ship, USS Union (AK-106), was a leftover from the Second World War. She had been upgraded over the years, but, at heart, she was still from an era long past. One of the things added wasa radar installation. Union actually had 2 radars. One was primarily for air search, and the … More Squeezing Electrons
Danang Landings I had barely reported to my new ship, USS Union, when we sortied from Subic Bay and headed, once again, for the coast of Vietnam. But this trip was different. Previously we had just sailed back and forth I readiness to intervene if necessary. This trip we headed to Danang bay and prepared … More Danang Landings
I actually did get to practice my skill as an air intercept controller twice after graduating from the school We were with the Seventh Fleet and participating in a SEATO naval exercise. The first simulated raid got to take on was inbound. I was given an English De Hhaviland Sea Vixen to control. I ordered … More Real intercept control
Wetherhorn 