Editor’s Note: we have a peripatetic correspondent named Jim whose jottings reflect a life of service. This is a gem, and he has allowed me to forward to both the professional website and the Socotra distribution. For those who have not done a tour at sea, it may be a revelation. For those that have, it is a trip down some not always pleasant memory lanes.

– Vic

Where Are the Carriers?

… “where are the carriers ?” and …”Send in the carriers!” (and the Marines) are comments often heard when the U.S. is faced with a new world-wide hot-spot or problem.

As noted below, now it’s a planned U.S. Navy carrier port visit that is to used demonstrate increased political support for ….. the government of Vietnam…… in what is touted as the first carrier visit there…. ever…

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, left, met with Ngo Xuan Lich, Vietnam’s defense minister, to discuss further steps in their mutual defense relationship and regional security challenges at the Pentagon, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017.

As you all know, we’ve really had a long history of carrier diplomacy with Vietnam…….
John McCain’s Flight Suit and gear on display at the Hanoi Hilton – December 2006.

They weren’t exactly port visits, but we’ve already had Vietnam officials fly out to the USS George Washington in the SCS in 2011 ……

.. and again in Oct., 2012 … they were called ‘flyouts”……

http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/ccsg5/Pages/VietnameseDistinguishedVisitorsTourGeorgeWashington.aspx

and there was an earlier visit to USS John Stennis in 2009…….

PACIFIC OCEAN (April 22, 2009) Rear Adm. Mark Vance, commander, Carrier Strike Group Three, welcomes Senior Col. Do Minh Tuan, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Vietnam People’s Armed Forces Air Defense Force, aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74).

http://blogs.reuters.com/global/2009/04/23/vietnamese-officers-visit-us-aircraft-carrier-as-china-celebrates-navy-anniversary/

But our biggest carrier effort by far was during the war of course … some 22 different U.S. Navy carriers conducted about 90 combat deployments in the Gulf of Tonkin from 1964 to 1973; doing recce armed and otherwise, dropping ordnance in both North and South Vietnam as well as Laos and engaging in aerial combat ……. that was some 40 yrs ago, unknown by many younger Vietnamese but still not forgotten……

Those were at-sea ops and Navy carrier in-country flight ops ….. however, a couple of Navy auxillary carriers, the USNS Card and USNS Core made regular port calls up river to Saigon, ferrying in acft, helos, APCs, troops and other equipment. in the early 60s…….

Sure enough, they made tempting tgts and the Card was the victim of a successful VC sapper attack in May of 1964. Fortunately the ship settled in the relatively shallow river bed, was patched up, towed to Subic and repaired….

Additionally, during the war, in 1970 USS Shangri-La, came off Yankee Station early for a port call in Danang …. another first … to inspect/work on a bad shaft in the harbor. Turned out a shaft coupling had sheared and the Shang went on up to Yoko for 12 days in the drydock … effecting, of course, the schedule for the rest of us.

Even earlier – carrier port calls up north were made in the early 1950s ….. by again ex-USN carriers….. USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24) which had become Bois Belleau after its’ transfer to the French Navy to aid them during their earlier turn at the Vietnam war…. . and USS Langley became the French carrier La Fayette.

(A French navy Helldiver warming up; the elevator pattern and deck planking identifies the ship as either Lafayette or Bois Belleau.) (photo from Langevin collection)

Both transported and were equipped U.S. supplied ex-Navy Hellcats, Helldivers and Corsairs….. and I believe operated mostly from ashore……

Unfortunately Bois Belleau arrived a bit late in May, 1954 to help out in the defense of Dien Bien Phu …. if that was possible,
but her aircraft were employed for the last few months of the war…. and she would be used to evacuate French forces.

Bois Belleau, arriving….. clip http://cloudybright.biz/v/Aircraft-Carrier-Bois-Belleau-Arrives-In-Indo-China-1954-id=-zaEfMqQfp0

Interestingly, the French would keep her …. and she would fight again, next in Algeria……!

It was also during this time period, that on occasion, U.S. Navy carriers; Boxer*, Essex, Philippine Sea, Hornet and Wasp were on station for contingency ops in the GoT to possibly support the French, particularly at DBP…..
This was part of OPLAN Vulture, whose options included large scale B-29 raids and U.S. Navy carrier tacair strikes… and at least a plan for the delivery of tactical nukes ! In the end, Ike would not approve any of these but the Navy carrier acft did conduct tactical recce of the BDP area…….

Even earlier, there was another carrier effort involving Vietnam….. in 1950, just as we had set up our MAAG, with a Navy section, … they organized a fly-over of Saigon air show by 60 acft from USS Boxer* to show some solidarity with the French forces……..

So …. not exactly new, U.S. Navy carriers have had a variety of ops for about a 60 year run in our country’s relations with Vietnam……

It will be interesting to see where the port call will take place. For max visibility and proximity to their capital, I would
guess the Ha Long port area, just east of Haiphong and about 100 miles east of Hanoi…… (3+ hours by car….!)

We absolutely need a carrier in this picturesque Ha Long Bay setting……….

A couple yrs ago on our Hong Kong to Singapore run, we stopped there. They would undoubtly anchor out… like we did, on a 1,000′, 90,000 ton ship.

Should be another interesting chapter…… lots of different ‘first’……

Jim…..

* an interesting aside (maybe) on USS Philippine Sea and USS Hornet, carriers on contingency ops in the GoT during 1954. In July, the new PRC Air Force shot down a Cathy Pacific DC-4 airliner heading from Bangkok to Hong Kong in what was known as the Hainan Incident.

Carrier acft were assigned to assist in the SAR. During this, two of their A-1 attack aircraft were fired on by Chinese La-11 fighters and the Spads quickly shot them both down!

Great to always have a gun, and some simple ROE……. in this case, the Chinese apologized and reportedly executed the responsible pilots…….

* USS Boxer’s CoC, Manila, in 1954……

Copyright 2017 Jim
www.vicsocotra.com