douglasskyhawk

The above picture may also be viewed here: www.millionmonkeytheater.com/a4dpics/147811.jpg Douglas A4D-2N/A-4C Skyhawk 147811 VA-83 ‘Rampagers’ Modex 301 Tail code AJ of Carrier Air Group Eight (CVG-8) USS FORRESTAL above NAVY on rear fuselage Black painted nose to appear as if radar equipped with a covering radome as was the practice with the A-4C for that period. A4D-2N 147811 Construction Number 12575 was accepted by the US Navy from the Douglas El Segundo California plant on September 29, 1960. Between 1962 and 1967 A4D-2N/A-4C 147811 flew only from Sixth Fleet carriers with four US Navy squadrons in the Atlantic and Mediterranean theaters. 1960-1962; VA-83 ‘Rampagers’ of CVG-8 code AJ aboard CVA-59 USS Forrestal 1962; VA-72 ‘Blue Hawks’ of CVG-7 code AG from CVA-62 USS Independence 1963; VA-172 ‘Blue Bolts’ Detachment 15 of Carrier Anti Submarine Group 58 (CVSG-58) as temporary ‘fighter’ protection aboard anti-submarine carrier CVS-15 USS Randolph. Both 1964 and 1965; VA-172 of CVW-1 code AB from CVA-42 USS Franklin D Roosevelt 1966-1967; VA-66 ‘Waldos’ of Carrier Air Wing Six (CVW-6 code AE) on board CVA-66 USS America. As part of NATO, if a ‘Hot’ war had erupted this aircraft would have been used to attack enemy Soviet forces with nuclear weapons. After November 1962 all US Navy aircraft designations were simplified, with A4D-2N becoming A-4C. VA-66 A-4C 147811 was lost while on a Mediterranean deployment. On Thursday May 25, 1967 Lieutenant Commander A.P. Lowry ejected when his Skyhawk crashed into the sea off the starboard bow of CVA-66 USS America and sank in 1450 fathoms of water. Without injury the very fortunate pilot was saved by the rescue helicopter crew. a4skyhawk.org/3e/va66/va66.htm 1964 picture with A-4C 147811 as background: a4skyhawk.org/content/va-172-4c-buno-147811 A-4C 147811 VA-172 Modex: AB-312 Location: probably NAS Jacksonville, Florida. Date: January 1964 Carrier and squadron skippers, including Captain John Lacouture (Saratoga) and Gerald Miller (Franklin D. Roosevelt) pictured in front of VA-172 A-4C Skyhawk BuNo 147811, AB-312, probably at NAS Jacksonville, FL. Photo courtesy of Bob Lawson. 1964-1965 formation picture with A-4C 147811 included: a4skyhawk.org/content/147811-va-172-us-navy-photograph-bo... A-4C 147811 VA-172 Modex: AB-301 Photo Credit: U.S. Navy photograph from Bob Hinckley flight of four Blue Bolt Skyhawks over the Mediterranean: BuNo 149513, AB-316; BuNo 148586, AB-311; BuNo 147811, AB-301 and BuNo 149564, AB-313. They even painted the Bluebolt insignia on all four aircraft! (All information and images courtesy of the ‘A-4 Skyhawk Association’)

Douglas A-4C 147816 Skyhawk VA-95 ‘Green Lizards’ Modex 501 Tail code NG of Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) NAS Lemoore, California July 1965 A4D-2N 147816 Construction Number 12580 was accepted by the US Navy on September 29 1960 at the Douglas El Segundo plant in California After November 1962 all US Navy aircraft designations were simplified and A4D-2N became A-4C For the first five years of its existence A4D-2N/A-4C 147816 flew with the US Marine Corps. A-4C 147816 as side number 85 was with VMA-223 ‘Bulldogs’ Detachment T, deployed aboard CVS-10 USS Yorktown between October 22, 1964 and May 17, 1965 during a WestPac, Vietnam War voyage as quasi fighter protection (carrying AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles) for Carrier Anti-submarine Air Group 55. The small unit wore its own squadron code WP and side numbers 81-85. CVSG-55 used code NU. A color side profile may be seen on page 72 and color picture on page 73 in publication “US Navy and Marine Corps A-4 Skyhawk Units of the Vietnam War 1963-1973” by Peter Mersky Pictures of VMA-223 ‘Bulldogs’ Detachment T A-4C aircraft aboard USS Yorktown in late 1964 and early 1965: a4skyhawk.org/content/148482-vma-223-official-us-navy-boo... commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SH-3A_A-4C_CVS-10_1965.jpg Unfortunately A-4C 147816 is not included. After ten months with two successive Navy squadrons during work up periods and sent to Japan as a wartime attrition replacement the aircraft at last flew in the way it was designed for. A-4C 147816 is recorded from May 13, 1967 with VA-76 ‘Spirits’ as Modex 683 as replacement for a shot down Skyhawk. They were flying off CVA-31 USS Bon Homme Richard with Carrier Air Wing Twenty One (CVW-21 code NP) Very soon after, however A-4C 147816 was also lost in combat. Commander Kenneth Robbins Cameron, date of birth August 9, 1928, the Executive Officer (XO) of VA-76 was flying A-4C 147816 as NP-683 when he was shot down by anti-aircraft fire while leading a strike against shipping facilities 5 miles north of Vinh, Nghe An Province, North Vietnam on Thursday May 18, 1967. He ejected and became a Prisoner Of War and spent the next three years and five months in prison camps, and according to the Vietnamese, died in captivity. It was another four years before his remains were returned to U.S. control. Several repatriated prisoners reported that Commander Cameron was with them until December 1969. He was in extremely poor physical and mental health shape. When a large group of POWs were moved from ‘Heartbreak’ to another part of Ha Lo in 1970, they were told Cameron was in the camp hospital. www.pownetwork.org/bios/c/c074.htm Posthumous Presidential citation, promotion to Captain and award of Navy Cross to Kenneth Robbins Cameron: navy.togetherweserved.com/usn/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?c... The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Captain [then Commander] Kenneth Robbins Cameron (NSN: 0-554612), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam from 18 May 1967 to 4 October 1970. Under constant pressure from the North Vietnamese in their attempt to gain military information and propaganda material, Captain Cameron experienced severe torture with ropes and by beatings and was kept in solitary confinement. As they persisted in their hostile treatment of him, he continued to resist by feigning sickness and refusing to eat anything but a bare minimum of food. Through those means he was successful in his attempt to keep himself unacceptable in appearance to the North Vietnamese, thus discouraging them from forcing him to meet visiting antiwar delegations for propaganda purposes. He gallantly evaded exploitation by the North Vietnamese throughout his lengthy confinement. By his exceptional courage, determination, and resourcefulness in a most difficult line of resistance, he reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service and the United States Armed Forces. My respect to the memory of the pilot and to his family and friends. 1965 picture of A-4C 147816 - only available commercially: www.cloud9photography.us/Contributing-Cloud-9/JANSSON-Cla... www.cloud9photography.us/keyword/va95%20a4%20skyhawk/4074... A-4USN 00017 Douglas A-4C Skyhawk USN 147816 VA-95 NAS Leemore by Clay Jansson. Color profile of A-4C 147816 with VA-95 in 1965: wp.scn.ru/en/ww3/a/783/3/10 A-4C 147816 Unit: VA-95, US Navy Serial: 501/NG (BuNo.147816) Airframe information for A4D-2N/A-4C 147816 courtesy the ‘A-4 Skyhawk Association’

VX-5 Vampires A4D-2N Skyhawk BuNo 145066, XE-2, in-flight, circa 1962.