usscoralsea

Second Vietnam WESTPAC, 1967 time frame, aboard USS CORAL SEA.

Catalog information is incorrect; There is no history of VF-194 ever having deployed aboard Constellation. Available records show that the squadron, at the time of this image, was assigned to CVW-15 aboard USS Coral Sea. Historian USS Constellation (CVA/CV 64)

Captured as it leaves the deck from the catapult. A-3B Skywarrior Bu No 147657 Tail code NL of Carrier Air Wing Fifteen (CVW-15) VAH-2 ‘Royal Rampants’. Modex 610/810 repeated on extreme rear. As recorded on this ‘GO!NAVY’ website: www.gonavy.jp/index.html www.gonavy.jp/CVW-NLf.html VAH-2 ‘Royal Rampants’ as part of CVW-15 - tail code NL Was embarked on CVA-43 USS CORAL SEA before or between Dec.7 1964 & Nov.1, 1965 for a very long early Vietnam War deployment in the South China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin. (My thanks to Takafumi Hiroe, citizen of Japan and naval aviation historian) 1964 pictures of A-3B 147657 on a site for VA-94 'Mighty Shrikes: a4skyhawk.org/3e/va94/va94.htm Two air to air archival pictures of 147657 below; 1964 picture of A-3B 147657: a4skyhawk.org/content/147735-va-94-us-navy-photograph-wz-... Location: air-to-air Date: 1964 Description: VAH-2 EKA-3B Whale BuNo. 147657, NL 810, passing gas to Mighty Shrikes Skyhawk BuNo. 147735, NG 404 while BuNo. 149541, NG 413, waits his turn. 1964 picture of A-3B 147657: a4skyhawk.org/content/149541-va-94-us-navy-photograph-whi... Location: air-to-air Date: 1964 Description: EKA-3B VAH-2 Whale BuNo 147657, NL 810, stands ready to fuel two Shrike Skyhawks, BuNo 147735, NG 404 and BuNo 149541, NG 413. Nice color Picture with A-3B Skywarrior 147657 included: 1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/AndersonChuck/3830.htm 1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/AndersonChuck/3830L.jpg Note tail code NL, Modex 810 and squadron badge aft of cockpit. Here is a nice picture of A-3B 147657, Tail code NL Modex 810: www.1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/AndersonChuck/52... Douglas 593-8 KA-3B Skywarrior (147657 c/n 12421) US Navy Vought V-383 RF-8A Crusader (146861) US Navy Remarks about the RF-8A flight by Chuck Anderson: "This was quite a trip....My wing and I took off from USS Ranger 100 miles east of Danang and tanked south of Saigon. We flew across the Gulf of Siam and took low level photos of the coast of Malaysia for a planned landing exercise. Then we flew back, tanked again, and landed aboard after about 4 hours in the air." Although designated an attack bomber, A3D-2/A-3B Skywarriors could and did carry the tanker package prior to the official designation of KA-3B. Some notes on A-3B Skywarrior Bu No 147657 Originally built as A3D-2 Number 272 on Skywarrior production line Constructor Number 12421 Accepted by US Navy August 1960 Re-designated A-3B from 1962. Converted to KA-3B in June 1967 Further converted to EKA-3B in January 1968. In May 1975 converted back to KA-3B Skywarrior Bu No 147657 appears to have belonged to these units during its existence; VAH-2, VAW-13, VAQ-130, VAQ-208, VAK-208 & VAK-308 Finally withdrawn from use 27 September 1989. Stored in desert boneyard as AN2A0118 at the then AMARC, near Tucson Arizona, until partial scrapping with remainder going to a private museum. EKA-3B 147657 may also be viewed in this ‘flickr’ pic here: www.flickr.com/photos/tailspin_tommy/282287428/ From info on following website and its webpages: EKA-3B 147657 was aboard CV-64 USS Constellation between May 29, 1968 & Jan.31, 1969 to support the Vietnam War. www.gonavy.jp/index.html www.gonavy.jp/CVW-NKf.html www.gonavy.jp/CVW14-NK1968.html This was with VAW-13 DET.64 as Modex 112 then 106 with CVW-14 code NK. During 1971/1972 EKA-3B 147657 of VAQ-130, DET 1. CVW-9 tail code NG, was again onboard CV-64 USS Constellation for the Vietnam War. From info on this website and its webpages: www.gonavy.jp/index.html www.gonavy.jp/CVW-NGf.html www.gonavy.jp/CVW9-NG1972.html It’s recorded that only between Oct.1 1971 & July 1, 1972 aboard VAQ-130 DET.1 'Zappers' equipped with EKA-3B. were aboard USS Constellation The three assigned wore Modex codes 614, 615 & 616. Unluckily, it is recorded that 616 was Bu Number 147657! So that's wrong! (Credit to Takafumi Hiroe of Japan) 1978 color picture with KA-3B 147657 as tail code AF Modex 612 of VAK-208 www.airliners.net/photo/0652244/ At RAF Mildenhall England. Dated 17 September 1978 1982 color picture of KA-3B 147657 as tail code AF Modex 612 of VAK-208 www.airfighters.com/photo/25046/M/USA-Navy/Douglas-KA-3B-... At RAF Mildenhall England. Dated 26 September 1982. 1989 color picture of KA-3B 147657 as tail code AF Modex 522 of VAK-208 - its final unit. www.planepictures.net/netshow.php?id=748359 At Frankfurt Rhein-Main air base, Germany. Dated 17 September 1989. This 2001 AMARC inventory records KA-3B 147657 as tail code AF Modex 522 formerly of VAK-208 - its final unit: home.clara.net/mwindridge/Database/20May01/area_241.htm (Use slider to scroll to center of page) KA-3B 147657 is recorded in the MASDC & AMARC Database - Douglas A-3 Skywarrior www.amarcexperience.com/AMARCDB.asp?SessionId=534092316&a... Serial; 147657. PCN; AN2A0118. Type; Douglas KA-3B Skywarrior….C/N 12421. ARRIVAL DATE; 27-SEP-89 Disposition:Unknown / Nose to Southern Utah Air Museum, Washington, UT. Fuselage to HVF West, Tucson, AZ. And scrapped. Found on this website, what seems to be the only remaining part of KA-3B 147657: (Use slider to scroll all way to bottom of page) www.a3skywarrior.com/ready-room/a-3-dispositions/a-3-muse... "Gibbs Whale Museum" KA-3B BuNo 147657 VAH-2, VAQ-130, VAQ-208, VAK-208, VAK- 308 Ennis Gibbs Woodland, Utah (E of SLC, UT) 435-783-2439 egibbs@allwest.net Call ahead of time and Ennis will provide you a tour of the Whale and the opportunity to sit in your favorite flight position. 'Before cockpit removal' 'After cockpit removal' 'BN side of cockpit' " (Note Modex code 522 on nose)

www.deseretnews.com/article/640186330/Veteran-has-whale-o...