HC/HS COMBAT SAR RESCUES VIETNAM WAR
29 August 2021 Author Tom Phillips
Only confirmed COMBAT rescues of aircrew by my definition. Identified NON-combat rescues are not included here. And the few remaining rescues (about a dozen on 31 Aug 2021) not yet resolved are not included here. Work to be done yet.
u/f denotes the rescue was under fire.
For rescue events where more than one is rescued, I did not make separate lines, but just put the names together. So this is a list of rescue EVENTS. 38 events cover 45 men rescued.
BLUF:
127+ COMBAT rescues, 58+ under fire, 19+ at NIGHT.
HC-2 two events of three people
HS-2 7 events of 10 people, 4 u/f, 2 at NIGHT
HS-4 8 events of 10 people, 6 u/f, none at NIGHT
HS-6 24 events of 28 people, 10 u/f, 4 at NIGHT
HS-8 7 events of 9 people, 3 u/f, 2 at NIGHT
HC-1 38 events of 44 people, 13 u/f, 5 at NIGHT
HC-7 41 events of 53 people, 22 u/f, 6 at NIGHT
Where list shows a “Det” it means an HC-1 CSAR det.
Where list shows a “Unit” that means an HC-1 carrier plane guard det
Unit A – USS Midway HC-1 PG det
Unit D – USS Coral Sea HC-1 PG det
Unit G – USS Oriskany HC-1 PG det
Unit L – USS Hancock HC-1 PG det
If the PG det was forward staged for combat rescue it is noted.
20 Sep ’65 Unit A Lt Harris (fwd staged USS Galveston USS Midway PG Det) u/f
5 Oct ’65 Unit D ENS Bulb Adams Coral Sea det (fwd staged USS Galveston)
9 Nov ’65 Unit G LCDR Merchant NIGHT over water (fwd staged USS Gridley) u/f
18 Nov ’65 Unit G LTJG WD Sharp. fwd staged (fwd staged USS Gridley)
14 Mar ’66 Det 5 AF Capt Price HU-16 (USS England) u/f
20 Mar ’66 Det 5 LTJG Greenwood (USS Worden) u/f
1 May ’66 Det 5 Lt Mansfield picked up from hung hoist also u/f fm beach (USS England)
2 May ’66 Det 5 LT Chancy (USS England) u/f
23 May ’66 Det 5 LT Miller (USS Worden) u/f
4 July ’66 Unit L LCDR Baldwin Hancock PG helo NIGHT not u/f
11 Aug ’66 Det 23 Capt Penn, 1LT Finzer (USS King) NIGHT not u/f
18 Aug ’66 Det 9-2 LCDR Verich (USS Halsey) u/f
19 Aug ’66 Det 9-2 LCDR Thompson (Collett got LTJG Parten) (USS Halsey) not u/f
21 Aug ’66 Det 23 LT Craig (USS King) not u/f
28 Aug ’66 Det 9-2 CDR Smith (USS Halsey) u/f
13 Sep ’66 Det 17 LTJG Dwyer ( USS Reeves) not u/f
6 Oct ’66 Det 23 LT Leach. (USS King)
8 Oct ‘66 Det 23 LTJG Litvin. (USS King)
16 Oct ’66 Det 9-2 two HS-6 airmen from the ditched H-3 (USS Halsey) not u/f
22 Oct ’66 Det 23 LTJG Turner. (USS King)
3 Nov ’66 Det 9-2 LT Schaffer, LTJG Piccoli (USS Halsey) not u/f
6 Nov ’66 Det 9-2 Capt Vizcarra (USS Halsey) NIGHT not u/f
11 Nov ’66 Det 17 LTJG G. H. Davis (USS Reeves) NIGHT u/f
27 Nov ’66 Det 5-2 LTJG Natter (USS King) not u/f
8 Apr ’67 Det 17-2 LT Richie, ENS Schumacher. (USS England North SAR)
24 Apr ’67 Det 19-2 ENS Laing. LCDR Southwick (USS ???)
25 Apr ’67 Det 19-2 LCDR Almberg. (USS ???)
24 May ’67 Det 3 LTJG Alsop. (USS England) u/f
31 May ‘6 Det 15 MAJ Fulcher USAF
6 June ’67 Det 3 LT Hall by helo (USS England)
2 July ’67 Det 15 MAJ Stone (USS Reeves) u/f
12 July ’67 Det 17-2 LCDR Kirkpatrick south of Haiphong15 nm (USS Fox North SAR)
14 July ’67 Det 17-2 LT Donis (USS Fox North SAR)[i]
19 July ’67 Det 17-2 Capt Johnson (USS Fox North SAR)
20 July ’67 Det 17-2 CDR Whittemore (USS Fox North SAR)
1 Aug ’67 Det 17-2 1LT Thornhill (USS Fox North SAR)
12 Aug ’67 Det 17-2 LCDR Teague (USS Fox North SAR)u/f
21 Aug ’67 Det 108 CDR McGlohn, LTJG McInrath (USS William B. Pratt) u/f
23 Apr ’72 HC-1Det 1 PG det Kitty Hawk MAJ Hall, Capt Bougher USAF not u/f