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10 - E=mc2(Part 3)
On Yankee Station
In mid-October 1965, the word came that the Enterprise was to be deployed to the Pacific Fleet to support the
American efforts in Vietnam. Rear Admiral Henry Miller, Chief of Staff of CinCPac (Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet)
and his staff volunteered to make sure that the "Big E," which up to that time had been showing the flag around the
world, was ready for war. Air Wing 9, whose aircrews were already veterans of Vietnam on board the USS Ranger,
was also assigned to the Enterprise. They sailed from Norfolk on October 26, 1965 to the naval station at
Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico. There, the ship and her crew were put through a grueling operational readiness exercise
at the nearby Atlantic Fleet weapons range. On November 2, she set sail for Subic Bay in the Philippines, via the Cape
of Good Hope and the Indian Ocean.64
On November 30, the Enterprise left Subic Bay and proceeded to "Dixie Station," a position off the coast of South
Vietnam from which American carriers launched aircraft to provide close air support for land forces in South Vietnam,
especially around Saigon and the Mekong Delta. A nuclear-powered vessel took part in combat for the first time on
December 2, 1965, when the Enterprise launched her first strikes against enemy targets. Two days later, she set
a record by launching 165 combat air sorties in a single day, about 34 more than any conventionally-powered carrier had
ever been able to achieve. Thus, she immediately proved the advantages of her nuclear propulsion.
On December 17, the Enterprise moved north into the Gulf of Tonkin, and onto "Yankee Station," from which air
strikes against targets in North Vietnam were launched. Admiral Miller recalled some of the early strikes against the
North.
Probably the two biggest strikes of the Enterprise [on her first combat tour] were in conjunction with the Ticonderoga and the Kitty Hawk on the Hong Bi thermal power plant. That was struck on the 22nd of December. It was a big strike, using aircraft from the Enterprise, Ticonderoga, and the Kitty Hawk. Additionally, on that day, we had cameras installed on the airplanes, so that we got pictures of the power plant before the strike, during the strike, and at the end of the strike. Following that, the next day, we hit the Hi Duong railroad-highway bridge. The Ticonderoga and the Enterprise combined on that strike. The Kitty Hawk provided flak-suppression and anti-missile missions. Additionally, we had one of the RA-5C photo planes from the Enterprise get pictures of bomb damage on the highway bridge and also on the Hong Bi thermal power plant that had been hit the previous day. We sent pictures of all of that over to the Kitty Hawk, where General Wheeler, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was spending the night. He saw where the Navy planes had really done an effective job. On 24 December, a stand-down in operations against North Vietnam was ordered.65
Vietnam was a controversial war for the United States and a frustrating one for the men and women who served in the
jungles of Vietnam. The war was marked by massive anti-war protests by large segments of the general public and
interference by the political leaders back at home. The December 24 cease fire mentioned by Admiral Miller, was just
one sign of this political interference.
In some ways, the use of aircraft carriers in Vietnam was similar to their use in the Korean War of the early 1950's.
In both wars, the carriers' aircraft were used primarily for close air support and for interdiction of enemy supply
lines. Similarly, in both wars restrictions were placed on the targets that could be attacked. In Vietnam, however,
these restrictions were so extensive that air power, both naval and land-based, was essentially ineffective. From 1965
to 1968, for example, targets in the North Vietnamese capital of Hanoi and the major port of Haiphong were totally off
limits. Additionally, most North Vietnamese air bases were restricted targets until April 1967. Surface-to-air missile
sites in civilian areas were off limits until 1968. Most shipping in Haiphong harbor -- the single most important supply
route into North Vietnam -- was never attacked. And a 30-mile buffer zone along the North Vietnam-China border was also
restricted. The combined effect of all of these restrictions was that American forces, including the Enterprise,
were unable to stop the ability of the North Vietnamese to continue fighting. As the war dragged on, anti-war sentiment
back at home grew, and the will to win faltered. As Admiral Arleigh Burke, Chief of Naval Operations, was later reported
to have said, in Korea and Vietnam:
We had control of the sea and we had control of the air, but we didn't use them and we lost the war in Vietnam. Not primarily because of that. Primarily because we didn't want to fight a war. We fought a holding action, and you can never win with a holding action ... because you aren't trying to win.66
In the meantime, however, for the men aboard the Enterprise the war continued. Operations from "Yankee Station"
resumed on December 26, 1965 and continued until January 15, 1966, when she departed for Subic Bay and then to Hong Kong
for R&R. While in Hong Kong, the "Big E" was pressed into service to "show the flag."
We arrived in Hong Kong on the 26th of January 1965 and on the following day we had about 125 visitors that we entertained aboard, including the American consul general.... Well, from combat operations and a greasy hangar deck and airplanes that were pretty battle-worn, you might say overnight the Enterprise gets its show boat back in appearance with palm trees on the hangar deck, beautifully cleaned up, a red carpet on the quarter deck, all the way across the hangar deck to a reception area, beautiful exhibits, and a wonderful show by the Marine guard in the exercise drill that they put on. The Enterprise was just a champion ship. They [the crew] never did forget all the fine lessons that they learned. We had a delightful stay in Hong Kong. From there, we went back on the line, continued our operations, and finally on the 16th of February, Admiral Tom Walker relieved me. . .67
The "Big E" ended her first combat tour off the coast of Vietnam on June 21, 1966, then headed to her new home port of
Alameda, California. After a brief overhaul, she was back on station off Vietnam in November 1966, with the Navy's new
A-6 Intruder ground attack and E-2 Hawkeye early warning aircraft on board. This second combat tour ended in July
1967. After another short period at her Alameda home port, the Enterprise departed in January 1968 on her third
combat tour.
On January 22, 1968, the intelligence collection ship USS Pueblo was attacked by North Korean patrol boats off
the cost of North Korea, and the Enterprise was immediately ordered to the area. By the time she arrived,
however, the Pueblo had already been captured and was already in North Korean hands. The Enterprise stayed
on patrol in the area for about a month, then returned to her combat patrol at "Yankee Station." Her third combat tour
ended in July 1968.
On January 14, 1969, while conducting her annual operational readiness inspection off Hawaii in preparation for her
fourth combat tour, the Enterprise suffered a major catastrophe. A rocket exploded on the aft section of her
flight deck, causing fires among parked planes that were fueled and armed awaiting launch. Nine bombs exploded in the
inferno, and by the time the fires were extinguished, 27 crewmen were dead and 371 injured. Fifteen aircraft were also
destroyed. The Enterprise proceeded immediately to Pearl Harbor, where repairs were made in less than 3 months.
She was again at "Yankee Station" by March 31.
In August 1969, after completion of her fourth combat tour, the Enterprise sailed to the Newport News shipyards for
a major overhaul and nuclear refueling. Rear Admiral Miller remembered the "bugs" -- not unusual for a ship that had
been in port for over a year -- that had to be worked out of the Enterprise before she was again deployed to
Vietnam.
The Enterprise was in the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock for about a year getting a new core for its nuclear reactor, many changes made, and new things into the ship. The Enterprise came out of the yard and they had a specific period of time that the ship, including all equipment, had to be checked out before they proceeded to the West Coast for deployment to Vietnam.... It seemed as though nothing worked when they came out of Newport News yard. They did find hundreds of items that they had to correct right now back in the yard before the last and final checkout period.... Nothing worked -- the radios, the radars -- there was one little portable radio on the landing signal platform that worked to talk to the pilots.... The automatic carrier landing system didn't work. They had to make adjustments, and this was pretty hairy, you know, when you're coming down that glide slope and there's a light staring you in the face and you've got to get out of there. But everybody turned to and worked around the clock.... And the Enterprise was thoroughly checked out before she left for the West Coast.68
The Enterprise made a total of six combat tours during the Vietnam War, five of them at "Yankee Station" launching
strikes against North Vietnam. She launched over 30,000 combat air sorties during her combat tours. Ironically, on
January 27, 1973, the same day that the Paris Peace Accords were signed, an F-4 Phantom from the Enterprise was
shot down over the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Vietnam. This was the last United States Navy fixed-wing
aircraft lost in the Vietnam War. The pilot of the Phantom, Lt. Commander Harley Hall, disappeared, although his radar
intercept officer was rescued.
On April 29 and 30, 1975, the Enterprise and three other carriers participated in "Operation Frequent Wind," the
aerial evacuation of Saigon. In total, almost 9,000 people were evacuated by Navy and Marine helicopters, with A-6
Skyhawk, A-7 Corsair, and F-4 Phantom aircraft providing air cover. South Vietnam surrendered to North Vietnamese forces
on April 30. As a result of her service during the Vietnam War, the Enterprise was awarded five battle stars
and two Navy Unit Commendations.
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1996-2008 Arnold E.
van Beverhoudt, Jr.
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