VC-12/VAW-12 Newsletter

VC-12/VAW-12 Newsletter April 2006

VC-12 VAW-12 Squadron Reunion

September 22-24, 2006

Crowne Plaza Hotel

2200 Centerville Road Herndon, Virginia 20170 703-471-6700

Special Group rate $79. = 9% tax

Cut off date two weeks prior to event

Hospitality room, Complimentary meeting rooms, Scheduled tours from the Hotel

Contact: Melissa.geter@cwhotels.com

1-800-holiday

585-538-4252

Cost to register is $100. per person (That is $200 per couple)

(That includes some meals)

Send $100 to him at 765 Hosmer Rd Churchville, NY 14428 leighbray@hotmail.com

Website: www.vc12vaw12.org

All the old newsletters;

for members list: www.vc12vaw12.org/members/members.html

Chairman: Seykowski, Edward CWO4 607 N 70 E Valparaiso, IN 46383 219-462-3636 edseykow@juno.com FAX 219-462-2168 1959-1962 AT2 Karen

Treasurer, Scribe, & Membership Chairman for dues:

Roger G. Smith, MD Office: 256 SE 2nd Av. Hillsboro, OR 97123 503-648-7126

503-628-2229 home; Office 503-648-7126; FAX 503-648-9179 rgs@coho.net

Dues are $10 a year for those who get the newsletter by post. New year starts at the reunion.

Many who get the newsletter by e-mail offer dues and we are grateful. We send e-mail newsletter to all who wish to see it regardless.

We are nearly 1500 members. There are a lot of people we have not found.

We have listed groups by detachments. Send me your request and I'll share your detachment list with you so you can contact the guys you want to meet at reunion. Tell us who you remember and let us help you find him/them. We have too many new contacts since the reunion to list them all. Yahoo no longer lists our roster—thank goodness!

We have many incomplete detachment rosters. Send for yours and help me complete the lists. I call a lot of guys who have no interest, but if their old buddies call them, that may be a different matter.

VAW-12 Books at the VAW Store

We have copies of GUPPY PILOT at $27.50 each post paid. This is a book written by Roger Smith about squadron flying. His address is 256 SE 2^nd Av Hillsboro, OR 97123. 80 color photos and some others. Naval history, sea stories, personal reminiscence.

We do not have copies of SAILORS IN THE SKY by Jack Sauter, but inscribed copies can be purchased from him directly for $19.95 at 235 Robby Lane, New Hyde Park, NY 11040. This is an enlisted aircrewman’s view of the Korean War from the back seat of an AD3W operating off the Lake Champlain. Jack is the president and editor of the magazine for that ship’s reunion group to this day

HANOI COMMITMENT the story of 7 years a prisoner of the North Viets. Purchase from the author for $15. plus postage. CAPT James A. Mulligan 912 Five Points Rd Virginia Beach, VA 23454-2642

20 WAS EASY by Harry Mead (Navy Cross) is available for $8.95 plus postage by writing to the author at 38 N Alder Drive, Orlando, FL 32807-5030. There is a chapter about VAW-12. He served two tours with us.

VAW-12 Patches on sale for $5 for dues paying members and $8 for those not paying dues. Write to editor (Roger Smith) address supra.

We have a new supply now. There was a delay in February while we waited for our new supply to come in

VC-11/VAW-11 next reunion is planned for October 2008 in San Diego

Hawkeye Greyhound 2006 symposium Holiday Inn Executive Center, Virginia Beach, VA. See their website for further details

Stories

I thought the comments in the VC12/VAW-12 Newsletter of February 2006 were interesting, so I thought I might pass another bit of information on to those who were so interested in the subject of launching an AD-5W.

During our deployment to the Med in 1960 aboard the USS Saratoga, we found that when we launched our aircraft on the steam cats, the props would over speed and cause metal fatigue in the engines thus internal metal shavings were created and thus subsequent engine failure. With that fact fairly well established we discontinued cat shots, even at night, and went to strictly deck run launches.

I was interested in CDR Chuck Berthe’s comment about where the Guppy was spotted to allow for the maximum deck run. I recall one night, late, we had been operating around the clock for about three days and I was scheduled to launch about 1:00 a.m. I had been spotted on the starboard side of the angle deck. It always happens, one or two of the aircraft ready for launch went down and the flight deck officer was trying to get the standbys to the cat for launch. I had to move forward to allow one of the standby A-4’s to get to the angle deck cat for the launch. The next thing I knew the flight deck officer was looking at me to launch. I didn’t feel like I had enough run to launch but before I knew it, he was giving me the launch signal.

As I approached the end of the angle deck I could see that the aircraft wasn’t going to fly so I yanked the gear and waited as I sank below the flight deck. I began to feel the cool breeze off the water (it was in the wintertime). I had the stick with both hands and before the airplane and the water met I must have gotten the cushioning effect between the aircraft and the water and I was able to fly the airplane successfully without going in the water. When I raised the gear I inadvertently hit the light switch and the Air Boss and all on board thought I had gone in the water. There was much radio chatter about where I was, to which I did not reply, since I was busy flying the airplane.

After I reached a reasonable altitude and regained my composure, I called the ship and reported that everything was fine and I was proceeding on the mission. When I returned to the ship later on that morning, my skipper, the flight deck officer and I had a very difficult meeting. I told him in no uncertain terms he had launched me from an improper position on the deck and that I was a very unhappy camper. As you can imagine, it was his contention that I had been launched from the proper position and that any problem was my fault not his. So much for who gets the blame. -Ralph Lord

I don't think I ever told you about the night In the Formosa straits that my pilot (who shall remain nameless) was told to fly by the island superstructure so they could show the 20-inch searchlight on the plane to see if the landing gear was down and locked. The little light on the leading edge of the wing was out. The AirBoss told him on the count of three to look out to sea otherwise he would lose his night vision. Well, this Reserve Ensign looked directly into the searchlight and lost his night vision adaptability. It took us three passes to get aboard that night. I got out of the plane and walked up to that stupid SOB and told him, "I will never fly with you again!" He turned in his wings the next day. When I think of all those narrow escapes I had flying off carriers, I thank the Good Lord I am alive today. I think somebody up there has been watching over me all these years. It was probably my Irish Grandmother whom I never knew because she died before I was born, Hannah O'Dwyer from county Kilkenny. –Harry Mead

There was this ADRC, can't remember his real name, but everyone call him Chief Frenchie, maybe someone will remember this and come up with his name.

(George H. LaForcade (Frenchy) ADRC Essex 1961 Born 4/18/22; died Seekonk, MA 5/24/2001 -Ed)

Well anyway, we had this bad pigeon problem in the hangar at Quonset. It seems that CAPT. J.C. Lawrence had called for a personnel inspection. There we were standing in ranks at attention, and here comes J.C. (as we called him), he is about two steps away from Chief Frenchie when one of the pigeons from above let go! The pigeon poop hit the brim of Frenchie's hat and dripped down to his shoes. When J.C. got to him, with chuckle, he dismissed Frenchie from ranks. After the inspection, in the Power Plants shop, we all had a good laugh, naturally at Frenchie's expense. -ADC Bob Tharp RET. USN

Captain J.C. Lawrence was the CO of VAW 12 when I arrived and he was a very colorful man-swore and drank like a sailor! After he left VAW-12 he became CO of one of the CVS’s, I don’t remember which one. There was a story about him at that time that made Life magazine. It seems he and some of the Admiral’s staff members enjoyed a night on the town in Boston when the ship was anchored in Cape Cod Bay. When it was time to return to the ship, the boats stopped running because of heavy seas. So JC and his pals requested a Coast Guard cutter that was tied up nearby, and asked to be taken to their ship. When the LTJG who was the OD refused, JC and company commandeered the cutter and went out to the carrier. In coming alongside the carrier they collided with it and damaged the cutter. My memories of this incident are rather hazy, but I do remember, it made the news big time, drunk and disorderly, navy big brass, etc. I often wondered what became of him. Have you ever heard this story and do you know if any one has or remembers the details better than I? I think there a some other stories about JC Lawrence too – John Sayles (I have found no death certificate for Captain Lawrence, but have been told he is deceased. –Ed)

We had the best radar crewmen you could ask for. They got more out of the APS-20A than the designers had in mind, I'm sure. There was one chap, a lieutenant commander George Webb, who could bring me out of the clag onto the centerline at Quonset every time. One set of crewmen found a British Royal Flight carrying the then princess later to become Queen of the realm. We were a single plane sortie tasked to rendezvous with the royal flight off the North African coast and provide it safe passage through the NATO naval exercises in the Tyrrhenian Sea to the coast of France. As luck would have it the royal flight was not at the rendezvous point at the appointed time, but the lads found it miles away at a different altitude and flying a different course. We were able to complete the task successfully and England remains a monarchy. –N. Lee Bausch

About 1949 I was one of perhaps a handful who saw an AD take off with the wings folded over the cockpit. It happened at Charlestown Naval Air Station in RI. I was a control operator at the time, however not in the tower but in a ready room, when the crash alarmed sounded. Diving to the window-- the AD was rolling down the runway with its wings folded -- almost normal takeoff, then a bank to the left. The plane went down near the intersection of the runways in a wooded area. The pilot, a midshipman from Quonset Point, was found walking around with a smoldering parachute. Apparently he was ejected by a sheared off tree that came through the bottom of the aircraft as the stub of the tree was where the seat should have been. As I recall he did not get his commission but he did appear on the TV show "What’s my Line". His name was Chuck Olson. -Darrell Dowden ddowden@aol.com

(You don’t suppose he’s confused this midshipman pilot with LCDR Chuck Olmstead, whose wings folded crash occurred in 1954? -Ed)

The Gospel according to St. Fresnel
Chapter One, Verses One through Six

1. In the Beginning, God created the heavens, and the Aircraft Carrier, and the seas upon which to float it; and yet there was complete Darkness upon the face of the earth. And, as we traveled, there came to us, as a voice out of the darkness, an angel of the Lord, saying, "On centerline,
on Glideslope, three quarters of a mile, call the ball." I reflected upon these words, for I was still yet engulfed in complete darkness. With deep feeling and doubt overwhelming my countenance, I glanceth towards my companion at my right hand and saith, "What seeth thou, trusted friend?",
and there was a great silence. Gazing in a searching manner and seeing naught, I raised my voice saying, "Clara......."
2. And God spoke to me, and He said, "You're low....power". As the Lord saith, so shall it be, and I added power; and lo, the ball riseth up onto the bottom of the mirror. But it was a tainted red glow, and surely indicateth Satan's own influence. And God spoke to me again saying,
"Power...Power.Power!!!!....fly the ball." And lo, the ball riseth up and off the top of the lens, and the great darkness was upon me.
3. And the voice of the Angel came to me again, saying, "When comfortable, twelve hundred feet, turn downwind." Whereupon I wandered in the darkness, without direction, for surely the ships radar was beset by demons, and there was great confusion cast upon CATCC, and there was a great silence in which there was no comfort to be found. Even my tacan needle spinneth....and lo, there was chaos; my trusted companion weepeth quietly unto himself and from close behind I heard weeping and gnashing of teeth of our flock. There was a great turmoil within my cockpit for a multitude of serpents had crept therein.
4. And though we wandered, as if by Providence I found myself within that Holy Corridor, and at twelve hundred feet, among my brethren seeking refuge; and the voice of the Angel of the Lord came to me again, asking of me my needles, and I raised my voice saying, "Up and centered", and the voice answered, "Roger, fly your needles...." I reflected upon these words, and I raised my voice in prayer, for though my gyro indicateth it not so, surely my aircraft hath been turned upside down. Verily, as Beelzebub surely wrestled with me, a voice, that of my trusted
companion, saith to me calmly, "Friend..fly thy needles, and find comfort in the Lord." And lo, with deep trembling in my heart, I did, and He guideth me to centered glideslope and centerline, though I know not how it came to be.
5. And out of the great darkness, God spoke to me again saying, "Roger, ball" for now I had faith. And though the ball began to rise at the in close position, my right hand was full of the Spirit, and it squeeketh off power and as in a great miracle my plane stoppeth upon the flight deck, for it hath caught the four wire which God in his infinite wisdom hath placed thirty feet further down the flight deck than the three wire.
6. And thus bathed in a golden radiance from above, our pilgrimage was at an end, and my spirit was truly reborn. And as I basked in the rapture, God spoketh to me one final time, and He saith, "Lights out on deck...”