1973-Contin ued

targets in southern Laos. Combat sorties from carriers

on Yankee Station against targets in Laos had contin-

ued since the cease-fire in Vietnam.

14 February The Pentagon announced a step-up of

U.S. air strikes in Laos to 380 daily, an increase of 100.

Aircraft from Oriskany and Enterprise flew about 160

of these sorties into Laos on this date.

25 February Planes from Ranger and Oriskany flew

combat support missions over Cambodia. The combat

support sorties were flown in support of the govern-

ment of Cambodia at its request.

27 February Airborne mine countermeasures began

off Haiphong during Operation Endsweep. This was a

"first" in mine warfare as airborne minesweeping had

never been done with "live" mines. A CH-53 Sea

Stallion from HM-12 made two sweeps in the Haiphong

shipping channel. All operations were abruptly halted

and minesweeping task force moved to sea as the

President called for "clarification. . . on a most urgent

basis" of Hanoi's delay in releasing American POWs.

4 March The withdrawal of U.S. troops from

Vietnam resumed and the naval mines weeping force

returned to its position off Haiphong. Minesweeping

operations continued in and around Haiphong and the

harbor was reopened after being closed for ten

months because of the U.S. naval mining which began

in May 1972. In addition, America was ordered to

depart the Far East for the U.S. This was the initial

move in reducing the number of carriers serving in

Southeast Asia from six to three by mid-June 1973.

21 March VXN-8 returned to NAS Patuxent River, Md.,

from Project Magnet deployment to the Southern

Hemisphere under the direction of the U.S. Naval

Oceanographic Office. During the deployment, two

flights were made around the world within the Southern

Hemisphere, and an over-the-South-Pole flight by an RP-

3D on 4 March was a first for that type of aircraft.

29 March The remaining U.S. combat forces left

South Vietnam; and the United States Military

Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), was disband-

ed, officially ending U.S. military involvement in South

Vietnam. The last phase of Operation Homecoming

was concluded when the final group of 148 American

POWs was released by Hanoi. This brought the total

to 591 POWs released, 566 of whom were U.S. military

personnel with 144 being naval pilots and aircrewmen.

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

303

29-31 March Forrestalled two other Sixth Fleet ships

into Tunisian waters where Sea King helicopters from

the carrier evacuated some 200 persons and airlifted

four tons of relief supplies to flood victims in Tunisia.

1 April Two new air wings were established as the

final phase of the reorganization of the AirLant com-

munity, completing the functional wing concept: Air

Antisubmarine Wing One with VS-22, -24, -27, -30, -31

and -32 and Helicopter Antisubmarine Wing One with

HS-1, -3, -5, -7 and -11.

13 April The Secretary of the Navy announced that

an agreement with the United Kingdom had been

signed providing for an eight-month joint study of an

advanced V/STOL Harrier involving participation by

Rolls-Royce, Hawker-Siddeley, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft

and McDonnell Douglas. The overall aim was to deter-

mine the feasibility of joint development of an

advanced concept V/STOL incorporating a Pegasus 15

engine and an advanced wing.

16 April The Cruise Missile Project Office was estab-

lished in the Naval Air Systems Command with

responsibility to develop both tactical and strategic

versions of the cruise missile.

30 April The last Marine NAP (enlisted Naval

Aviation Pilot) retired. He was Master Gunnery

Sergeant Patrick J. O'Neil, who enlisted during World

War II and completed over 30 years of active duty.

3-9 May Fighting broke out between Lebanese

army units and Palestinian guerrillas in Lebanon.

Martial law was declared. Among U.S. forces in the

Mediterranean, John F Kennedy and Forrestal were

alerted for possible contingencies. A cease-fire agree-

ment between Lebanese and Palestinian negotiators

stabilized the situation.

8 May In a ceremony at the Douglas Aircraft Division,

Long Beach, Calif., the first McDonnell Douglas C-9B

Sky train jet transports were accepted by the Navy and

delivered to Fleet Tactical Support Squadrons One and

Thirty. A commercial version of the DC-9, the C-9B had

a maximum 32,444 pound payload range of 1,150

statute miles with a ferry range of about 3,400 miles. It

accommodated 107 passengers five-abreast.

18 May A four-day trial of a prototype glide slope

indicator was completed aboard Truxtun (CGN 35).

The indicator, developed by the Naval Air Engineering

Center, consisted of a hydraulically stabilized Fresnel

lens. It was one of several steps taken to achieve an

all weather capability with LAMPS helicopters.