1973-Contin ued

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UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

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The S-3A Viking making its first catapult launch ti-om FOITestal as part of its initial canjer suitability tests Cl2l073

1 October The formal Board of Inspection and

Survey service acceptance trials of the S-3A began at

the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Md. The

tests were to utilize seven S-3A aircraft during a four-

month period, including weapons system checkouts,

carrier suitability, flying qualities and performance,

and propulsion and airframe evaluation.

5 October Midway, with CVW-5 embarked, put into

Yokosuka, Japan, marking the first home porting of a

complete carrier task group in a Japanese port as a

result of the accord arrived at on 31 August 1972

between the U.S. and Japan. In addition to the morale

factor of dependents housed at a foreign port, the

development had strategic significance because it facil-

itated continuous positioning of three carriers in the

Far East at a time when the economic situation

demanded the reduction of carriers in the fleet.

8-13 October Task Force 60.1 with Independence,

Task Force 60.2 with Franklin D. Roosevelt and Task

Force 61/62 with Guadalcanal were alerted for possi-

ble evacuation contingencies in the Middle East. John

F Kennedy, in the Atlantic, was directed to a holding

area off Gibraltar.

9 October The Pentagon announced that

Guadalcanal, an amphibious assault ship with U.S.

Marines aboard, was operating in the eastern

Mediterranean Sea as part of the Sixth Fleet. Other ele-

ments of the fleet were moving toward Crete, includ-

ing Independence and Franklin D. Roosevelt, on alert

as a result of the 1973 Yom Kippur war between Arab

and Israeli forces.

19-24 October Some 50 A-4 aircraft were flown

from the U.S. to supply Israel, staging through the

Azores and Franklin D. Roosevelt which was located

south of Sicily. When necessary, John F Kennedy, off

Gibraltar and Independence, off Crete, also provided

assistance. On the 24th, Iwo lima entered the

Mediterranean with reinforcing Marines.

27 October Due to the situation in the Middle East,

the U.S. government ordered a worldwide "precau-

tionary alert" of its military forces. Possible unilateral

intervention by the Soviet Union was feared. By 28

October, three U.S. aircraft carriers and two amphibi-

ous assault carriers were off Crete.