326

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

1980-Contin ued

5 February Coral Sea relieved Midway which had

been on contingency operations in the Arabian Sea

since the Iranian hostage crisis broke out in November

1979.

29 February VMO-l began flying the new OV-lOD

Bronco observation plane at New River, N.C. The D

version, manufactured by Rockwell International, had

the FUR and laser rangefinder designator systems. The

new systems enabled the pilot to locate a target at

night or in bad weather and then pinpoint the exact

range and location with a laser beam. An automatic

video tracker computer system locked on to a moving

target with information provided by the infrared sys-

tem. The TV-like video display gave the pilot and

observer a computer-assisted sighting capability.

Conventional improvements included the upgraded T-

76 turboprop engine, larger fiberglass propellers and

an increased fuel capacity.

1 March It was reported that the CNO had proposed

to the Secretary of Defense a plan to reactivate the

Essex-class carrier Oriskany and several other major

moth-balled ships to help fulfill the Navy's missions in

the Indian Ocean and other areas.

6 March Nassau began a month-long cruise to the

Caribbean to demonstrate U.S. capability to defend the

Panama Canal in accordance with the 1979 treaty with

Panama. Nassau had a 400-man Marine detachment,

CH-46 Sea Knight and CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters

and AV-8A Harriers on board.

16 April Dwight D. Eisenhower and her nuclear-

powered escort ships departed East Coast ports en

route to the Indian Ocean to relieve Nimitz. This was

the second all nuclear-powered task force to head for

the Indian Ocean since the beginning of the Iranian

hostage crisis. Two days later, Constellation and her

escort ships departed Subic Bay, R.P., steaming to the

Indian Ocean to relieve Coral Sea.

24 April Eight RH-53D Sea Stallions operating from

Nimitz in the Arabian Sea took part in a joint task

force operation to rescue the American hostages in

Tehran, Iran. The mission was later aborted at a desert

refueling site. Subsequently, one of the helicopters

collided with a C-130 Hercules aircraft resulting in the

loss of eight lives. All other personnel were evacuated

on the remaining C-130s.

30 April Constellation and her task group relieved

Coral Sea and her escort ships. Coral Sea had been on

station for 89 days in connection with the Iranian crisis.

5 May Saipan and other Navy ships provided

humanitarian search and rescue support operations for

the vast sealift of Cuban refugees heading for the U.S.

through the Florida Straits. The Navy ships had been

diverted from the annual combined training exercise

Solid Shield to undertake the mission.

8 May Arriving in the Arabian Sea from the U.S. via

the Cape of Good Hope, Dwight D. Eisenhower conduct-

ed turnover with Nimitz, which had been involved in

Iranian contingency operations for 115 consecutive days.

26 May The President embarked on Nimitz off

Norfolk, Va., and thanked the men of Nimitz and her

escort ships for their sacrifice during an extended

nine-month deployment to the Mediterranean and the

Indian Ocean. Nimitz had spent 144 straight days at

sea in connection with the Iranian hostage crisis.

27 May Coral Sea was diverted to standby duty

south of the Cheju-Do Islands in the Sea of Japan in

response to conditions of civil unrest in the Republic

of Korea. She was relieved by Midway three days later.

31 May P-3 Orions from various patrol squadrons of

Patrol and Reconnaissance Force, Seventh Fleet, con-

tinued their search, begun the previous year, for

refugees in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand.

These aircraft had investigated more than 15,000 radar

contacts and dropped radio transmitters and/or

refugee survival packs to people in distress. To this

date, over 2,500 refugees had been rescued through

efforts by all elements of the Navy.

3 June The first AGM-65E laser Maverick missile was

fired at Eglin AFB, Fla., from a Marine Corps A-4M

Skyhawk. The missile was the laser-guided version of

the USAF's air-to-ground Maverick with a heavier war-

head. It was being developed by Hughes Aircraft

Company for use by the Marine Corps in close-air sup-

port of combat troops.

15 June A loading demonstration of the F/ A-18

Hornet was held at NATC Patuxent River, Md. The air-

craft showed off some of its weapons capabilities,

among them the 20mm Vulcan cannon, AIM-7F

advanced Sparrow, AIM-9L Sidewinder, flare dis-

pensers, rocket launchers, advanced fuel-air explo-

sives, and a Rockeye and other bombs. Hornet

weaponry also included Walleye, Maverick, Harpoon

and HARM missiles, and laser-guided bombs.