Monday, June 10, 1968

HC-7 Rescue 41 — Official Record: The downed aircraft was F-4J Phantom, BuNo 155554, VF-33 "Tarsiers," call sign "Root Beer-204," from USS Ranger (CVS-61). A flight of F-4Js was attacking a road intersection near Don Cay, 15 miles south of Vinh, when LT Eric Parker Brice's aircraft was hit by 37mm AAA at 4,500 feet after dropping Mk82 bombs. Hydraulics failed, controls damaged, throttles stuck at full military power. LT Brice flew the crippled aircraft 25 miles out to sea on rudder alone before the Phantom caught fire. He ordered his NFO to eject, but his own canopy failed to jettison — LT Brice was last seen trying to push the canopy free so his ejection seat could fire. KIA — body not recovered (Vietnam Wall, Panel 60W, Row 008). His NFO, LT William A. Simmons, ejected into the water with a broken left leg, broken right arm, and multiple cuts and bruises. [HC-7 Rescue Log; vietnamairlosses.com]

The Rescue: At 1255, Jouett's 1MC announced SAR alert. Big Mother (SH-3A Sikorsky Seaking, HC-7 Det 110) launched at 1300 — crew: pilot LTJG Richard A. Wiley, co-pilot ENS Byron L. Dieckman, ATN-2 Leonard J. Gonerka, AX-3 James A. Lawrence. Arrived on scene at 1308, vectored to survivor by wingman. Survivor spotted by day smoke at 1309. Swimmer dropped, cleared parachute shroud lines. LT Simmons aboard helicopter at 1312. Big Mother landed on Jouett at 1318 — 23 minutes from alert to survivor on deck. Simmons received emergency medical treatment on the helo deck, then taken to Jouett's sick bay. Photography by Ronald J. Bain, FM-2, USS Jouett. [HC-7 Rescue Log]

Note: The 1968 Command Operations Report identifies this as an "F-4 Phantom from USS AMERICA (CVA66)." Mike's logbook records "A-5 downed." The HC-7 rescue log definitively identifies the aircraft as an F-4J from VF-33, USS Ranger. In the urgency of a SAR alert, details passed over the 1MC and through the crew could easily become garbled — an A-5 Vigilante and F-4 Phantom are both twin-engine, twin-tail carrier jets operating from the same task force. Even the ship's official Command Operations Report got the carrier wrong (America vs. Ranger). [COR, 1 Mar 1969]

Mike's Super 8 film of this rescue — the Big Mother scramble, flight quarters, and recovery — survives as digitized footage: `19680604 - DLG-29 Flight Quarters.mp4`. The weather that day (clear, hot, calm seas, 12-mile visibility) matches the bright, sunny conditions visible in the film. [Video]