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Bennington prepares to recover Apollo 4 capsule NASA 67H1536

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

265

some 40,000 persons made homeless by an earth-

quake in the region of Montevago.

23 January When word was received of the capture

of Pueblo (AGER 2) by a North Korean patrol boat, a

Task Group, composed of Enterprise and screen, was

ordered to reverse course in the East China Sea and to

run northward to the Sea of Japan where it operated

in the vicinity of South Korea for almost a month.

27 January At the call of the president in the emer-

gency created by the seizure of Pueblo (AGER 2), six

carrier squadrons of the Naval Air Reserve reported for

active duty.

28 March The Secretary of the Navy approved

establishment of a new restricted line officer category

(152x) called the Aeronautical Maintenance Duty

Officer (AMDO).

31 March President Johnson announced that as an

indication of American willingness to make conces-

sions opening the way to peace talks with the North

Vietnamese, the bombing of targets north of the 20th

parallel would stop on the following day.

4 April The Apollo 6 unmanned spacecraft was

recovered after its orbital flight by Okinawa about 380

miles north of Hawaii.

3 May The Aviation and Submarine Safety Centers

were combined to form the Naval Safety Center. At the

same time the Office of the Assistant Chief of Naval

Operations (Safety) was established.

22 June

News, Va.

The keel for Nimitz was laid at Newport

1 July To insure a more rapid and efficient transition

to combat status in the event of mobilization, the

Naval Air Reserve was reorganized into wings and

squadrons known collectively as the Naval Air Reserve

Force, and effective 1 August, Commander Naval Air

Reserve Training assumed additional duty as

Commander, Naval Air Reserve Force.

6 July VMO-2 stationed at Da Nang, South Vietnam,

received the first OV-lOA Broncos to arrive in South

Vietnam. The aircraft, specifically developed for coun-

terinsurgency warfare, was immediately employed for

forward air control, visual reconnaissance and heli-

copter escort.

24 August A change in uniform regulations provid-

ed a new breast insignia for Navy and Marine Corps