1972-Contin ued

28 December An F-4J Phantom II, from VF-142 on

board Enterprise, downed a MiG-21. This was the 24th

MiG downed by Navy/Marine Corps pilots during

1972. The total MiG downings by Navy/Marine Corps

pilots during the Vietnam war from the first in June

1965 through December 1972 were 56. Statistics for

Navy/Marine Corps downings of MiGs during 1972:

Constellation:

VF-96, 8 MiGs

VF-92, 1 MiG

VF-51, 4 MiGs

VF-l11, 1 MiG

VF-161, 4 MiGs

VF-114, 2 MiGs

VF-I03, 1 MiG

VF-31, 1 MiG

VMFA-333, 1 MiG

VF-142, 1 MiG

Coral Sea:

Midway

Kitty Hawk:

Saratoga:

America:

En terprise:

29 December Heavy raids around Hanoi, which had

been resumed the day after the Christmas bombing

halt, were eased as NVN showed indications of return-

ing to the conference table. The over 700 sorties by B-

52s during the 11 heavy-bombing days were believed

accountable for the eventual resumption of negotiations

which led to the peace agreement and the release of

American POWs. On 28 and 29 December, during a

total of 160 raids, no B-52s were lost to NVN air defens-

es, indicating the virtual paralysis of the system. Only

two percent-IS B-52s were lost from over 700 raids

during the whole II-day heavy bombing period.

30 December The U.S. called another bombing halt

in North Vietnam and the Navy ended all tactical air

sorties above the 20th parallel. The bombing halt was

called when North Vietnam returned to the negotiating

table to continue the Paris peace talks.

31 December During 1972 the Navy conducted 33.9

percent of all tactical air attack sorties flown in SVN.

There were 23,802 tactical air attack sorties flown and

160,763 general purpose bombs delivered by Navy

fixed-wing aircraft, with Marine Corps fixed-wing air-

craft delivering 111,859 general purpose bombs in SVN

during 1972. The Navy and Marine Corps each lost five

fixed-wing aircraft in SVN during 1972. In NVN the

Navy conducted more than 60 percent of the tactical air

attack sorties flown, for a total of 28,093. The Navy and

Marine Corps lost 49 aircraft in NVN during this period.

In 1972 the carriers spent a total of 1,403 on-line days at

Yankee Station, with an average on-line period of

slightly more than 25 days for each carrier. Carrier and

Carrier Air Wings on Yankee Station during 1972 were:

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

301

Hancock with CVW-21

Kitty Hawk with CVW-l1

Oriskany with CVW-19

America with CVW-8

Enterprise with CVW-14

Midway with CVW-5

Saratoga with CVW-3

Constellation with CVW-9

Coral Sea with CVW-15

Ranger with CVW-2

Marine Corps squadrons operating off carriers on

Yankee Station during 1972 were VMA(AW)-224,

VMCJ-2 and VMFA-333. Marine Corps land-based

fixed-wing squadrons in Southeast Asia during 1972

were VMFA-115, VMFA-212, VMFA-232, VMA(AW)-533,

VMCJ-1, VMA-211, VMA-311, VMGR-151, H&MS-15,

and H&MS-12.

1973

1 January A major reorganization in naval reserve

affairs got under way as a result of the announcement

two days earlier by the Secretary of the Navy that the

Naval Surface and Air Reserve Commands would be

consolidated into Commander Naval Reserve Force

located in New Orleans, La.

8 January Representatives of the U.S. and Greek

navies signed an accord in Athens formally granting

the U.S. Sixth Fleet home port facilities in the Athens

vicinity. Under the arrangement, one of the Sixth

Fleet's two carrier task forces in the Mediterranean Sea

would be stationed in the Athens area.

12 January VF-161, flying off Midway, shot down a

North Vietnamese MiG-17, the last enemy "kill" of the

war, making a total of 57 MiGs shot down by Navy

and Marine Corps pilots during the Vietnam conflict.

27 January The Vietnam cease-fire, announced four

days earlier, came into effect and Oriskany, America,

Enterprise and Ranger, on Yankee Station, cancelled

all combat sorties into North and South Vietnam.

During the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam conflict

(starting in 1961 and ending on 27 January 1973) the

Navy lost 526 fixed-wing aircraft and 13 helicopters to

hostile action. The Marine Corps lost 193 fixed-wing

aircraft and 270 helicopters to enemy action during the

same period. Operation Homecoming, the repatriation

of U.S. POWs between 27 January and 1 April, began

and NVN and the Viet Cong released 591 POWs. Of

the 591 POWs released during Operation

Homecoming, 145 were Navy personnel, all but one

of whom were Naval Aviation personnel.