| Date: 12 August 1967 |
| Aircraft type: F-8C Crusader |
| Serial Number: 146993 |
| Military Unit: VF-111 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Intrepid |
| Name(s): |
| Lt Cdr Foster Schuler Teague (Survived) |
| A road bridge at Ke Sat was the target of a Navy strike on the 12th. As the formation was returning from the target it encountered a SAM battery about 15 miles southeast of Hanoi and the aircraft took evasive action. One of the escorting Crusaders made a high-G turn to avoid a SAM but the pilot felt the aircraft (call sign Old Nick 117) hit by what he considered was anti-aircraft fire. The aircraft flew normally for a few minutes but then the hydraulics and flying control systems started to fail. Control was lost just off the coast, about 15 miles south of Haiphong, and the pilot ejected and was rescued from right under the noses of the North Vietnamese coastal defences by a Navy helicopter. ‘Tooter’ Teague later converted to the F-4 and commanded VF-51 in 1971 and later captained the USS Kitty Hawk.
The following input was received from Rick Wenzel, Tooter Teague's wingman on this flight: It was a long time ago, of course, and our memories are not as good as they used to be. But I remember my flight the day Tooter was shot down very clearly. As his wingman that day I have first-hand knowledge and I kept a diary at the time. On 12 August 1967, Tooter and I were assigned as TARCAP for a large Alpha strike of 24 A-4s to a target halfway between Hai Duong and Hanoi. We shadowed the strike group to the target and then moved north of them as MiG's were reported north of the target. While we were on the lookout for MiG's, we were kept busy dodging SAM's and the constant and distracting black flack bursts floating between us. No joy on the MiG's. When the bombers retreated back to the ship, we turned to follow them. On our way out, Tooter started into a strafing run on Vietnamese patrol boats he located near the mouth of the river. I switched to his left side in our standard Navy fighting position and began firing my canons with him at the target. While in our strafing run, he started streaming smoke from his aft fuselage. I reported he was hit, and I followed him as he pulled up in a climbing left turn toward the sea. The smoke was rapidly increasing, so he shut down the engine and attempted a relight. As he did so, flames erupted and completely engulfed the aft fuselage. I called out the fire, and he ejected. As he floated toward the water, some North Vietnamese boats started toward us from the river. They quickly retreated after seeing the helo and its escorts. As his chute collapsed when he hit the water, the helo passed over him and dropped a swimmer in the water next to him. Once I knew he was safe, I headed back to the ship. I was called on the 1-MC as I arrived in the ready room and was ordered to come to the ship's air combat center. When I open the door, everyone turned to look at me. I was a very junior pilot, and this was my first cruise, so I was a little bit flummoxed when greeted by the Admiral, the Captain, the CAG, and other senior officers staring at me. I wasn't sure what to say when asked “JUST WHERE WERE YOU!?” when Tooter got shot down. We were not where we were supposed to be, probably not authorized for a strafing mission, so I wasn't quite sure what to say; I hesitated, and, using both hands, I just blurted out, "Sir, I was right where I was supposed to be, about 1500 feet abeam of Tooter in combat position.” There was total silence in the room, and they just looked at me. Dismissed, I left the room. I was told later that after I left the room, everyone laughed. It became a favorite joke for the rest of the cruise. |
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