| Date: 20 November 1972 |
| Aircraft type: F-4J Phantom |
| Serial Number: 157288 |
| Military Unit: VF-103 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Saratoga |
| Name(s): |
| Lt Cdr Vincent Edward Lesh (Survived) |
| Lt(jg) Donald Larry Cordes (Survived) |
| When the B-52 strikes had started against targets around Vinh in April it was realised that the huge bombers were vulnerable to interception by MiGs so a strong CAP force of US Air Force and Navy fighters accompanied each raid. On the night of the 20th VF-103 was providing the CAP flight for a B-52 strike on Vinh. One of the Phantoms (call sign Club Leaf) was damaged by a SAM at 17,000 feet about 20 miles northeast of Vinh. The port wing caught fire and the port engine failed. Lt Cdr Lesh and Lt Cordes were fortunate in being able to keep the aircraft flying long enough to reach the sea and ejected safely off Thanh Hoa when the hydraulic system failed. They were picked up unharmed by a Navy SH-3G.
HC-7 Rescue Helicopter Combat Support Squadron SEVEN (HC-7) was established September 1, 1967. While simultaneously providing several fleet support activities in the Gulf of Tonkin, HC-7 assumed the responsibility for North Vietnam naval combat search and rescue. HC-7 prepared for action using UH-2B Kaman Sea Sprite helos inherited from HC-1 and were stationed in detachments aboard small boys, destroyers (DDs) and Guided Missile Frigates (DLGs), patrolling off the coast of North Vietnam primarily for the purpose of Search and Rescue (SAR) duty. The information at the following link was compiled by Ron Milam, the historian for HC-7, from ship's deck logs, official HC-7 Rescue Reports, other official and unofficial documents, interviews with crew members and survivors, and other sources, including the Chris Hobson book upon which this site is based. The details for the rescue associated with this fixed wing loss can be accessed by clicking on this link. |
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