Good Sunday morning October 24
I hope that you all are having a great weekend.
skip
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Today in Naval and Marine Corps History
October 24
1862
A landing party from stern wheel casemate gunboat Baron de Kalb, commanded by Capt. J.A. Winslow, lands at Hopefield, Ark., and engages a small Confederate scouting party. On mounted horses, the sailors then engage in a nine mile running fight, ending with the capture of the Confederate party.
1944
The Battle of Leyte Gulf continues, with Task Force 38 aircraft attacking the Japanese in the Sibuyan and Sulu Seas. U.S. Navy carrier planes sink the Japanese battleship Musashi and damage numerous other enemy ships, among them battleships Yamato, Nagato, Fuso and Yamashiro. Japanese air attacks hit the small USS Princeton (CVL 23), which eventually has to be scuttled. The desperate kamikaze tactic makes its appearance, causing damage and casualties on U.S. ships off the Leyte invasion beaches.
1944
USS Shark (SS 314) is lost in the vicinity of Luzon Strait while participating in a coordinated attack by Task Group 17.15 with USS Seadragon (SS 194) and USS Blackfish (SS 221). Also, USS Richard M. Rowell (DD 403) sinks Japanese submarine I-54, 70 miles east of Surigao, and USS Tang (SS 306) is lost when she runs into her own torpedoes.
1958
USS Kleinsmith (APD 134) rescues 56 U.S. citizens and three foreign nationals at Nicaro, Cuba, where they are endangered by military operations between the Cuban Army and the Castro rebels.
2009
USS Makin Island (LHD 8) is commissioned at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
No CHINFO of the weekend
This Day I World History
0439 Carthage, the leading Roman city in North Africa, falls to Genseric and the Vandals.
1531 Bavaria, despite being a Catholic region, joins the League of Schmalkalden, a Protestant group which opposes Charles V.
1648 The signing of the Treaty of Westphalia ends the German Thirty Years' War.
1755 A British expedition against the French held Fort Niagara in Canada ends in failure.
1836 The match is patented.
1861 Western Union completes the first transcontinental telegraph line, putting the Pony Express out of business.
1863 General Ulysses S. Grant arrives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to find the Union Army there starving.
1897 The first comic strip appears in the Sunday color supplement of the New York Journal called the 'Yellow Kid.'
1901 Anna Edson Taylor, 43, is the first woman to go safely over Niagara Falls in a barrel. She made the attempt for the cash award offered, which she put toward the loan on her Texas ranch.
1916 Henry Ford awards equal pay to women.
1917 The Austro-German army routs the Italian army at Caporetto, Italy.
1929 Black Thursday--the first day of the stock market crash which began the Great Depression.
1930 John Wayne debuts in his first starring role in The Big Trail .
1931 Al (Alphonse) Capone, the prohibition-era Chicago gangster, is sent to prison for tax evasion.
1934 Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, called Mahatma or "Great Soul," resigns from Congress in India.
1938 The Fair Labor Standards Act becomes law, establishing the 40-hour work week.
1944 The aircraft carrier USS Princeton is sunk by a single Japanese plane during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
1945 Vidkun Quisling, Norway's wartime minister president, is executed by firing squad for collaboration with the Nazis.
1945 The United Nations comes into existence with the ratification of its charter by the first 29 nations.
1952 Presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that if elected, he will go to Korea.
1970 Leftist Salvador Allende elected president of Chile.
1973 Yom Kippur War ends.
1980 Poland's government legalizes the Solidarity trade union.
1992 Toronto Blue Jays win the World Series, defeating the Atlanta Braves in the 11th inning of the 6th game, to become the first Major League Baseball team from outside the US to win the series.
2003 The supersonic Concorde jet made its last commercial passenger flight from New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport to London's Heathrow Airport, traveling at twice the speed of sound.
2008 Many stock exchanges worldwide suffer the steepest declines in their histories; the day becomes known as "Bloody Friday."
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
LOOKING BACK 55-YEARS to the Vietnam Air War— … … For The List for Sunday, 24 October 2021… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1065-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 24 October 1966… Quo vadis…
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses
Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Richard
Subject: Watch "Legendary WW2 Battle Between an American and Japanese Ace | Dogfight Over Guadalcanal | Timeline" on YouTube
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
How many of you remember Sex and the Naval Aviator?
Dr. Frank Dully would give this talk and I saw him once in San Diego giving this talk.
If any of you can find the video (The url is best) send it to me and I will put it in the List.
… who dug this out of the cobwebs … though it is not the video ...
"It is the whole man who enters the cockpit to undertake flight; into that arena is brought all the frailties that mark the man." - Frank Dully
JN asks -
Several years ago, a Navy Flight Surgeon put out a video on Naval Aviators and Compartmentalization, Was humorious but very telling about how Naval Aviators handle their feelings.
Thanks to Dr. Rich
PS - the divorce rate among the TPS students at Pax River was getting close to 50% when I arrived in 1970 … and the reason uniformly was that "he's not paying any attention to me anymore…", with the connotation that he must be running around … So we started giving a similar talk to each new class's wives about the fact that these guys were under so much academic and flying pressure they didn't have time to sleep, much less get amorous … Divorce rate plummeted …
Rich
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Dr. Rich……Have a tissue ready
Wonderful video
John sent the full video, with credits in English …
The full DocMorris ad, with rough English translation at the end:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ha1dtAFbAA&ab_channel=AnthonyMiyazaki
And here are several more similar ads for your enjoyment:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLveHzRa1dIubDyUQ4M2nwqfWOsCDLqBi3
Have a box of tissues
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Mugs
All:
Just finished reading AFGHANISTAN PAPERS by Craig Whitlock. I knew the Afghanistan operation was bad, but I didn't know it was THIS bad! It was astoundingly, astonishingly bad essentially from the gitgo - and it included all administrations from Bush II to Trump. It seemed to take a concentrated effort from politicians, the senior bureaucracy, and military leaders, including the present SECDEF and Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs, to screw things up this badly. And then we all know what a fiasco the surrender/evacuation was. If you want to understand it a little better, read Whitlock's book. What a gargantuan waste!
Mugs
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Dr. Rich
HUH?? Some data …
Thanks to Allan ...
All of these crazy plans use more energy than they produce so it is net negative on energy production. Solar and wind are the same way. Example: It takes more energy to produce a solar cell than you will ever get out of it. The base silicon crystal is grown in a 3000 degree plasma oven. There is no such thing as a perpetual motion machine.
Also, our CO2 level is at an historical low for the Earths history. If it goes much lower all life will ceased to exist. During the period of dinosaurs the CO2 level was ten times what it is now. There was no ice on the Earth and the Earth was very green with way more plant spices and animal species than we have now.
Looking at this it appears that the Earth is slowly dying due to the drop in CO2 levels.
Allan
On 10/24/21 8:01 AM, Richard Sugden, MD wrote:
Thanks to Michael ...
What are they smoking … or … ??
The Air Force Has A Plan To Make Jet Fuel Out Of Thin Air
A new carbon transformation process could be game-changing for the Air Force, which spends billions annually to buy fuel and ship it around the world. Every year, the U.S. Air Force buys billions of …
View the article. https://flip.it/cKnCrc
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Carl
Li-Meng Yan: Chinese Defector Reveals COVID Origin
(Since the video vanishes in 48 hours and Yan is difficult to understand, may want to download and save the transcript! Download Interview Transcript )
Chinese Defector Reveals COVID Origin
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
We need another Marshall .
thanks to Doctor Rich
Thanks to Frank via Billy ...
Mi Amigos:
I have no affiliation with either political party but we should be able to speak to each other straight from the shoulder.
We have an imbecile in the White House and a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs who should be doing hard time for treason. Probably through bribes we were allowed to escape a kill box in Kabul of our own making and now we find our Navy is lead by a ship of fools. Notice the underlying theme, absolutely no accountability.
How the heck do we think we are going to defend Taiwan. We will wake up one day and find the Chinese navy sent our fleet to the bottom of the South China Sea, We couldn't even safeguard one of our fighting vessels safely tucked in San Diego harbor.
At the start of WW2 General George C. Marshall purged all the incompetent Colonels and Generals from the ranks. Sadly I don't see a leader today possessing Marshall's foresight and boldness.
us-navy-warship-destroyed-fire-sailors-failure-to-press-button-2021-10
"Excellence is achieved by mastery of the fundamentals." Vince Lombardi
Semper Fi
Frank W.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Shadow and others
A Short History of Slavery
XLANT!!!🙏🏆👍
An excellent history lesson.
https://www.prageru.com/video/a-short-history-of-slavery/
A very articulate presentation that is worth the few minutes to view.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Dutch…..Great story even if you
have seen it before
U.S. Navy Pilots David McCampbell and Roy Rushing made history in a heroic air battle over the Leyte Gulf On October 24, 1944, the Battle of Leyte Gulf had just begun when two Hellcat pilots U.S ... |
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This Day in U S Military History
1942 – On Guadalcanal, heavy fighting continues as the Japanese offensive gains some success with the secondary operations infiltrating the left wing of the America positions. The main operation against the south of the American perimeter begins at dusk and continues throughout the night. It is repelled.
1943 – Allied aircraft raid Rabaul, New Britain Island, for a second time in two days. One Japanese destroyer and five merchant ships have been sunk in the raids.
1943 – Elements of the US 5th Army capture Sant'Angelo, Italy. 34th Division moved up through the mist on the morning and entered the walled and narrow streets of Sant' Angelo d'Alife without resistance.
1944 – On land, elements of US 1st Cavalry land on Samar. The fighting on Leyte continues. At sea, Japanese aircraft, based on Luzon, attack US Task Group 38.3 (Sherman), critically damaging the carrier Princeton. The Japanese Center Force (Kurita) is discovered by scout planes from US Task Group 38.2 and attacked throughout the day by all the carrier groups. The Japanese battleship Musashi is sunk and a cruiser is damaged and turns back. Center Force withdraws during the day. The Japanese Southern Force (Nishimura) is also sighted but American air strikes fail to cause significant damage. Admiral Oldendorf assembles a force in the Surigao Strait to block Southern Force. Meanwhile, Northern Force (Ozawa) locates TG38.2 and launches an air strike. The Japanese planes do not find the objective and land on Luzon. Late in the day, Admiral Halsey (commanding US 3rd Fleet) assembles his carriers and battleships to attack Northern Force, leaving Admiral Oldendorf to defend against Southern Force. During the night, Center Force reverses course.
1944 – "Ace of Aces" David McCampbell (1910-1996) and one other fighter faced 60 planes approaching US forces. He shot down 9 "Zekes" and with his comrade managed to scatter the remaining 51 planes at the battle of Leyte Gulf. "All available fighter pilots! Man your planes!" boomed the squawk box in Essex' ready room. The ship's radar had detected three large groups of Japanese planes coming in. David McCampbell, the CAG and the Navy's most famous living aviator, considered this announcement. Earlier that morning, Admiral Sherman himself had forbidden McCampbell from joining a dawn sortie. Given his responsibilities as Commander of Essex' Air Group and his public prominence as a top ace, McCampbell was too valuable. He decided that he was indeed "available" and headed for his airplane, Minsi III. His plane crew hurried to fuel Minsi III, which had not been scheduled to fly that day. With the Hellcat only partially fueled, the Flight Officer ordered it off the flight deck – either into the air or below to the hangar deck. McCampbell went up, leading Essex's last seven fighters toward the Jap strike force. He and Ens. Roy Rushing got out in front of the other Hellcats, putting on all speed to intercept the Japs, then only 22 miles away. He directed the other F6F's to get the bombers, while he and Rushing tackled the fighters. Surprisingly, the enemy fighters turned, allowing McCampbell and Rushing to gain altitude and a position behind them. Seeing over 40 Japanese fighters, McCampbell radioed back to the carrier for help. "Sorry, none available." The enemy planes spread out in a typical formation of three V's. McCampbell picked out a Zero on the extreme right and flamed it. Rushing also got one on this first pass. Incredibly, there was no reaction from the Japs as they climbed back up to regain altitude. The two Hellcat pilots dived back down on their quarry for another pass; McCampbell blew up a second Zero. Now the gaggle of Zeros, Tonys, Hamps, and Oscars reacted – by going into a Lufbery! McCampbell made a couple of head-on passes against the formation, but without results. A strange interlude ensued as McCampbell and Rushing climbed back up and circled, while the Japanese fighters continued to circle below. McCampbell radioed again for help; one of the Hellcats that had been going after the bombers headed his way. The Lufbery broke up and the planes headed toward Luzon in a wide Vee. The two American fliers closed in again on the formation. McCampbell opened up at 900 feet, and exploded his third plane of the morning. Rushing shot down his second one. Apparently low on fuel, the Japanese planes doggedly flew on, maintaining formation. On his next firing pass, gunfire coming from behind forced McCampbell to break off his attack and pull up. It was another Hellcat shooting too close to him. A few choice words straightened things out. Still the enemy planes didn't turn and mix it up. McCampbell realized he could relax and take his time. This was practically gunnery exercise. He could focus on identifying his targets carefully. The next one was an Oscar. Again his six fifties roared anad blasted the Oscar's wing root. It flamed for number four. Rushing had scored his third by this time. This continued for several more passes until McCampbell had downed 7 and Rushing 6. Rushing radioed that he was out of ammo, but he would stay on McCampbell's wing while the CAG used up his remaining bullets. Two more passes and two more kills. As the Jap planes approached the security of their bases on Luzon, the two Americans' low fuel finally ended the slaughter. The Hellcats broke off and headed for Essex. In one morning sortie, McCampbell had shot down nine enemy planes and Rushing six, an unparalleled achievement in American fighter aviation.
1951 – The largest air battle of the Korean War occurs at 150 MiGs attack a formation of B-29s escorted by 55 F-84 Thunderjets. Four of the bombers were destroyed and three others seriously damaged and one F-84 was lost. Eight MiGs were destroyed (an additional two probably destroyed) and 10 others heavily damaged.
1952 – Republican presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower declared, "I shall go to Korea" as he promised to end the conflict if elected.
1962 – The U.S. blockade of Cuba during the missile crisis officially began under a proclamation signed by President Kennedy. Atlantic Fleet begins quarantine operations to force Soviet Union to agree to remove ballistic missiles and long range bombers from Cuba. On the day the quarantine was to take effect, the alignment of Soviet and free world nations continued to develop rapidly. The evening before, the U.S. position was presented to a special session of the United Nations Security Council. Soviet Ambassador Zorin's speech in reply emphasized that the present crisis existed between the United States and Cuba and reflected a Soviet desire to avoid the appearance of a direct Soviet-U.S. confrontation. This approach appeared to be calculated to create a climate for a U.S. reversal of the quarantine stand, to diminish the military threat to the U.S. and to reduce tensions among Soviet Bloc masses. Other Bloc reactions were becoming known. The Polish regime was playing the Cuban crisis in low key to avoid panic and a strain on low food-stocks. Although that nation's armed forces were alerted, there was no evidence of increased military activity. The Chinese communists issued a statement fully supporting the "just stand of the Soviet Government." Various developments throughout the day suggested that the Soviet Bloc intended to proceed with extreme caution. This indication was supported by Zorin's comparatively mild statements at the UN, the lack of any Soviet move to evacuate dependents in East Germany and elsewhere, and other political developments. Turkish officials, worried about the possibility of Soviet pressure to eliminate missile sites in their country in exchange for withdrawal of Russian missiles in Cuba, urged an increase in U. S. military aid to Turkey. Brazil backed off somewhat from her support of the arms quarantine with the statement that the Government did not support the "use of force which may violate an independent country's territorial integrity and place world peace in jeopardy." The Commander in Chief, Atlantic, established the surface quarantine line on an arc 500 miles from Cape Maysi between 27-30N, 75W and 20N, 65W. The line thus established was out of range of Soviet IL-28 "Beagle" bombers based in Cuba. The line was to be manned by 12 destroyers from Task Force 136.
1968 – At the National Air and Space Administration test pilot Bill Dana was at the controls of the North American X-15 rocket-propelled research aircraft when it made the 199th–and what turned out to be the final–flight of the X-15 program. He was flying the X-15-1, which had been the first of three aircraft to participate in a series of tests that spanned a decade and resulted in major advances for America's space flight program. In the course of that research, the X-15s spent 18 hours flying above Mach 1, 12 hours above Mach 2, nearly 9 hours above Mach 3, almost 6 hours above Mach 4, one hour above Mach 5 and a few short minutes above Mach 6. The X-15 was hailed by the scientific community as the most successful research aircraft of all time
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
DALY, DANIEL JOSEPH (Second Award)
Rank and organization: Gunnery Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: Glen Cove, Long Island, N.Y., 11 November 1873. Accredited to: New York. Other Navy awards: Second Medal of Honor, Navy Cross. Citation: Serving with the 15th Company of Marines on 22 October 1915, G/Sgt. Daly was one of the company to leave Fort Liberte, Haiti, for a 6-day reconnaissance. After dark on the evening of 24 October, while crossing the river in a deep ravine, the detachment was suddenly fired upon from 3 sides by about 400 Cacos concealed in bushes about 100 yards from the fort. The marine detachment fought its way forward to a good position, which it maintained during the night, although subjected to a continuous fre from the Cacos. At daybreak the marines, in 3 squads, advanced in 3 different directions, surprising and scattering the Cacos in all directions. G/Sgt. Daly fought with exceptional gallantry against heavy odds throughout this action.
OSTERMANN, EDWARD ALBERT
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, 15th Company of Marines (mounted). Place and date: Vicinity Fort Liberte, Haiti, 24 October 1915. Entered service at: Ohio. Born: 1883, Columbus, Ohio. Citation: In company with members of the 15th Company of Marines, all mounted, 1st Lt. Ostermann left Fort Liberte, Haiti, for a 6-day reconnaissance. After dark on the evening of 24 October 1915, while crossing the river in a deep ravine, the detachment was suddenly fired upon from 3 sides by about 400 Cacos concealed in bushes about 100 yards from the fort. The marine detachment fought its way forward to a good position, which it maintained during the night, although subjected to a continuous fire from the Cacos. At daybreak, 1st Lt. Ostermann, in command of 1 of the 3 squads which advanced in 3 different directions, led his men forward, surprising and scattering the Cacos, and aiding in the capture of Fort Dipitie.
UPSHUR, WILLIAM PETERKIN
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 28 October 1881, Richmond, Va. Appointed from: Virginia. Citation: In company with members of the 15th Company of Marines, all mounted, Capt. Upshur left Fort Liberte, Haiti, for a 6-day reconnaissance. After dark on the evening of 24 October 1915, while crossing the river in a deep ravine, the detachment was suddenly fired upon from 3 sides by about 400 Cacos concealed in bushes about 100 yards from the fort. The marine detachment fought its way forward to a good position which it maintained during the night, although subjected to a continuous fire from the Cacos. At daybreak, Capt. Upshur, in command of one of the 3 squads which advanced in 3 different directions led his men forward, surprising and scattering the Cacos, and aiding in the capture of Fort Dipitie.
COOLIDGE, CHARLES H.
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company M, 141st Infantry, 36th Infantry Division. Place and date: East of Belmont sur Buttant, France, 24-27 October 1944. Entered service at: Signal Mountain, Tenn. Birth: Signal Mountain, Tenn. G.O. No.: 53, July 1945. Citation: Leading a section of heavy machineguns supported by 1 platoon of Company K, he took a position near Hill 623, east of Belmont sur Buttant, France, on 24 October 1944, with the mission of covering the right flank of the 3d Battalion and supporting its action. T/Sgt. Coolidge went forward with a sergeant of Company K to reconnoiter positions for coordinating the fires of the light and heavy machineguns. They ran into an enemy force in the woods estimated to be an infantry company. T/Sgt. Coolidge, attempting to bluff the Germans by a show of assurance and boldness called upon them to surrender, whereupon the enemy opened fire. With his carbine, T/Sgt. Coolidge wounded 2 of them. There being no officer present with the force, T/Sgt. Coolidge at once assumed command. Many of the men were replacements recently arrived; this was their first experience under fire. T/Sgt. Coolidge, unmindful of the enemy fire delivered at close range, walked along the position, calming and encouraging his men and directing their fire. The attack was thrown back. Through 25 and 26 October the enemy launched repeated attacks against the position of this combat group but each was repulsed due to T/Sgt. Coolidge's able leadership. On 27 October, German infantry, supported by 2 tanks, made a determined attack on the position. The area was swept by enemy small arms, machinegun, and tank fire. T/Sgt. Coolidge armed himself with a bazooka and advanced to within 25 yards of the tanks. His bazooka failed to function and he threw it aside. Securing all the hand grenades he could carry, he crawled forward and inflicted heavy casualties on the advancing enemy. Finally it became apparent that the enemy, in greatly superior force, supported by tanks, would overrun the position. T/Sgt. Coolidge, displaying great coolness and courage, directed and conducted an orderly withdrawal, being himself the last to leave the position. As a result of T/Sgt. Coolidge's heroic and superior leadership, the mission of this combat group was accomplished throughout 4 days of continuous fighting against numerically superior enemy troops in rain and cold and amid dense woods.
McCAMPBELL, DAVID
Rank and organization: Commander, U.S. Navy, Air Group 15. Place and date: First and second battles of the Philippine Sea, 19 June 1944. Entered service at: Florida. Born: 16 January 1 910, Bessemer, Ala. Other Navy awards: Navy Cross, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with 2 Gold Stars, Air Medal. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commander, Air Group 15, during combat against enemy Japanese aerial forces in the first and second battles of the Philippine Sea. An inspiring leader, fighting boldly in the face of terrific odds, Comdr. McCampbell led his fighter planes against a force of 80 Japanese carrier-based aircraft bearing down on our fleet on 19 June 1944. Striking fiercely in valiant defense of our surface force, he personally destroyed 7 hostile planes during this single engagement in which the outnumbering attack force was utterly routed and virtually annihilated. During a major fleet engagement with the enemy on 24 October, Comdr. McCampbell, assisted by but l plane, intercepted and daringly attacked a formation of 60 hostile land-based craft approaching our forces. Fighting desperately but with superb skill against such overwhelming airpower, he shot down 9 Japanese planes and, completely disorganizing the enemy group, forced the remainder to abandon the attack before a single aircraft could reach the fleet. His great personal valor and indomitable spirit of aggression under extremely perilous combat conditions reflect the highest credit upon Comdr. McCampbell and the U.S. Naval Service.
O'KANE, RICHARD HETHERINGTON
Rank and organization: Commander, U.S. Navy, commanding U.S.S. Tang. Place and date: Vicinity Philippine Islands, 23 and 24 October 1944. Entered service at: New Hampshire. Born: 2 February 1911, Dover, N.H. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Tang operating against 2 enemy Japanese convoys on 23 and 24 October 1944, during her fifth and last war patrol. Boldly maneuvering on the surface into the midst of a heavily escorted convoy, Comdr. O'Kane stood in the fusillade of bullets and shells from all directions to launch smashing hits on 3 tankers, coolly swung his ship to fire at a freighter and, in a split-second decision, shot out of the path of an onrushing transport, missing it by inches. Boxed in by blazing tankers, a freighter, transport, and several destroyers, he blasted 2 of the targets with his remaining torpedoes and, with pyrotechnics bursting on all sides, cleared the area. Twenty-four hours later, he again made contact with a heavily escorted convoy steaming to support the Leyte campaign with reinforcements and supplies and with crated planes piled high on each unit. In defiance of the enemy's relentless fire, he closed the concentration of ship and in quick succession sent 2 torpedoes each into the first and second transports and an adjacent tanker, finding his mark with each torpedo in a series of violent explosions at less than l,000-yard range. With ships bearing down from all sides, he charged the enemy at high speed, exploding the tanker in a burst of flame, smashing the transport dead in the water, and blasting the destroyer with a mighty roar which rocked the Tang from stem to stern. Expending his last 2 torpedoes into the remnants of a once powerful convoy before his own ship went down, Comdr. O'Kane, aided by his gallant command, achieved an illustrious record of heroism in combat, enhancing the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for October 24, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
24 October
1928: Capt Charles B. D. Collyer and Harry Tucker flew a Lockheed Vega, the Yankee Doodle, on a transcontinental flight from New York to Los Angeles in 24 hours 51 minutes. (9)
1941: Arthur J. Starnes set a new record for free fall near Chicago by dropping from 30,800 feet to 1,500 feet in 116 seconds before opening his parachute. (24)
1944: Eighth Air Force sent 415 P-47s and P-51s to carry out fighter-bomber raids in the HannoverKassel area of Germany. Nine fighters were destroyed. (4) Capt David McCampbell (USN) shot down nine Japanese fighters in a single day. No other pilot in World War II equaled this accomplishment. McCampbell ended the war as the Navy's leading ace with 34 aerial victories. (21)
1945: After a 14 hour, 5 minute flight, An American Airlines plane arrived at Hurn Airfield, England, from New York. It was the first commercial land plane to make a flight from North America to Europe. (21) (24)
1952: KOREAN WAR. Fifth Air Force and Eighth Army completed a successful 30-day test in IX Corps area of a new flak-suppression technique that allowed friendly artillery to continue firing while close support strikes were in progress. (28)
1953: Convair's YF-102 Delta Dagger first flew at Edwards AFB. (3)
1956: The last production Boeing B-47E (53-6244) went to the 40th BMW at Schilling AFB. (1)
1960: Operation SOUTHWIND. In this joint exercise, TAC and MATS employed 100 airplanes to transport 10,000 Strategic Army Command troops. (24)
1962: SAC accepted the first flight of 10 Minuteman I missiles (Model A) at the 10 SMS, 341 SMW, Malmstrom AFB. (6)
1964: When ground fire destroyed a C-123 in Vietnam, 1Lt Valmore W. Bourque, the pilot, became the first USAF Academy graduate to die in action.
1967: Combined USAF, USN, and USMC warplanes attacked North Vietnam's largest airbase, Phue Yen, for the first time. During the attack, the Air Force downed its 69th MiG. (16) (26)
1968: William H. Dana flew X-15 No.1 from Edwards AFB and reached 255,000 feet and 3,682 MPH (Mach 5.04) in the program's 199th and final flight. (9) The Air Force redesignated the F-X as the ZF-15A. (30)
1974: The Space and Missile Systems Organization (SAMSO) proved the ability to launch an ICBM in the air by dropping a Minuteman I from a C-5A Galaxy. The aircraft dropped the 86,000- pound missile at 20,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean, and the missile descended to 8,000 feet before its rocket engine fired. The 10-second engine burn carried the missile to 20,000 feet again before it dropped into the ocean. (6) (18)
1986: The 16th Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile test marked the beginning of its initial operational test and evaluation program. (12)
1993: Through 30 October, three 60 AW C-5s from Travis AFB carried 350 Nepalese soldiers and 250 tons of equipment from Katmandu, Nepal, to Mogadishu, Somalia, to join the UN peacekeeping force. (18)
2000: The Space Shuttle Discovery's successful landing on the Edwards AFB main runway, its 46th, ended the system's 100th mission. The 13-day mission prepared the International Space Station for its first full-time residents. Mission Commander Col Brian Duffy and Pilot Lt Col Pamela Melroy both graduated from the Air Force Test Pilot School. (3) Lockheed pilot Tom Morgenfeld flew the Lockheed-Martin X-35A Joint Strike Fighter concept demonstrator on its first flight from Palmdale to Edwards AFB. Lockheed-Martin developed the X-35A to compete with Boeing's X-32A. (3) An F-22 successfully fired the first unarmed Raytheon AIM-120C Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile in its initial separation test the China Lake test range. The AIM-120C, with clipped wings and fins, would be the Raptor's primary weapon. (3)
2002: A C-5 and aircrew from Travis AFB flew from Andrews AFB to Tashkent IAP, Uzbekistan, with 40 volunteer physicians from Physicians With Heart, an affiliate of Heart-to-Heart International, and medicines, pharmaceuticals, and medical supplies worth nearly $10 million. The 24 October mission commemorated the tenth anniversary of this joint State Department and Physicians With Heart program to assist the people of Uzbekistan. (22)
2005: A civilian team brought their North American Eagle jet car to Edwards AFB for a four-day test on Rogers Dry Lake. The wingless F-104A Starfighter (tail no. 56-0763), with 52,000 horse- power, would try for 800 mph to break the existing 763 mph land speed record. Previously, the F-104 flew for the AFFTC as a high speed chase plane for the X-15, XB-70, and SR-71.
2007: Officials at Hill AFB, Utah, rolled out the first of 11 newly configured F-16 Fighting Falcons for the Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team. Each aircraft eventually received a Block 52 upgrade, which included the Falcon Structural Augmentation Roadmap (Falcon STAR) program to replace or repair known life-limited structures. (AFNEWS, "Thunderbirds Receive First Upgraded F-16," 5 Nov 2007.)
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.