No BS, just fact.. All structured data from the file namespace is available under the. Welcome to Karls Korner, a historical blog written by myself, Karl Zingheim Ship Historian of the USS Midway Museum. [6] The Frequent Wind plan set out four possible evacuation options:[6], With Option 4, the helicopter evacuation would be expected to be similar to Operation Eagle Pull, the American evacuation by air of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on 12 April 1975. You will find some squadron reports that may help and photos with dates and dates and descriptions. The evacuation of personnel from the DAO compound had lasted nine hours and involved over 50 Marine Corps and Air Force helicopters. [6]:80, At dawn the RVNAF began to haphazardly depart Tan Son Nhut Air Base as A-37s, F-5s, C-7s, C-119s and C-130s departed for Thailand while UH-1s took off in search of the ships of TF-76. [10] The evacuation from the DAO Compound was completed by about 19:00 after which all helicopters would be routed to the embassy; Major Kean was informed that operations would cease at dark. [18] Disgruntled ARVN troops repeatedly hit American helicopters with small arms fire throughout the evacuation, without causing serious damage. Official U.S. Marine Corps photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. [6]:24 On 4 April, a C-5A aircraft carrying 250 Vietnamese orphans and their escorts suffered explosive decompression over the sea near Vng Tu and made a crash-landing while attempting to return to Tan Son Nhut; 153 people on board died in the crash. Official U.S. Marine Corps photograph A150855 in: U.S. Marines in Vietnam. The RVNAF pilots had been instructed after dropping off their passengers to ditch their helicopters and they would then be picked up by one of the ship's tenders. [21] Air America UH-1s began ferrying evacuees from other smaller assembly points throughout the city and dropping them on the Embassy's rooftop LZ. All planning would have to be conducted with the utmost discretion. Evacuation of nonessential U.S. personnel began as early as late March. Admiral Donald Whitmire, commander of Operation Frequent Wind, ordered the ships captain, Paul H. Jacobs, to Con Son Island, about 50 miles off Vietnams southern coast, to rescue the Vietnamese navy. you will have to do a lot of research as I cannot file the ships logs there from between 70 and 79 for some reason. [20]:2829 With its available fleet of only 20 Hueys (3 of which were impounded, ditched or damaged at TF76), Air America had moved over 1,000 evacuees to the DAO Compound, the Embassy or out to the ships of TF76. The evacuation of the embassy was completed at 07:53 on 30 April, but some Americans chose to stay or were left behind and some 400 third-country nationals were left at the embassy. Martin had remained optimistic that a negotiated settlement could be reached whereby the US would not have to pull out of South Vietnam and, in an effort to avert defeatism and panic he instructed Major James Kean, commanding officer of the Marine Security Guard Battalion and Ground Support Force Commander United States Embassy Compound, that he could not begin to remove the tamarind tree and other trees and shrubbery which prevented the use of the embassy parking lot as a helicopter landing zone. The system worked so efficiently that the buses were able to make three return journeys rather than the expected one. The weather conditions deteriorated as the operation continued. [41][42], The operation was the subject of the 2014 PBS documentary Last Days in Vietnam.[43]. The Peoples Army of Vietnam was rapidly advancing and would soon threaten Saigon. [36] [37] The building in the photo was the Pittman Apartment building at 22 Gia Long Street (now 22 L T Trng Street), which was used as a residence by various embassy, CIA, and USAID employees. One, a Boeing CH-47 Chinook, was too large to land on the destroyer escort. In addition, the Vietnamese relatives of American citizens and senior Government of Vietnam officials and their dependents (about 600,000 people) were also identified as potential evacuees, along with Vietnamese formerly employed by the U.S. and their dependents. [6]:36 At 08:30 on 29 April, with the shelling of Tan Son Nhut Airport subsiding, Air America began ferrying its helicopter and fixed-wing pilots from their homes in Saigon to the Air America compound at Tan Son Nhut, across the road from the DAO Compound. [6]:69, With the fall of Saigon imminent, between 18 and 24 April the U.S. Navy assembled ships off Vng Tu under Commander Task Force 76:[8], USSOklahoma City (Seventh Fleet flagship), Task Group 76.4 (Movement Transport Group Alpha), Task Group 76.5 (Movement Transport Group Bravo), Task Group 76.9 (Movement Transport Group Charlie). The Vietnam War by this time was no longer an American conflict, and the South Vietnamese were in dire straits. The Pacific crossing was extraordinarily calm and peaceful. These were the upper crust of Vietnamese society and were not suffering from typical diseases endemic in Vietnam. This operation was also the debut combat deployment of the F-14 Tomcat aircraft. Many of the Vietnamese evacuees were allowed to enter the United States under the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act. The Marine evacuation contingent, the 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade (Task Group 79.1), consisted of three Battalion Landing Teams (BLT); 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines (2/4), 1st Battalion 9th Marines (1/9), 3rd Battalion 9th Marines (3/9) and three helicopter squadrons HMH-462, HMH-463, HMM-165 along with other support units from Marine Aircraft Group 39 (MAG-39). But these restrictions were relaxed and eventually ignored altogether as the pace of the evacuation quickened. Two Kirk crewmembers were sent to each of 21 of the vessels to assume U.S. command. This week marks exactly 40 years since the largest helicopter airlift in history, Operation Frequent Wind. [6]:37 President Ford, in an address to the American public on 11 April, promised to evacuate Vietnamese civilians of various categories. [6], Throughout April, the "thinning out" proceeded slowly, largely because the South Vietnamese government was slow to issue papers allowing Americans to take Vietnamese dependents with them, with the result that MAC aircraft were often departing empty. [4], Although American officials at the highest levels of the intelligence community (e.g., CIA Director William Colby) were certain that the South Vietnamese government would collapse, everyone in the U.S. government underestimated the speed of the North Vietnamese advance during the 1975 Spring Offensive and how quickly the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) would collapse. This will be followed by the playing of I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas. Unofficial refugees also arrived by air. Over the next two days, 7,000 official evacuees were flown from the embassy in Saigon and Tan Son Nhut Air Base outside the city to ships offshore. President Ford later called it "a sad and tragic period in America's history" but argued that "you couldn't help but be very proud of those pilots and others who were conducting the evacuation". [6]:118 Other helicopters dropped off their passengers and were then ditched into the sea by their pilots, close to the ships, their pilots bailing out at the last moment to be picked up by rescue boats. [4], Although American officials at the highest levels of the intelligence community (e.g., CIA Director William Colby) were certain that the South Vietnamese government would collapse, everyone in the U.S. government underestimated the speed of the North Vietnamese advance during the 1975 Spring Offensive and how quickly the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) would collapse. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. Did the Fletcher-class destroyer William D. Porter (DD-579) deserve her reputation as a hard-luck ship? General Carey's threat to use the AH-1J SeaCobra helicopter gunships flying overhead may have played a role in the ARVN commander's decision. [10] Between 19:00 and 21:00 General Carey transferred 3 platoons (130 men) of BLT 2/4 into the embassy compound to provide additional security and assistance for the embassy. Homer asks the helicopter pilot if they are being taken to an aircraft carrier and is told that "the closest vessel is the USS Walter Mondale. Sadly, this event has been cancelled. Kiem warned Armitage that they would be saving more than ships. Planning for the evacuation of the Americans and their South Vietnamese allies from South Vietnam had begun before April 1975. [23], One of the more notable events occurred on Midway when the pilot of an RVNAF Cessna O-1 dropped a note on the deck of the carrier. In addition, military aircraft from Australia, Indonesia, Iran, Poland, the United Kingdom, France, and other countries flew in to evacuate their embassy personnel. [10] At 23:40 Marines destroyed the satellite terminal, the DAO Compound's last means of direct communication with the outside world. To commemorate the 45th Anniversary of Operation Frequent Wind and the Fall of Saigon, we invite you to enter the name of a Vietnam War veteran, past or present, along with a tribute message to honor their service. Confiscating literally thousands of small arms from the ships took a full day. [6] Also on 1 April, Plan Alamo was implemented to defend the DAO compound and its annex so it could serve as a holding area for 1,500 evacuees for five days. An embassy official said that more than five million dollars were being burned. : Operation Frequent Wind ship disposition 1975 - Recreated map.svg. [3], The two major evacuation points chosen for Operation Frequent Wind were the DAO Compound next to Tan Son Nhut Airport for American and Vietnamese civilian evacuees, and the U.S. Embassy, Saigon for embassy staff. [21], By the morning of 29 April, it was estimated that approximately 10,000 people had gathered around the embassy, while some 2,500 evacuees were in the embassy and consular compounds. Company G occupied the eastern section of the Annex, while Company H assumed control of the western section. Although we will no longer be able to commemorate the 45th Anniversary of Operation Frequent Wind in person, we invite you to learn about this historic event right here on our website. [6]:70 C-130s leaving Tan Son Nhut reported receiving PAVN .51 cal and 37mm anti-aircraft (AAA) fire,[6]:7172 while sporadic PAVN rocket and artillery attacks also started to hit the airport and air base. [6]:27 By 16 April, Alamo was complete: water, C-rations, petroleum, oil, and lubricants had been stockpiled; backup electricity generators had been installed; sanitary facilities were completed; and concertina wire protected the perimeter. The U.S. Embassy in Saigon was intended to only be a secondary evacuation point for embassy staff, but it was soon overwhelmed with evacuees and desperate South Vietnamese. [10]:182 This was the last USAF fixed-wing aircraft to leave Tan Son Nhut. AP Photo Option Four is code for Operation Frequent Wind, planned to be the biggest such evacuation in history, moving people to American navy ships off the coast. It was called Operation Frequent Wind. Among those arriving at the embassy were Phan Quang n, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister responsible for social welfare and refugee resettlement,[14]:27 and Lieutenant-General ng Vn Quang. continue reading , In 1973 Americas fighting in Southeast Asia ended, placing the combat burden against North Vietnam squarely on the shoulders of the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN). Martin had remained optimistic that a negotiated settlement could be reached whereby the US would not have to pull out of South Vietnam and, in an effort to avert defeatism and panic he instructed Major James Kean, commanding officer of the Marine Security Guard Battalion and Ground Support Force Commander United States Embassy Compound, that he could not begin to remove the tamarind tree and other trees and shrubbery which prevented the use of the embassy parking lot as a helicopter landing zone. In the spring of 1975, two years after the Paris Peace Accords ended U.S. military involvement in Vietnam, the North Vietnamese Army began moving toward Saigon. [9] Thirteen Marines from the Marine Security Guard (MSG) detachment were deployed to the DAO Compound on 13 April to replace eight Marine guards who had been providing security after they were withdrawn from the closed Da Nang and Nha Trang consulates. [10]:179181, It was not known whether the PAVN and/or the ARVN would try to disrupt the evacuation and so the planners had to take all possible contingencies into account to ensure the safety and success of the evacuation. At the beginning of March, fixed-wing aircraft began evacuating civilians from Tan Son Nhat Airport through neighboring countries. [27] Forty-nine Americans, including dependents, were also left behind or chose to remain in Saigon. The note read "Can you move these helicopter to the other side, I can land on your runway, I can fly 1 hour more, we have enough time to move. The pilot of the stolen ICCS Huey had been told to ditch off the port quarter of the ship, but seemed reluctant to do so, flying around the ship to the starboard bow he jumped from his helicopter at a height of 40 feet (12m). In addition, two CH-46s would provide medical evacuation capabilities while AH-1J SeaCobras would fly cover for the transport helicopters and for any ground units who requested support. [6] At 08:30 on 29 April, with the shelling of Tan Son Nhut Airport subsiding, Air America began ferrying its helicopter and fixed-wing pilots from their homes in Saigon to the Air America compound at Tan Son Nhut, across the road from the DAO Compound. Hugh van Es believed that Miss Saigon misappropriated his photo and considered legal action against the show, but decided against it. WebAs the North Vietnamese continued to advance south, President Gerald R. Ford announced on April 3, 1975, that U.S. aircraft delivering supplies to Saigon would carry Vietnamese orphans to the United States on their return flights. WebFind the perfect operation frequent wind stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. "[15] Frank Snepp later recalled the arrival of helicopters at the embassy while the song was playing over the radio as a "bizarre Kafkaesque time". Pilots of other helicopters were told to drop off their passengers and then take off and ditch in the sea, from where they would be rescued. [10]:201 CH-46F Swift 1-4 of HMM-164 from USS Hancock flown by Captain William C. Nystul[31] and First Lieutenant Michael J. Shea[32] crashed into the sea on its approach to the ship after having flown a night sea and air rescue mission. The Marines on the rooftop had sealed the doors and were using Mace to discourage the crowd from trying to break through. It immediately turned toward the threatening radar and fifteen to twenty anti-aircraft weapons opened up on it and the F-4D. [30], For an operation of the size and complexity of Frequent Wind, casualties were relatively light. See also: Operation New Life, Operation Babylift and Operation New Arrivals. [3]:86, The two major evacuation points chosen for Operation Frequent Wind were the DAO Compound next to Tan Son Nhut Airport for American and Vietnamese civilian evacuees, and the U.S. Embassy, Saigon for embassy staff. The staff of 9th MAB prescribed altitudes, routes, and checkpoints for flight safety for the operation. Operation Frequent Wind was the final phase in the evacuation of American civilians and "at-risk" Vietnamese from Saigon, South Vietnam, before the takeover of the city by the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) in the Fall of Saigon. RVNAF F-5s took off in pursuit, but they were unable to intercept the A-37s. Writer Claude-Michel Schnberg has acknowledged that the musical was inspired by pictures of the evacuation. [38] Hubert van Es' photo is frequently used in political cartoons commenting on US foreign policy. Mr. Caiella is a journalist of more than 45 years with experience as a photographer, editor, writer, designer, and graphic artist. [6]:122 Marine pilots accumulated 1,054 flight hours and flew 682 sorties throughout Operation Frequent Wind. Helicopters began to clog ship decks and eventually, some were pushed overboard to allow others to land. [6]:79 Between 04:30 and 08:00 up to 40 artillery rounds and rockets hit around the DAO Compound. It's a laundry ship". [20] A stolen Air America Bell 204 landed on Kirk, from where US Navy pilots flew it to Okinawa. [6]:73, At 03:30 on 29 April a PAVN rocket hit Guardpost 1 at the DAO Compound, instantly killing Marine Corporals Charles McMahon and Darwin Judge. [6], The evacuation proceeded without interference from the PAVN. The evacuation of the embassy was completed at 07:53 on 30 April, but some Americans chose to stay or were left behind and some 400 third-country nationals were left at the embassy. [20] At some point during the morning RVNAF personnel took five ICCS UH-1H Hueys and one Air America Bell 204 from the Air America ramp. President Ford later called it "a sad and tragic period in America's history" but argued that "you couldn't help but be very proud of those pilots and others who were conducting the evacuation". [20]:22 By 10:30 all of Air America's fixed-wing aircraft had departed Tan Son Nhut, evacuating all non-essential personnel and as many Vietnamese evacuees as they could carry and headed for Thailand. [21] From the billowing incinerator on the embassy roof floated intelligence documents and US currency, most charred; some not. The two enlisted crewmen survived, but the bodies of the pilots were not recovered. The Operations were called "Eagle Pull" and "Frequent Wind". At approximately 14:30, Air America Bell 205 serial number "N47004" landed on the roof of the Pittman Apartment Building at 22 Gia Long Street to collect a senior Vietnamese intelligence source and his family. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. 910 N. Harbor Drive WebBelow, is a link to photographs taken aboard USS Duluth LPD-6 during Operation Frequent Wind in April 1975. [10]:199 At that time Major Kean estimated that there were still some 850 non-American evacuees and 225 Americans (including the Marines), and Ambassador Martin told Major Kean to do the best he could. The SeaCobras could also serve as Forward Air Controllers. When the evacuation is ordered, the code will be read out on Armed Forces Radio. [1] [2]. The airlift resulted in a number of enduring images. On the afternoon of 30 April, TF-76 moved away from the coast, picking up more refugees as they went. [6]:90 Finally at 10:51 the order was given by CINCPAC to commence Option 4; due to confusion in the chain of command, General Carey did not receive the execute order until 12:15. The ships rescue of tens of thousands of refugees was one of the greatest humanitarian missions in the history of the U.S. military.. They were evacuated to Bangkok on 1 August 1976. With the collapse of South Vietnam, numerous boats and ships, Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) helicopters and some fixed-wing aircraft sailed or flew out to the evacuation fleet. [35], On the afternoon of 29 April 1975, Hubert van Es, a Saigon-based photographer for United Press International, took the iconic photo of Operation Frequent Wind of an Air America UH-1 on a rooftop picking up Vietnamese evacuees. Then the F-4D was cleared to destroy the 57 mm battery and did so with two CBU-71 and two CBU-58 Cluster bombs, neutralizing the site, northeast of Saigon, without damage to either aircraft. Added names of the cities. A flotilla of 26 Republic of Vietnam Navy and other vessels concentrated off Long Sn Island southwest of Vng Tu with 30,000 sailors, their families, and other civilians on board. [20] The scene was famously captured on film by Hubert van Es. [6], At the same time as the aerial evacuation, tens of thousands of South Vietnamese fled towards TF-76 aboard junks, sampans, and small craft. In addition, Air America helicopters and RVNAF aircraft brought additional evacuees to the TF76 ships. [6] In late March, two or three of these MAC aircraft were arriving each day and were used to evacuate civilians and Vietnamese orphans. They quickly established an austere command post in preparation for the arrival of the Marine CH-53s and the ground security force. [18] Disgruntled ARVN troops repeatedly hit American helicopters with small arms fire throughout the evacuation, without causing serious damage. Aircraft flying air cover for the evacuation reported being tracked with surface to air radar in the vicinity of Bin Ha Air Base (which had fallen to the PAVN on 25 April), but there were no missile launches. [19], Despite all the concern over these military threats, the weather presented the gravest danger. The Kirk and her 45 sisters of the Knox class had relatively short service lives with the U.S. Navy, with none serving more than 23 years. "[15] Frank Snepp later recalled the arrival of helicopters at the embassy while the song was playing over the radio as a "bizarre Kafkaesque time". April 30, 1975 marks the date of Operation Frequent Wind, one of the largest humanitarian rescues in naval history. After receiving permission from the airborne commander, the Wild Weasel marked the three 57-mm sites with an AGM-45 Shrike missile and took evasive action to escape the tracers coming in. [10]:189, The first wave of 12 CH-53s from HMH-462 loaded with BLT 2/4's command groups "Alpha" and "Bravo", and Company F and reinforced Company H arrived in the DAO Compound at 15:06 and the marines quickly moved to reinforce the perimeter defenses. [34] The USS Midway is a museum ship in San Diego. The U.S. Embassy in Saigon was intended to only be a secondary evacuation point for embassy staff, but it was soon overwhelmed with evacuees and desperate South Vietnamese. The Marines closed and bolted the chancery door, the elevators were locked by Seabees on the sixth floor and the Marines withdrew up the stairwells locking grill gates behind them. Marine corporals Charles McMahon and Darwin Judge, killed at the DAO compound, were the only members of US forces killed in action during the operation and they were the last US ground casualties in Vietnam. Midways commanding officer, Captain L.C. WebTwenty-six ships of Task Force 76, including the Kirk, converged on the South China Sea for Operation Frequent Windthe evacuation of Saigon. By mid-April, contingency plans were in place and preparations were underway for a possible helicopter evacuation. Evacuation plans already existed as a standard procedure for American embassies. Many of the Vietnamese evacuees were allowed to enter the United States under the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act. [10] At 08:00 Lieutenant General Minh, commander of the RVNAF and 30 of his staff arrived at the DAO compound demanding evacuation, signifying the complete loss of RVNAF command and control. They were the last American ground casualties in Vietnam. Ambassador Martin soon sent word back to Major Kean that sorties would continue to be flown. [16] Japanese journalists, concerned that they would not recognize the tune, had to get someone to sing it to them. [8], On 1 April an evacuation control center manned by U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force (USAF) and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) personnel began operating at the Defense Attach Office (DAO) compound on 12-hour shifts, increasing to 24-hour shifts the next day. [21], By the morning of 29 April, it was estimated that approximately 10,000 people had gathered around the embassy, while some 2,500 evacuees were in the embassy and consular compounds. In the spring of 1975, Hanois latest offensive rapidly gained momentum, and by April 20th, defeat outside Saigon spelled the end of organized ARVN resistance. [6] Other helicopters dropped off their passengers and were then ditched into the sea by their pilots, close to the ships, their pilots bailing out at the last moment to be picked up by rescue boats. I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: Operation Frequent Wind ship disposition 1975 - Recreated map.svg, (SVG file, nominally 744 850 pixels, file size: 105 KB), http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en, Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication, Operation Frequent Wind ship disposition 1975.JPG, Fleet deployment for Operation Frequent Wind.jpg, CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication, copyrighted, dedicated to the public domain by copyright holder, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Operation_Frequent_Wind_ship_disposition_1975_-_Recreated_map.svg&oldid=522731238, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the. [6], With the cause of the crash still unknown, the C-5 fleet was grounded and the MAC airlift was reduced to using C-141s and C-130s. Major Kean contacted the Seventh Fleet to advise them of his airlift requirements; until that time the fleet believed that all evacuees had been bussed from the embassy to the DAO Compound and that only two helicopters would be required to evacuate Ambassador Martin and the Marines from the embassy. Major Kean saw Ambassador Martin to request that he contact the Oval Office to ensure that the airlift continued. WebLawrence Cleveland "Larry" Chambers (born June 10, 1929) is the first African American to command a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and the first African-American graduate of the Naval Academy to reach flag rank. Major Buang, Wife and 5 child." This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps. It auto-rotated into the sea about a half-mile from the destroyer escort; the crew was rescued by the ships whaleboat. [21]:6, Inside the embassy, the evacuees had found whatever space was available inside the embassy compound and evacuees and some staff proceeded to take alcohol from the embassy's stores. Harnage boarded an Air America Huey from the Embassy's rooftop heliport and flew the short distance to the Pittman Building. Next month (June) we'll pull it into the yard and drop the transmission back on, and also put the blades back on. The four crew members estimated they received more than 500 rounds of 23-mm, 37-mm, and 57-mm fire in the space of one minute. [10] This was the last USAF fixed-wing aircraft to leave Tan Son Nhut.