Below are one painting and some pictures of the USS Midway.
April 30 was the 36th anniversary of "Operation Frequent Wind." That day in history, in 1976, is also known as the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam war. Frequent Wind refers more specifically tothe massive effort to evacuate as many souls as possible out of South Vietnam, mostly from the capital of Saigon.
The outskirts of the city were taking enemy fire and virtually all of the South Vietnamese citizens and military personnel who had supported the Americans during the war were in great peril. Most of the evacuees were taken on cargo helicopters to the USS Midway and other ships which were afloat on the South China Sea.
American diplomats, staffers, and troops as well as some 6,000 South Vietnamese refugees were evacuated on that day. Many of the young evacuees were children whose frantic parents placed them into the arms of strangers aboard already overloaded cargo helicopters. Children and entire families were separated from each other, and from their native country, on that day, 36 years ago.
Check out the link below for the story. These pictures were taken during the operation.
On 29 April 1975, South Vietnamese Air Force Major Bung-Ly loaded his wife and five children into a two-seat
Cessna O-1 Bird Dog and took off from
Con Son Island. After evading enemy ground fire Major Bung-Ly headed out to sea and spotted the USS Midway. The Midway's crew attempted to contact the aircraft on emergency frequencies but the pilot continued to circle overhead with his landing lights turned on. When a spotter reported that there were at least four people in the two-place aircraft, all thoughts of forcing the pilot to ditch alongside were abandoned - it was unlikely the passengers of the overloaded Bird Dog could survive the ditching and safely egress before the plane sank. After three tries, Major Bung-Ly managed to drop a note from a low pass over the deck: "Can you move the helicopter to the other side, I can land on your runway, I can fly for one hour more, we have enough time to move. Please rescue me! Major Bung (Ly), wife and 5 child." Rear Admiral
Larry Chambers (then Captain) ordered that the arresting wires be removed and that any helicopters that could not be safely and quickly be relocated should be pushed over the side. To get the job done he called for volunteers, and soon every available seaman was on deck, regardless of rank or duty, to provide the manpower to get the job done. $10 million (US currency) worth of
UH-1 Huey helicopters were pushed overboard into the
South China Sea. With a 500-foot ceiling, five miles visibility, light rain, and 15 knots of surface wind, Chambers ordered the Midway to make 25 knots into the wind. Warnings about the dangerous downdrafts created behind a steaming carrier were transmitted blind in both Vietnamese and English. To make matters worse, five additional UH-1s landed and cluttered up the deck. Without hesitation, Chambers ordered them scuttled as well. Captain Chambers recalled in an article in the Fall 1993 issue of the national Museum of Aviation History's "Foundation" magazine that "...the aircraft cleared the ramp and touched down on center line at the normal touchdown point. Had he been equipped with a tailhook he could have bagged a number 3 wire. He bounced once and came stop abeam of the island, amid a wildly cheering, arms-waving flight deck crew." Major Ly was escorted to the bridge where Captain Chambers congratulated him on his outstanding airmanship and his bravery in risking everything on a gamble beyond the point of no return without knowing for certain a carrier would be where he needed it. The crew of the
Midway was so impressed that they established a fund to help him and his family get settled in the United States.
[4] The Bird Dog that Major Bung-Ly landed is now on display at the
Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL.
[5] On 29 April 1975, South Vietnamese Air Force Major Bung-Ly loaded his wife and five children into a two-seat Cessna O-1 Bird Dog and took off from
Con Son Island. After evading enemy ground fire Major Bung-Ly headed out to sea and spotted the USS Midway. The Midway's crew attempted to contact the aircraft on emergency frequencies but the pilot continued to circle overhead with his landing lights turned on. When a spotter reported that there were at least four people in the two-place aircraft, all thoughts of forcing the pilot to ditch alongside were abandoned - it was unlikely the passengers of the overloaded Bird Dog could survive the ditching and safely egress before the plane sank. After three tries, Major Bung-Ly managed to drop a note from a low pass over the deck: "Can you move the helicopter to the other side, I can land on your runway, I can fly for one hour more, we have enough time to move. Please rescue me! Major Bung (Ly), wife and 5 child." Rear Admiral
Larry Chambers (then Captain) ordered that the arresting wires be removed and that any helicopters that could not be safely and quickly be relocated should be pushed over the side. To get the job done he called for volunteers, and soon every available seaman was on deck, regardless of rank or duty, to provide the manpower to get the job done. $10 million (US currency) worth of
UH-1 Huey helicopters were pushed overboard into the
South China Sea. With a 500-foot ceiling, five miles visibility, light rain, and 15 knots of surface wind, Chambers ordered the Midway to make 25 knots into the wind. Warnings about the dangerous downdrafts created behind a steaming carrier were transmitted blind in both Vietnamese and English. To make matters worse, five additional UH-1s landed and cluttered up the deck. Without hesitation, Chambers ordered them scuttled as well. Captain Chambers recalled in an article in the Fall 1993 issue of the national Museum of Aviation History's "Foundation" magazine that "...the aircraft cleared the ramp and touched down on center line at the normal touchdown point. Had he been equipped with a tailhook he could have bagged a number 3 wire. He bounced once and came stop abeam of the island, amid a wildly cheering, arms-waving flight deck crew." Major Ly was escorted to the bridge where Captain Chambers congratulated him on his outstanding airmanship and his bravery in risking everything on a gamble beyond the point of no return without knowing for certain a carrier would be where he needed it. The crew of the
Midway was so impressed that they established a fund to help him and his family get settled in the United States.
[4] The Bird Dog that Major Bung-Ly landed is now on display at the
Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL.
[5]
Major Bung-Ly and his family now live in Florida.
Operation Babylift, which resulted in the evacuation of over 3,000 Vietnamese infants and children (many of whom were adopted by families all over the world) began on April 3 and lasted until April 26. Operation New Life, which also began on April 3, resulted in the evacuation of over 110,000 Vietnamese refugees. Operation Frequent Wind—the largest helicopter evacuation in history—was put into motion and resulted in 7,000 people being airlifted out of the city and to safety.
I counted 10 Hueys in the air. There where so many helicopters on the ship that they had to push many overboard to make room for more incoming flights.
These choppers are called sea stallions, the USS Midway dropped off her normal compliment of planes and choppers in the Philippines, to take on a bunch of the sea stallions to prepare for the evacuation.
