U. S. S. ENTERPRISE (CVA(N)dj) nm@fl~D F.P.O. SAW FRANCISCO 96601

BMSSlFlED 5750 ser: I;L:SQ

1 0 JUL 1967; (unclassified upon removal of Enclosure (1) )

From: Commanding Officer, USS ENTERPRISE (CVA(N165) To: Chief of Naval Operations (OP09B9), Navy Department, Washington,

D. C. 20350

Subj : 1966 Command History

Ref: (a) OPNAVINST 5750.12 CllllLI

Encl: (1) Narrative Command History of USS ENTER.& (cvA(N)65) 1 January 1966 to 31 December 1966 (C)

(2) Chronology of Highlights 1 January 1966 to 31 December 1966 Random photographs of main cruise events

( 4 ) Biography and photograph of Commanding Officer, CAPT James L. Holloway 111, USM

(5) Biography and photograph of Executive Officer, CAPT Isham f W. Linder, USN 1. This report is submitted in compliance with reference (a). Enclosures (1) through (5) augment this report.

HOLLOWAY I11

Copy t 0 : CINCPACFLT COMPAIRALAMEDA

+t -8SI FI ED" NARRATIVE HISTORY OF THE USS ENTERPRISE (CVA(N)65) 1 JAN - 31 DEC 66

The presence of USS Enterpr ise i n t h e Gulf of Tonkin was well-known around - Y

t h e world'by January 1966. Her own p r e s t i g e a s the l a r g e s t and most powerful

warship of t h e f l e e t had followed her t o Yankee and Dixie Sta t ion, and t h e r e

was more t o the emerging legend than t h i s ; she and USS Bainbridge, her f r i g a t e

"smallboy", had put a watershed da te i n naval h i s t o r y merely by being t h e f i r s t

nuclear-powered sh ips t o engage i n combat. Their unmatched speed, de tec t ion

systems, and opera t ional capacity p o t e n t i a l were proving t h e i r worth f a r beyond

t h e o r i g i n a l est imates during t h e f i r s t weeks "on t h e l i n e a t t h e Tonkin Gulf

Yacht Club. "

The c a r r i e r a t t h i s time was continuing operat ions a s a n n i t of Task Force

Seventy Seven, and a s the f l a g ship of Rear Admiral Henry L. Mil ler , Commander

Carr ier Division Three. Under the command of Captain James L. Holloway 111, she

was carrying a complement of approximately 350 o f f i c e r s and 4,800 men. Four

West coast squadrons of Carr ier Air Wing Nine, commanded by Commander F. T. Brown,

were embarked; Fighter Squadron 92, under Commander E. A. Rawsthorne, and Fighter

Squadron 96, under Commander R. D. Norman, f l y i n g F-4B Phantoms; Attack Squadron

93 under Commander A. J. Monger, and Attack Squadron 94, under Commander 0. E.

Krueger, f l y i n g A-4C Skyhawks.

With these squadrons were th ree o thers based on the East Coast; Attack Squa-

dron 36, under Commander J. E. Marshall, Attack Squadron 76, under Commander J. B.

Linder, f l y i n g A-4C Skyhawks; and Reconnaissance Attackk Squadron 7, under Commander

K. Enny, f l y i n g RA-5C Vigilantes.

(1) ENCLOSURE (1)

DECLASSIFIED 'WIFIED"

The seven a t t a c k squadrons were augmented by small, s p e c i a l purpose detach-

ments incorporated i n t o t h e .'dr Wing: Detachment Mike of Helicopter Combat

Support Squadron 1, under Lieutenant Commander R. L. Wheeler, f ly ing UH-2 Sea-

s p r i t e hel icopters ; Detachment Mike of Carr ier Airborne Early Warning Squadron

11, under Lieutenant Conrmander W , House, f ly ing E-1B radar search a i r c r a f t ; and

Detachment Hike of Heavy Attack Squadron 4, under Commander D. L. Jensen, f l y i n g

KA-3B Skywarrioe Tanker planes.

J u s t a t the year ' s beginning, on 4 January, Commander James L. Shipman

re l ieved Commander F. T. Brown a s Commander Carr ier A i r Wing Nine. Commander W.

G. Sizemore re l ieved Commander Albert J. Monger a s Commander Attack Squadron 93.

Commander R.obert H. Lovelace re l ieved Commander Kenneth E. Enny a s Commanding

Off icer of Reconnaissance Attack Squadron 7 on 17 January.

Following the christmas t ruce Enterpr ise continued her bas ic mission of

supporting Al l ied ground troops i n South Vietnam from Dixie Sta t ion. She was

stuaming i n company with USS Bainbridge, Brush and Hawkins. The b r ie f h a l t t o

h o s t i l i t i e s had produced no d i sce rn ib le change i n enemy behavior. More planea

were l o s t . The b i t t e r skirmishes continued. Any s igns of peace w e r e i l l u s o r y ,

a s Captain Holloway remarked i n h i s family newsle t ter of 14 February: "Although

t h e pause i n bombing the North seemed t o mean an easing of h o s t i l i t i e s t o t h e

people a t home, the was was no less r e a l t o us." The f i r s t b ig s t r i k e came on

8 January, when Enterpr ise a i r c r a f t , together with planes from USS Hancock and

Ticonderoga, flew 116 s t r i k e s o r t i e s agains t V i e t Cong t a r g e t s i n a l l four Corps

areas i n South Vietnam. Suspected troop concentrat ions and s torage areas were h i t

i n successive runs. Smoke and secondary explosions precluded accurate b a t t l e

damage assessment, but Forward Air Control lers reported 97 s t r u c t u r e s destroyed and 5

(2) ENCLOSURE (1)

94 damaged, one gun emplacement destroyed, 9 foxholes and one cave collapsed and

o the r damage. A l l planes returned safe ly .

Operations continued u n t i l 15 January, when Enterpr ise r e t i r e d from the

l i n e and returned t o Subic Bay. Before the ship reached Cubi Point Naval Air

S ta t ion on 17 January, memorial services f o r the men l o s t i n ac t ion were held on

t h e f l i g h t deck.

The seven-day period i n por t was uneventful except f o r a meeting t h a t took

place on board, 19 January, of the U. S. and Phi l ippine Mutual Defense Board.

Members included Major General J . W. Wilson, 13th A i r Force, Rear Admiral J. B.

Monroe, Commander U. S. Naval Forces Phi l ippines , and General R. J , Atienza,

General of t h e Phi l ippine Armed Forces. The remaining days were spent qu ie t ly ,

with t h e crew enjoying rest and recreat ion.

Enterpr ise was not due back on t h e l i n e u n t i l 4 February. The immediate

schedule was uncertain, but the m e s s deck rumors w e r e f i n a l l y quashed when i t

was announced t h a t t h e ship would spend t h e remaining days on a por t v i s i t t o

Hong Kong. She s a i l e d from Subic on 24 January, a r r iv ing i n Hong Kong Harbor

two days l a t e r . Thousands of s a i l o r s i n huge l i b e r t y p a r t i e s swarmed over t h e

streets of Kowloon and Vic to r ia t o bargain f o r luxury i t e m s i n one of the l a s t

duty-free por t s i n t h e world, and t o ream the town i n search of relaxing enter-

t ainmen t . The p o l i t i c a l s i t u a t i o n concerning t h e use of Hong Kong a s a l i b e r t y por t

by U. S. warships involved i n t h e Vietnamese War was p o t e n t i a l l y explosive. The

presence of Enterpr ise i n t h e harbor off Vic to r ia Is land was p a r t i c u l a r l y ga l l ing

t o t h e Chinese Communists, and t h e ship was given a rough treatment i n newspapers

under t h e i r inf luence , expecial ly a f t e r t h e press b r i e f i n g held on board 28

(3) ENCLOSURE (1)

DECLASSIFIED

January. A re lease from t h e Peking In te rna t iona l News commented harshly: "U. S.

imperialism has reckless ly engaged i n war in t imidat ion and provacation by showing

off i ts "strength1' i n Hong Kong. Rear Admiral Miller and Captain Holloway ta lked

b i g a t t h e press conference about the death mongering ship.---Many Hong Kong

res idents , who were angered by t h e massive presence of U. S. warships i n Hong

Kong waters, have condemned the press conference as undisguised n i c l e a r blackmail."

Later the re was a c o n f l i c t of policy a s t o whether such a press b r i e f i n g should

have been held, t o prompt such react ion, but on t h e 29th, Hong Kong USIS press

o f f i c e r , Neal Donnelly, s a i d t h a t t h e event had been misinterpreted a s a major

press conference, No such conference developed. With p r i o r approval and rou t ine

arrangement, the Navy set t h e b r i e f i n g up a s a media v i s i t and guided tour , designed

t o educate l o c a l , pro-Western news o f f i c i a l s on t h e s a f e t y of nuclear-powered

vesse l s and t o conuter some of t h e misinformation. Enterprise, however, d id her

p a r t t o tone down t h e tense atmosphere. She l e f t Hong Kong, 1 February, a f t e r an

enjoyable five-day v i s i t with a low number of shore p a t r o l r epor t s , and her men

had been involved i n no se r ious inc iden t s of any kind.

On D i x i e S ta t ion , 4 February, i n company with USS Bainbridge, Hawkins and

Roberts, Enterpr ise again unleashed a i r c r a f t t o s t r i k e enemy strongholds i n t h e

South. Support missions were flown on the 9 th and 10th aga ins t 11, 111, I V Corps

areas , providing cover f o r Operation Kick Quick 4. Around 100 building i n

camouflaged enemy buildup areas were destroyed. B a t t l e damage assessment was d i f -

f i c u l t because of smoke and dense fo l iage . She then moved back t o Yankee Sta t ion,

11 February, t o conduct armed reconnaissance and i n t e r d i c t i o n a t t a c k s on V i e t Cong

supply l i n e s i n t h e North. On 1 3 and 14 February, a i r c r a f t from Enterpr ise and

USS Ticonderoga b las ted severa l roads nor th of the 17th P a r a l l e l . 16 Missions

were flown t h e next day on supply areas and bridges, including t h e Dong Ngam

(4) ENCLOSURE (1)

'-IF1 ED" DECLASSIFIED

shipyard and a highway and a highway bridge a t Loc D i e m . Combat operat ions

continued throughout t h e month, but the constantly overcast monsoon sk ies over

t h e a rea d id not permit many large-scale s t r i k e s .

Rear Admiral Miller was re l ieved a s Commander Carr ier Division Three by

Rear Admiral T. J. Walker on 16 February. During t h e change of command ceremony

on t h e f l i g h t deck, Rear Admiral Miller praised t h e sh ip ' s performance i n h i s

faredrell remarks, and presented a i r medals t o more than one hundred p i l o t s and

f l i g h t o f f i c e r s . He s a i d t h a t , "--- arduous work, almost unbelievably long hours

and combat environment have become a way of l i f e t h a t a l l hands have taken i n

s t r i d e . Their performance has been superb i n every respect . I only hope t h a t i n

my new job I w i l l be ab le t o insure , i n some way, t h a t you a l l get t h e recognit ion

you deserve. I'

S t r i k e s w e r e run on t h e Bai Thuong Barracks near Thanh Hoa and a s torage

a rea near Vinh on 20 February. On the 23rd, Enterpr ise , and Ki t ty Hawk sent planes

on 108 s o r t i e s agains t enemy troop concentrat ions, s torage and supply areas south

of the Demilitarized Zone. Enterpr ise pulled off Yankee Sta t ion, 23 February, and

ar r ived i n Subic two days l a t e r . She remained the re t e n days. This t i m e i n por t

and t h e following weeks were marked by a few important v i s i t s . On 6 March,

Astronaut Captain Walter Schir ra , USN, ahd h i s wife came aboard t o tour t h e ship

a s p a r t of t h e i r goodwill tour of t h e Far East a s s p e c i a l emissaries of the

President .

Five days l a t e r , Ferdinand E. Marcos, President of t h e Republic of t h e

Phi l ippines , was piped aboard through sideboys, given a 21-gun s a l u t e and greeted

by Vice Admiral John J. Hyland, Commander U. S. Seventh Fleet . Marcos spent near ly

an hour on a s t a t e v i s i t . , inspecting t h e a i r c r a f t and tour ing spaces before he and

(5) ENCLOSURE (1)

DEC -

- his par ty departed from the f l i g h t deck by hel icopter .

. The ship was underway t h e next morning, on i t s way nor th t o rendezvous off

Oaiwan with Chinese Nat ional is t forces f o r a j o i n t a i r defense exercise. A t t h e

conclusion of t h i s operat ion, 14 March, Vice Admiral Hyland welcomed aboard

Generalissimo Chaing Kai-shek, the second s t a t e v i s i t o r wi th in four days. The

President of the Republic of China w a s br iefed and given a tour of t h e ship with

h i s par ty of government minis ters and m i l i t a r y leaders . He l e f t with f u l l honors

i n t h e afternoon, saying t h a t h i s v i s i t was one t h a t he would "...remember with

pleasure.? After Chaing's v i s i t , Enterpr ise returned quickly t o Yankee Stat ion.

H e r a i r c r a f t resumed i n t e r d i c t i o n s t r i k e s on 16 March. The monsoon, however,

was a t i ts peak, impeding many scheduled s t rkkes with r a i n , low foggy c e i l i n g

and thunderstorms.

The planes t h a t d id get through the bad weather found extremely heavy

enemy a n t i - a i r c r a f t f i r e over the t a rge t s . A few crewmen were l o s t with t h e i r

planes during t h e f i r s t few days. Some managed t o escape; a t y p i c a l adventure

was t h a t of Lieutenant Greenwood, of Fighter Squadron 92, whose experiences

Captain Holloway recounted i n X i s Apr i l family newslet ter: "Lieutenant Green-

wood was making a high-speed, low-altitude a t t a c k on a bridge i n North Vietham

when h i s jet was h i t by enemy a n t i - a i r c r a f t f i r e and busst i n t o flames. Realizing

t h a t h i s a i r c r a f t was f l y a b l e but mortally danaged, he climbed through t h e overcast

and turned eastward t o the Gulf of Tonkin. H i s i n ten t ion was t o remain with the

plane as long a s poss ib le i n an e f f o r t t o ge t wel l out over the gulf when he ba i l ed

out , a s t h e low cloud cover prevented him from seeing whether he was over land o r

water. When he could no longer control h i s b u d i n g a i r c r a f t , Lieutenant Greenwood

e jec ted , and a f t e r descending through t h e low clouds i n h i s parachute, found

(6) ENCLOSURE (1)

himself enter ing the water j u s t a few hundred yards off the h o s t i l e shore l ine .

H e could see armed men pu t t ing t o s e a i n powered junks and sampans and headin4 f o r

h i s position."

"As soon a s Greenwood's plane had been h i t , t h e rescue forces had been

a l e r t e d and they now were cowerging on t h e loca t ion of t h e downed p i l o t . It

was l a t e i n the day and i n the gloom of the low overcast , Lieutenat Greenwood's

pos i t ion i n the waser was d i f f i c u l t t o pinpoint. One rescue plane had him i n

s i g h t bu t was damaged and driven off by t h e heavy f i r e from shore and from the

boats c los ing i n on the downed p i l o t . As Lieutenant Greenwood l igh ted h i s l a s t

f l a r e , a he l i cop te r spodted him and approached f o r pickup. The neares t enemy

boat was only 150 yards away, and f i r i n g a t Greenwood and the hel icopter . With

t h e wais t gunner using h i s 50 c a l i b e r machine gun, and t h e p i l o t f i r i n g h i s

tommy gun, t h e he l i cop te r held off the armed sampan long enough t o h o i s t Lieu-

tenant Greenwood t o safety."

March passed i n t o Apri l ; t h e weather remained unpredictable add the enemy f i r e

in tens ive . The c a s u a l t i e s t o a i r c r a f t came i n i s o l a t e d bunches, with sudden shock

f e l t by a l l the crew. Commander W. R. Grayson, Off icer i n Charge of "Heavy g our,"

h i s copi lo t and crewmen, were l o s t over t h e s ide , 1 April , when the nose s t r u t

of t h e i r A-3B collapsed on takeoff and s e n t t h e plane careening out of control off

the edge of the f l i g h t deck.

A t dawn on t h e 4th, squadrons of t h e Air Wing dove out of t h e haxe t o bomb

an enemy supply center a t Vinh. For almost a week, Enterpr ise a i r c r a f t hurled

des t ruct ion a t t h e t a r g e t , and only smoking rubble remained when they streaked

away on t h e last run. Many o f f i c i a l s had come aboard j u s t t o witness these

Vinh s t r i k e s , among them s i x members of t h e House Armed Services Subcommittee,

(7) ENCLOSURE (1)

DECLASSIFIED "liN&bUIFI ED"

- - and Cyrus Vance, Deputy Secretary of Defense.

- The crew was allowed a b r i e f r e s p i t e from combat t h a t week when Comediat Danny

Kaye and Singer Vikki Carr brought a US0 tour out t o the ship. ThOir show was

sandwiched i n t o the operat ion schedule a t 0800 i n the morning before a crew

audience gathered i n the hangar bay. Forty-five minutes a f t e r i t was over, the

crew was back a t work launching jets.

The ship r e t i r e d from t h e l i n e , 12 Apri l , and headed f o r Subic. A s she was

steaming out of t h e Gulf., across the South China Sea, she received a c a l l f o r

ass is tance , and hurr ied nor th t o an area off the China coast between Hong Kong and

Liuchow Penninsula t o help look f o r the crewmember of a Ka-3B from VAH-4 enroute

from NAS Cubi t o USS Ki t ty Hawk. Ninety search missions ca r r i ed out during a

twenty-four hour search revealed no s ign of survivors. Enterpr ise continued t o

Subic, a r r iv ing a t Leyte P ie r , 14 April.

On t h e same day, Rear Admiral D. C. Richardson, Commander Carr ier Division

Seven re l ieved Rear Admiral Walker a s Commander Task Group 7 7 . 7 . The sh ip ' s

new Executive Off icer , Captain I. W. Linder, reported aboard t o r e l i e v e Captain

F. S. Petersen.

Enterpr ise was underway again on 20 Apri l f o r Yankee Sta t ion. Planes

went up again agains t Vietcong supply a r t e r i e s two days l a t e r . The A i r Wing

now concentrated on junk, barge and sampan t r a f f i c along t h e coast and t h e r i v e r s ,

a s w e l l as inland t a rge t s . The communists had s h i f t e d more of t h e i r supply runs

t o w a t e r t r a f f i c as the inland highway network w a s rumned by unceasing American

a t t acks . Massive r a i d s ca r r i ed out on 24 Apri l l e f t railway l i n e s between

Thanh Hoa and Vinh v i r t u a l l y disrupted.

Operations s h i f t e d southward t o Dixie S ta t ion on the 28th. Planes w e r e sen t

(8) ENCLOSURE (1)

tlal

DECLASSIFIED DECLAS

t o po.und t h e enemy i n the Mekong Delta. The next day marked t h e 100th day of com-

b a t f o r t h e ship , and Lieutenant Commander Scot t Grey flew t h e sh ip ' s 10,000th

s t r i k e . - The ship returned t o Yankee S ta t ion again On 8 May. I n t e r d i c t i o n s t r i k e s

were continued, but again l i t t l e could be accomplished because of t h e weather.

A t h i c k haze covered t h e land from Vinh, nor th t o the Chinese border. She l e f t

f o r Subic on 15 May, and ar r ived a t Leyte P i e r only t o be sen t out again t o

evade Typhoon Irma, then menacing t h e area. She cruised along the coast f o r

th ree days, r id ing out t h e storm before anchoring i n Manila Bay on the 20th.

The next day, she was on the move again back t o t h e Gulf of Tonkin by way of Subic

t o pick up crewmen l e f t behind i n the storm.

Enterpr ise begain her f i f t h and l a s t l i n e period, 23 May, on Yankee Sta t ion.

It was quickly discovered t h a t the enemy was moving even more of h i s supply t r a f f i c

over the water routes , and a i r c r a f t i n f l i c t e d heavy damage t o t h e por t f a c i l i t i e s

of Ben Thuy on 28 May.

Three days l a t e r , another major s t r i k e was conducted aga ins t a mi l i t a ry

supply complex a t Nam Dinh, only t h i r t y m i l e s from Hanoi and Haiphong. I n s i x

successive missions, Skyhawks and Phantoms caused massive des t ruct ion. On 5

June, the long, record-breaking f i r s t combat tour was over, and t h e "Big E"

was ready t o come home. Since December 2, 1965, the f i r s t day i n combat,

13,020 combat s o r t i e s had been made, and 8,000 tons of ordnance had been dumped on

t a r g e t s i n North and South Vietnam. After pu l l ing off t h e l i n e and discharging

remaining ordnance and combat mate r i a l a t Subic, the ship was underway f o r San

Francisco on 10 June.

(9) ENCLOSURE (1)

DECLASSIFIED Enterpr ise ' s voyage back across t h e P a c i f i c was uneventful save the eruption

of "Channel Fever" among the crew. Advance p a r t i e s of newsmen a r r ived a s she a-

pproached the West coast . Many thought t h a t the re would be l i t t l e a r r i v a l com-

motion, but the moment She s l i d through t h e m i s t beneath t h e Golden Gate Bridge

on the morning of 21 June, Enterpr ise found herse l f t h e subject of one of the

b igges t welcome-home celebra t ions ever given a warship enter ing San Francisco

Bay v ic to r ious from combat. T r a f f i c backed up on the approached a s hundreds of

cheering people with streamers and s igns leaned out over the r a i l s of t h e Golden

Gate. The no i se was reminiscent of t h e wartime e ra ; whist)es sounddd and f i r e

boats shot water geysers i n t o t h e a i r a s she passed up t h e bay, along t h e San

Francisco waterfront t o Alameda. When she t i e d up a t t h e Naval Air Sta t ion,

crewmembers poured down t h e gangways and swept i n t o t h e i r arms t h e loved ones

they had not seen f o r almost a year.

City o f f i c i a l s dedicated t h e day i n honor of the ship. Area res iden t s

opened t h e i r houses t o t h e crew f o r home-cooked meals, and i n many bars and

nightclubs t h e drinks and shows were on t h e house f o r s a i l o r s . The "Big Em

was i n a t l a s t .

Enterpr ise remained San Francisco's main a t t r a c t i o n f o r t h e rest of t h e

summer. Hundreds of g r a t e f u l people and c i v i s leaders came on v i s i t s , and

each of them l e f t behind generous words of p r a i s e f o r the ship and f o r t h e men.

More than one t h i r d of the crew beat a has ty path t o a i r p o r t s and t r a v e l terminals

t o get home f o r a well-deserved shore leave. The rest of t h e men used ea r ly l i b e r -

t y hours t o explore San Francisco and t o enjoy t h e warm welcome t h e Bay res iden t s

extended t o a l l "Big El1 personnel.

The yard period of r e p a i r and overhaul, began June 30, when Enterpr ise moved

(10) ENCLOSURE (1)

DECLASSIFIED across t h e Bay i n t o the San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard a t Hunters Point.

Scaffolding and disassembled machinery soon c lu t t e red t h e f l i g h t deck and hangar

bay, making it d i f f i c u l t t o move about the ship . Throughout Ju ly and August,

shipyard workers put i n long days t o recondit ion the ship. The four ca tapu l t s

were broken down and given complete repa i r s ; a Sea Sparrow Miss i le launcher f o r

a n t i - a i r c r a f t defense was i n s t a l l e d on the por t quar ter ; t h e spaces of the Com-

munications Department and Ships Services were modernized and a l l av ia t ion

e lec t ron ic shops were re-equipped t o handle t h e Grumman A-6A Int ruder and Grumman

E-2A Hawkeye, t h e new planes which w e r e t o be embarked f o r t h e next WESTPAC

cruise .

The$yard work did not keep more well-known v i s i t o r s from touring the ship.

Mayor John Shelley of San Francisco came aboard on 5 July, H e was followed

l a t e r i n the summer by Vice Admiral Hyman G. Rickover and Archie Moore, former

l i g h t heavyweight champion. A general v i s i t was arranged, 27 August, f o r some

2,400 shipyard workers and t h e i r famil ies . The ship then held f a s t c r u i s e t r i a l s

f o r a day and a hal f t o t e s t the new systems and t o re - t r a in the crew before

re turning t o Alameda on 2 September.

More t r a in ing and shake-down exerc ises followed from 6 September t o t h e end

of the month. Short t r i p s t o s e a and back were made during t h e week days. The

ship returned t o Hunters Point , 30 September, f o r minor adjustments and put t o

s e a again on 3 October, t h i s t i m e with the Air Wing embarked, f o r d r i l l s , c a r r i e r

q u a l i f i c a t i o n s f o r p i l o t s and a i r warfare exercises. I n severa l of these shor t

c ru i ses , business leaders and prominent c i t i z e n s were aboard a s guests of t h e

Secretary of t h e Navy.

(11) ENCLOSURE (1)

DECLASSIFIED E C L A S Enterpr ise returned t o Alameda, 12 October, t o prepare f o r a major F i r s t

F lee t exercise, Operation Base Line Two. This exerc ise was organized t o give

b a t t l e readiness t e s t i n g t o a l l sh ips fac ing deployment i n t h e Far East.

Communications, operat ions and a i r personnel from nearby shore and sea commands

came aboard a s observers before t h e ship s a i l e d f o r the exerc i se a rea on 15 October.

A region off t h e coast of Southern Cal i fornia was I' roped off" by t h e F i r s t

F lee t t o c r e a t e an a rea with fea tu res p a r a l l e l i n g those of Yankee S ta t ion off

North Vietnam. A s Enterpr ise entered the h o s t i l e sea, t h e m i s s i l e system was

f i r e d and t h e crew was engaged i n a general quar te r s d r i l l . She was held subject

t o simulated submarine, PT Boat and a i r a t tack. Routine underway replenishment

and refuel ing operat ions were ca r r i ed out. Every phase of ship-board rou t ine was

t e s ted with combat s t r e s s . Vice Admiral B. F. Roeder, Commander F i r s t F l e e t , came

aboard, 17 October, t o observe remaining operat ions.

Car r i e r A i r Wing Nine, with i t s new equipment and personnel, achieved ex-

t raordinary success i n t h e a i r warfare exercises. P rac t i ce s t r i k e s run on t a r g e t

hulks and i s l ands were conducted with quick precision. A s the exerc ise drew t o

a c lose , Enterpr ise and her a i r squadrons proved t o be i n sharp readiness f o r

corr~bat . Mechanical d i f f i c u l t i e s forced Enterpr ise t o r e t u r n t o Hunters Point on

October 27, following the conclusion of Operation Base Line Two. Sheared off

t e e t h from a pinion damaged and put e u t of ac t ions one of the reduction gears of

t h e s h i p ' s propulsion system. This problem and minor r e p a i r s t o ca tapu l t s and

a r r e s t i n g gear kept her i n the yards f o r t en days. Work continued under normal

coddit ions except on 24 October, when CBS Television turned the f l i g h t deck i n t o

(12) ENCLOSURE (1)

a basketbal l court f o r one of i t s unusual "Sports Spectaculars." The clowning,

baritone-voiced g ian t s of t h e Harlem Globetrot ters played a s t a g e game with the

Washington Nationals, f r u s t r a t i n g an earnes t performance with t h e i r famous off-

the-cuff court a n t i c s . They e a s i l y ran c i r c l e s around severa l Enterpr ise teams,

one including Marines i n f u l l b a t t l e k i t . Two days l a t e r , a troupe of f i f t y "Go

Go" g i r l s from San Francisco's North Beach a rea gave the crew a musical show i n

t h e hangar bay. The Broadway a c t s dominated m e s s deck conversation f o r weeks.

Enterpr ise went t o sea again on 31 October f o r a week of more c a r r i e r quali-

f i c a t i o n s . P i l o t s of $-2's, C-2's, A-3's and F-4's were involved. She returned

again t o Alameda on 4 November. The next day, t h e f i r s t dependents' c r u i s e s ince

1962 was held. Wives, chkldren and sweethearts of the crew came aboard f o r a

day's outing and display of the sh ip ' s powerful a i r c r a f t .

Two weeks following were spent readying the ship f o r deployment. Civi l ian

a u t h o r i t i e s and consultants checked out t h e new equipment brough aboard. Final

suppl ies were loaded. Sa i l ing day, 19 November, was t y p i c a l l y cold, ra iny and grey.

Families of the crew gathered glumly i n knots of the hangar bay t o have a l a s t

cup of coffee and words of pa r t ing with t h e i r Navy men. A t 1000, t h e brows were

l i f t e d away, and the ship slowly moved away from the p ie r . A s m a l l m p cheered

and waved s igns a s Enterpr ise s l i d beneath them under t h e Golden Gate and churned

on through t h e d r i z z l e t o the open sea toward Hawaii.

Farewell messages poured i n t o Communications from a l l P a c i f i c , West coast

commands. "I know t h a t the presence of t h e 'Big E ' i n t h e Western P a c i f i c w i l l be

a g rea t bulwark of strength--to t h e cause of freedom," radioed Vice Admiral

Allen M. Shinn, Commander Naval A i r Force, U. S. P a c i f i c Flee t . Captain E. E.

Stebbins, Commander F lee t A i r Wing Alameda, added: "I cannot express my f ee l ings

(13) ENCLOSURE (1)

/

as--succinct ly a s t h e huge s i g n he ld by a dependent on as you got under-

way. It read , 'Give ' e m h e l l , boys!', I second t h e motion."

The voyage t o P e a r l Harbor took f i v e days. Seas and winds were q u i t e h igh

a t f i r s t bu t calmer weather p reva i l ed as En te rp r i s e steamed f u r t h e r i n t o t h e

P a c i f i c .

Thanksgiving weekend i n H a w a i i w a s a novel experience f o r a l l t h e crew. The

name E n t e r p r i s e had n o t been seen on a warship i n P e a r l s i n c e t h e days of World

War 11. The s i g h t of t h e new "Big E" looming i n t h e channel o f f e r e d a n awesome

c o n t r a s t t o t h e allop oping Ghost of t h e Oahu Coast," (CV-6) which missed by

chance being a v i c t i m of t h e Japanese a t t a c k i n December 1941. Hula girdis i n

g r a s s s k i r t s , a huge Navy band--a complete r ecep t ion committee--was on hand a s

tugs nudged E n t e r p r i s e t o t h e p i e r . Children waving and shout ing, "Aloha!"

were perched h e r e and t h e r e along t h e shore. Foggy clouds hung i n t h e mountain

c r ags i n back of t h e c i t y , and t h e a i r w a s d e l i g h t f u l l y heavy wi th t h e sweet

humidity of t r o p i c a l growth.

As soon a s t h e brow went down, t h e o f f i c i a l p a r t i e s came aboard. Andrew

T. F. Ing, Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, presented Captain Holloway on t h e

quar te rdeck wi th a s t a t e proclamation dec l a r ing November 23 a s "Enterpr i se

Day" i n Hawaii. Honolfiu gave s p e c i a l h o s p i t a l i t y t o "Big El1 s a i l o r s going on

t h e town. Ci ty newspapers were a l i v e wi th head l ines mentioning t h a t a new

E n t e r p r i s e w a s i n P e a r l Harbor. Rain spo i l ed mmch of t h e day 's r e l a x a t i o n s f o r t h e

crew on l i b e r t y , b u t it was probably j u s t as wel l . Ea r ly t h e nex t morning, Enter-

p r i s e w a s underway aga in f o r two vigorous days a t sea . It w a s Thanksgiving, b u t

thoughts of tu rkey and trimmings were quashed by t h e r e a l i t y of Opera t iona l

Readiness Inspec t ion . A l l day Friday and up u n t i l noon on Saturday were spent

(14) ENCLOSURE (1)

[I q&J&&glFi ED" DEcu~~\F\ED 1.

~~c~aaPBller$a t e s t i n g a l l s i t u a t i o n s of combat. The crew was constantly scurrying t o general

quar ters , a t odd times during the day and i n t h e middle of t h e n ight . I n the

end, however, the e f f o r t and t r a i n i n g paid off i n earning a high, over-al l

score f o r Enterpr ise unmatched by other a t t a c k c a r r i e r s of t h e P a c i f i c Flee t .

During an off moment on Friday afternoon, ten of the remaining plankowners

among the sh ip ' s company and one from t h e A i r Wing formally observed t h e f i f t h

anniversary of the ships commissioning by cu t t ing a b i r thday cake on t h e

a f t e r m e s s decks.

The ship returned t o Pear l Harbor on 26 November. The f i n a l s a i l i n g was

postponed u n t i l t h e 28th t o give t h e crew a b r i e f rest from the r i g o r s of ORI.

On Sunday, t h e next day, general v i s t t i n g was rigged f o r t h e pbblic of

Honolulu and Pear l . Within hours, some 20,000 curious c i t i z e n s jammed t h e

p i e r , having come t o s e e the huge c a r r i e r they had read about. The approaches

t o the gate and qua$side were clogged with long l i n e s of people wait ing t o get

aboard. When t h e v i s i t i n g hours were up a t 1600, more thousands had t o be turned

away. This v i s i t i n g program was one of t h e most succesdful and most appreciated

publ ic receptions ever held on the ship s inea she was commissioned.

Meanwhile, l i b e r t y p a r t i e s were sca t t e red a l l over t h e i s land. The roads

of Oahu were f i l l e d with s a i l o r s s ightseeing i n rented jeeps and cycles;

r e s tauran t s were choked a s we l l a s bars and Waikiki Beach teemed with surf ing and

swimming whitehats l i v i n g bo t h e h i l t t h e i r few hours i n t h e sun and f r e s h a i r .

When the ship s a i l e d on Monday, cheery d i spos i t ions , bronzed faces and empty

wa l le t s t e s t i f i e d t o a good r e s t and enjoyable s t ay i n Hawaii.

Steaming i n company with he r "small boys," USS Bainbridge, USS Turner Joy,

USS MCKean and USS Gridley, Enterpr ise headed west toward Southeast Asia. The

(15) ENCLOSURE (1)

crossing was q u i e t except f o r preparat ions f o r t h e coming days of combat. Offi-

c i a l "inchopping" t o t h e SeventhZFleet took place on 3 December. Short ly there-

a f t e r , she came within range of Soviet reconnaissance pa t ro l s , and on a few

occasions, ear" observation planes flew over the ship , c lose ly escorted by

a i r wing f i g h t e r s .

The ship t i e d up a t Leyte P ie r , Subic Bay, on t h e evening of 8 December.

Loading of suppl ies f o r t h e f i r s t l i n e period was s t a r t e d immediately. Rear

Admiral Walter L. Cur t i s , Jr., Commander Carr ier Division Nine, broke h i s f l a g

aboard. I n company with USS Manley, USS Gridley and USS Bainbridge, Enterpr ise

s a i l e d f o r Yankee S ta t ion on 15 December, and took up her pos i t ion the re th ree

days l a t e r .

The f i r s t jets roared off t h e f l i g h t deck a t dawn, 18 December, t o begin

t h e f i r s t combat s t r i k e s of the c ru i se . Bombing on these f i r s t runs and on

those f o r t h e rest of the period were t o be hampered by t h e low c e i l i n g , fog and

gloom of the monsoon season. Supply i n t e r d i c t i o n was t h e chief mission of Air

Wing Nine. In t ruders , Skyhawks and Phantoms b las ted bridges, r a i l roads and

supply dumps near Vinh, Thon Hon and Ha Tinh. On 24 December, operat ions stood

down t o observe t h e Christmas Truce, Holiday rou t ine and divine se rv ices were

held throughout the ship. Christmas decorat ions fashioned of odd b i t s of ma-

t e r i a l appeared on t h e hatchways and overheads of shops and o f f i ces . Two

commissarymen dressed i n M r . and Mrs. Santa o u t f i t s t o r e through t h e ship e a r l y

Christmas morning spreading cheer and holiday enthusiasm. On t h e a f t e r -

noon of 26 December, Francis Cardinal Spellman, Arahbishop of New York and

United S t a t e s Vicar of the Armed Forces, came aboard overnight f o r a v i s i t on

h i s Christmas tour of b a t t l e zones, and s a i d mass f o r near ly 2,000 men gathered

on t h e hangar bay f o r a s p e c i a l service.

ENCLOSURE (1) (I6) DEcL4,,

1966 COMMAND HISTORY CHRONOLOGY OF HIGHLIGHTS

(1) 1 January: Enterpr ise was a t Dixie S ta t ion on her f i r s t period -of c m b a t operat ions.

(2) 15 January: After for ty-f ive days of combat, t h e ship pulled off t h e l i n e a t Yankee S ta t ion f o r Subic Bay.

(3) 17 January: Enterpr ise a r r ived i n Subic Bay and remained a t Leyte P i e r , NAS Cubi Point u n t i l 24 January.

(4) 19 January: The U. S. and Phi l ippine Mutual Defense Board, including MGEN J. W. Wilson, 13th Air Force and Admiral J. B. Monroe, COMNAVPHIL, m e t on board.

(5) 24 January: Enterpr ise s a i l e d from Subic Bay enroute Hong Kong, B.C.C.

(6) 26 January: Arrived Hong Kong f o r a five-day v is i t .

(7) 1 February: Sai led from Hong Kong f o r Dixie S ta t ion v i a Subic Bay.

(8) 4 February: Arrived Dixie S ta t ion f o r second combat period.

(9) 11 February: Moved t o Yankee Sta t ion.

(10) 24 February: Pulled off Yankee S ta t ion enroute Subic Bay.

(11) 25 February: Arrived Subic Bay.

(12) 6 March: Astronaut Captain Walter Schir ra and h i s wife, on a P r e s i d e n t i a l goodwill tour of t h e Far East , v i s i t e d t h e ship a t Subic Bay.

(13) 11 March: The President of t h e Republic of the Phi l ippines , Ferdinand E. Marcos v i s i t e d Enterpr ise a t Subic Bay.

(14) 12 March: Enterpr ise s a i l e d from Subic enroute t o a pos i t ion a t sea off Taiwan.

(15) 14 March: Generalissimo Chaing Kai Shek was received on board fo r a s t a t e v i s i t .

(16) 16 March: Enterpr ise a r r ived a t Yankee S ta t ion t o begin her t h i r d combat period.

(17) 4 April: Yankee Sta t ion: Deputy Secretary of Defense, Cyrus Vance, came aboard t o observe operat ions including an Alfa S t r i k e on a key m i l i t a r y supply center near Vinh.

(18) 12 April: The sh ip pulled off Yankee S ta t ion enroute t o Subic Bay.

(1) ENCLOSURE (2)

. .

(19) 1 3 April: A d ivers ion from course t o look f o r survivors of a KA-3B l o s t enroute from NAS Cubi Point t o USS Ki t ty Hawk. Ninety search missions off t h e China coas t yielded nothing and t h e ship continued .to Subic . (20) 14 Apri l : The sh ip returned t o Subic. RADM D.C. Richardson, Commander Carr ier Division Seven re l ieved RADM T.J. Walker, Commander Carr ier Division Three a s CTG 77.7. CAPT I. W. Linder re l ieved CAPT F. S. Petersen a s Executive Officer .

(21) 20 Apri l : Underway from Subic f o r Yankee Sta t ion.

(22) 22 April: Enterpr ise a r r ived a t Yankee S ta t ion f o r her four th combat period.

(23) 28 Apri l : Underway f o r Dixie Sta t ion.

(24) 30 Apri l : Operations continued from Dixie Stat ion.

(25) 7 May: Underway f o r Yankee Sta t ion.

(26) 8 May: Operations continued from Yankee Sta t ion.

(28) 16 May: Enterpr ise a r r ived a t Subic Bay.

(29) 18-20 May: The ship went t o s e a b r i e f l y off Subic Bay t o evade a typhoon. ,

(30) 20-21 L a y: Enterpr ise anchored b r i e f l y i n Manila and i n Subic before f i n a l l y ge t t ing underway f o r Yankee Sta t ion.

(31) 23May: Arrived a t Y a n k e e s t a t i o n f o r t h e f i f t h c o m b a t period.

(32) 6 June: Underway from Yankee S ta t ion f o r Subic.

(33) 7 June: Arrived a t Subic Bay.

' i (34) 10 June'c \ . Departed Subic Bay enroute CONUS. \

(35) 19 ~ 'kne: Enterpr ise inchopped t o F i r s t F lee t .

(36) 21 June: The sh ip ar r ived NAS Alameda.

A377 30 June: Enterpr ise entered San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard, Hunters Point .

(38) 2 September: The sh ip l e f t Hunters Point and t i e d up a t NAS Alameda.

(39) 6-29 September: Enterpr ise was a t s e a during t h e week days f o r t r a in ing and shakedown exercises.

(2) ENCLOSURE (2)

(40) 30 September: Returned t o Hunters Point .

(41) 3 October: Underway from Hunters Point t o sea f o r d r i l l s and a i r war exercises.

(42) 12 October: The ship returned t o NAS Alameda t o prepare f o r t h e upcoming F i r s t F lee t exerc ise , Operation Base Line Two.

(43) 15 October: Underway from NAS Alameda t o sea off southern Cal i fornia t o take p a r t i n Operation Base Line Two.

(443 21 October: Returned t o Hunters Point f o r r e p a i r s t o a reduction gear.

(45) 31 October: Underway from Hunters Point f o r sea t o have c a r r i e r qua l i f i ca t ions f o r t h e C-2, F-4, and A-3 a i r c r a f t and regular shipboard d r i l l s .

(46) 4 November: Return t o NAS Alameda.

(47) 5 November: Out t o sea and back b r i e f l y f o r Family Day Guest Cruise.

(48) 5-18 November: The sh ip remained a t NAS aameda t o load f i n a l suppl ies and embark Car r i e r Air Wing Nine f o r deployment WESTPAC.

(49) 19-23 November: Enterpr ise got underway and enroute t o P e a r l Harbor.

(50) 23 November: The ship ar r ived Pear l Harbor, Hawaii.

(51) 24-26 November: A t s ea off Hawaii f o r Operational Readiness Inspection.

(52) 26 November: Returned t o P e a r l Harbor.

(53) 28 November: Underway from P e a r l Harbor w e s t t o Subic Bay, Phi l ippines .

(54) 3 December: Enroute Subic Bay, inchop t o Seventh Fleet .

(55) 8 December: Enterpr ise a r r ived Subic Bay t o make f i n a l preparat ions f o r going i n t o combat.

(56) 15-18 December : Enroute Yankee Sta t ion.

(57) 18 December: Enterpr ise began combat operat ions a t Yankee Stat ion.

(58) 26 December: Francis Cardinal Spellman, Vicar of t h e Armed Forces, celebrated Christmas Mass aur ing h i s overnight v i s i t t o t h e ship.

(59) 31 December: I n combat operat ions a t Yankee Stat ion.

(3) ENCLOSURE (2)

...-

(- J- U. S. S. ENTERPRISE (CVA(N)-~S, F.P.O. SAN FRANCISCO 96601

CVA(N) 65/17 5750

' ( 1 Ser. _ ! L ; L ~ 2

From: Commanding Officer, USS ENTERPRISE (CvA(N)65) 2 4 JUL 1968 To: Chief of Naval Operations (OP09B9)

Subj : 1967 Command History 2 4 JUL 1968

Ref: (a) OPNAVINST 5750.12 - Encl: (1) Narrative Command History of USS ENTERPRISE ( C V A ( N ) ~ ~ ) 1 January

1967 t o 31 December 1967. (2) Chronology of events 1 January 1967 t o 31 December 1967.

Biography and photograph of new Commanding Officer, CAPT Kent L. Lee, USN.

( 4 ) Biography and photograph of new Executive Off icer , CDR John H. Alvis, USN. (May 1968)

1. This repor t is submitted i n compliance with reference (a) . Enclosures (1) through (4) augment t h i s repor t . .'

Copy to: CINCPACFLT C OMNAVAIRPAC COMFAIRALAMEDA

By d i rec t ion I

USS ENTERPRISE (CVA(N)65) NARRATIVE COMMAND HISTORY, 1967

Combat opkrations f o r ENTERPRISE resumed 27 December 1966. I n f i l t r a t i o n

rou tes nor th of t h e Demilitarized Zone, r a i l r o a d yards a t Vinh, Pho Can, and

s torage areas a t Ninh Binh and Van Coi received heavy damage. On 31Decernber,

operat ions ended e a r l y t o honor t h e N e w Year's Truce. Men of t h e ENTERPRISE

q u i e t l y noted t h e Peginning of another exhaustive year of b a t t l e . Through 16

January 1967, ENTERPRISE Skyhawks and Phantoms usual ly ca r r i ed out armed coas ta l

reconnaissance, t o seek out and des t roy enemy waterborne l o g i s t i c s c r a f t , c o a s t a l

highway bridges and suspected i n f i l t r a t i o n routes . But t h e success of a p a r t i c u l a r

mission o f ten depended on a t r a n s i t o r y break i n the cloud cover enabling a t a r g e t

t o be seen. Meanwhile, enemy gunners b las ted away from below i n t h e knowledge

t h a t a i r c r a f t w e r e up the re somewhere.

But ENTERPRISE added a new a i rp lane t o her a r sena l on t h i s cruise , t h e Grumman

A-6A In t ruder . The "winter w a r " would never again be the same. Not only were

t h e In t ruders equipped t o carry f a r more ordnance, but they welcomed poor weather

f o r t h e i r demolition work. Like t h e proverbia l mailman, ne i the r r a i n , nor gloom,

nor dark of n igh t could s t a y t h e Attack Squadron 35 "Black Panthers" from t h e i r

appointed missions. Guided t o t h e i r t a r g e t s by computerized systems, t h e In t ru-

der crews ac tua l ly preferred n igh t f l i g h t s and ra iny days f o r t h e i r dangerous

a t t a c k s agains t heavily defended r a i l r o a d yards and supply depots. "The weather

was t e r r i b l e , " more than one p i l o t would say, " jus t pe r fec t f o r us." Railway

f a c i l i t i e s a t Vinh and Thien Linh Dong were s ingled out f o r p a r t i c u l a r decimation,

and those a t Dong Phong Thuong, Thanh Hoa, Pho Can, Qui Vinh and Ninh Binh were

soon i n need of considerable repa i r . There weEe numerous bombing and rocket

missions aga ins t enemy barges, bridges and supply a reas i n t h e mountains near

ENCLOSURE ( 1)

t h e Demilitarized Zone as t h e old year yielded t o t h e new. During 4-5 February ' 1967 planes from ENTERPRISE and TICONDEROGA (CVA-14) h i t t h e Thanh Hao trans-

shipment complex with such a wallop t h a t major reconst ruct ion w a s required f o r

i t t o become opera t ional again. These coordinated a t t a c k s formed a major phase

i n the Navy's campaign of " in te rd ic t ion i n depth" i n North Vietnam t o h a l t t h e

flow of m i l i t a r y suppl ies by rail , water and road t o the enemy i n the south.

Another cease-fire, t h e Vietnamese Tet holiday, began 8 February 1967 and

soon gave rise t o t h e notions of a quasi-permanent armis t ice when t h e l u l l

s t re tched from 48 hours t o s i x days before f l i g h t operat ions were resumed.

F l i e r s found t h e holiday extension had enabled t h e enemy a n t i - a i r c r a f t gunners

t o strengthen t h e i r pos i t ions dangerously. On t h e n igh t of 24 February 1967,

severa l In t ruders f lew i n t o t h e t e e t h of in tense a n t i - a i r c r a f t and surface t o

a i r miss i l e s during successful s t r i k e s agains t thermal power p lan t s at Bac

Giang and Hon G a i , both within t h e f l a k umbrellas of Hanoi and Haiphong. These

were t a r g e t s c r i t i c a l t o North Vietnamese defense c a p a b i l i t i e s , and t h e i r impact

together with air-delivered mines which Attack Squadron 35 would subsequently be

t h e f i r s t t o de l ive r , s igna l l ed a new phase i n t h e Vietnamese air war. A new

and important t a r g e t , t h e Ha Tou Naval Supply complex, f e l t t h e wrath of ENTER-

PRISE air s t r i k e s f o r severa l days beginning 23 March 1967. Several ENTERPRISE

a v i a t o r s were honored 29 March, along with Commanding Officer Captain James L. I

Holloway 111 during t h e Vietnamese fore ign awards ceremony. South Vietnamese

Chief of S t a t e Thieu and Premier Ky were on board f o r t h e awards held almost a t

t h e midway point of t h e deploymetib.

North Vietnamese air s t r i k e s a f t e r t h e award ceremony were highs~lighted by

s t r%kes aga ins t t h e Bac Gian power p lan t and t h e Thia Nguyen s t e e l p lant . Phantom

a h c r a f t turned i n super la t ive e f f o r t s agains t var ious ly s i zed barges, and

Skyhawk p i l o t s began pinpointing enemy bridges and supply caves with t h e

deadly Bullpup missiles. Two minor a i r f i e l d s were bombed 30 Apr i l and t h e r e

were l u c r a t i v e s t r i k e s agains t Chi N e m i l i t a r y barracks (7 May) and t h e Ha

Tou Naval s torage a rea (8 May). Major coordinated s t r i k e s 10 and 13 May d e a l t

a l e t h a l blow t o t h e Bac Giang and Haiphong (Bast) thermal power p lants . Huge

secondary explosions w e r e t r iggered at t h e D a Chong petroleum o i l supply base.

I n t h e t h i r d week of May 1967, ENTERPRISE a i r c r a f t ranged throughout t h e enemy

t h e a t e r making accura te and damaging s t r i k e s on North Vietnamese supply-support

i n s t a l l a t i o n s . The prime North Vietnamese a i r f i e l d a t Kep w a s hard h i t 21 May

1967. Four M I G s t r i e d t o hide themselves on t h e ground and w e r e quickly d is-

patched i n flames. The D a Chong m i l i t a r y s to rage w a s again s t ruck 24 May and

t h e Haiphong (west) power p lan t w a s destroyed t h e 26th.

For months it had been the unsung t ask of t h e RVAH-7, t h e "~eacemakers" t o

f l y unarmed photo reconnaissance missions i n t h e wake of ENTERPRISE a t t a c k air-

c r a f t and f a c e t h e same heavy defenses as t h e i r armed counterparts . On 6 June,

some 35 miles southwest of Hanoi, a "Heavy 7" Vigi lante produced p ic tu res which

revealed severa l SAM missiles on trailers, a l l heavily camouflaged -- but not

q u i t e w e l l enough. The next day, 7 June 1967, a n ENTERPRISE s t r i k e fo rce set

out t o destroy t h e miss i l e s .

Captain James L. Shipman, Car r i e r Air Wing N I N E , l ed the s t r i k e which he

described rapturously a s "beaut i fu l and g rea t and sa t i s fy ing." Fighter Squadron

r" 96 Radar In te rcep t Off icer , Lieutenant ( junior grade) Charles Boehmer w a s more

%xpldC&t: "you should have seen what we l e f t behind," he exclaimed, "great b ig

SAW.cukling a l l over t h e place." "They were a l l s i z z l i n g SAMs," s t a t e d Attack

Squadron 113's Lieutenant Commander J e r r y Taylor. "Our rockets ign i t ed severa l

f i r e s . Missiles t h a t weren't uncontrol lable i n t h e a i r were burning on t h e

ground." The s t r i k e was a t o t a l success. Very few p i l o t s had escaped being

menaced at some t i m e by one of these t e r r i f y i n g missiles a s it chased them

through t h e a i r .

The Hon Gia r a i l y a r d and supply depot was h i t 12-13 June, proving t h a t it

s t i l l contained enough s t o r e s t o feed secondary explosions. Several squadrons

pa r t i c ipa ted i n t h e last-week s t r i k e s agains t t h e H a i Duong r a i l y a r d and supply

area. When ENTERPRISE departed "the Line" 20 June 1967, her p i l o t s had flown

more than 13,400 b a t t l e missions during 132 combat days of operations. A s Vice

Admiral Hyland s t a t e d i n h i s congratulatory statement, "the e n t i r e A i r Wing N I N E

has earned a resounding 'Well Done'." The c a r r i e r had steamed 67,630 m i l e s i n

operat ions with t h e Seventh F lee t . She a r r ived i n Subic Bay 22 June and de-

parted t h e 25th f o r r e t u r n t o Alameda 6 Ju ly 1967.

A t Alameda, BNTERPRISE began a well-earned overhaul. Captain Kent L. Lee

re l ieved Captain James L. Holloway as commanding o f f i c e r i n ceremonies 11 Ju ly

1967. Shipyard work completed, ENTERPRISE steamed south from San Francisco Bay

t o San Diego t o reembark Carr ier -Air Wing N I N E and g e t underway f o r r e f resher

t r a in ing off t h e Ca l i fo rn ia coast . I n addi t ion t o t h e powerful In t ruder , CAB-9

w a s now equipped with t h e new A4F Skyhawk, a more powerful vers ion of t h i s "old

re l i ab le" among jet a t t a c k a i r c r a f t with improved combat e lec t ron ics and a

huskier engine.

Between t r a i n i n g exerc ises off t h e coast during the f a l l ENTERPRISE was

honored with v i s i t s by both t h e President and Vice President . A t Alameda, October

9, Vice President Humphrey paid a b r ie f v i s i t during which he spoke t o t h e crew

gathered on t h e Hangar Bay. H e re-emphasized American fore ign policy a s dedicated

t o t h e su rv iva l and success of world freedom "....with no i f s , ands, bu t s o r

ors." About a month l a t e r , while she w a s off San Diego, ENTERPRISE became a White

House a t sea as Pres ident Johnson came aboard f o r an overnight v i s i t t o ad-

dress Veterans Day ceremonies held on t h e f l i g h t deck ea r ly i n the morning of

November 11. With t h e Chief Executive was Secretary of Defense McNamara, ADM

Thomas H. Moorer, Chief of Naval Operations. I n h i s speech t h e President sug-

gested t h a t peace t a l k s concerning the Vietnam War might be held on "a n e u t r a l

sh ip on a n e u t r a l sea------where, a s specks between t h e vas tness of t h e ocean

and heaven, men might r e a l i z e t h e u l t ima te smallness of thPter quarrels."

I n December, following p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n Operation Blue Lotus, a major F i r s t

F l e e t exercise, ENTERPRISE returned t o Alameda f o r her f i r s t Christmas spent

i n her home port . A t t he same time f i n a l preparat ions were made f o r deployment

i n e a r l y January.

- 30 -

ENCLOSURE (2)

1967 COMMAND HISTORY CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

(1) 1, January: Enterpr ise was a t Yankee S ta t ion on her f i r s t l i n e period of combat operations.

(2) 10 January: Undersecretary of t h e Navy Robert H. Baldwin v i s i t e d t h e sh ip f o r h ighlevel discussions with o f f i c e r s of the Seventh F lee t .

(3) 12 January: Secretary of t h e A i r Force, Warold Brown v i s i t e d t h e ship.

(4) 16 January: Af ter twenty-eight days of combat t h e ship departed Yankee S ta t ion f o r Subic Bay.

(5) 18 January: Enterpr ise ar r ived at Subic Bay -- moored a t Leyte P i e r , NAS Cubi .

(6) 19 January: Rear Admiral Maurice F. Weisner re l ieved Rear Admiral Walter L. Curtis, Jr. as COMCARDIVONE.

(7) 26 January: The ship departed Subic f o r Manila.

(8) 27 January: Enterpr ise anchored off Manila f o r a t h r e e d a y por t v i s i t .

(9) 30 January: Sai led from Manila f o r Yankee S ta t ion .

(16) 1 February: Enterpr ise ar r ived at Yankee S ta t ion f o r t h e second l i n e period.

(11) 18 February: Rear Admiral Roger W. Mehle re l ieved Rear Admiral Maurice F. Weisner as COWARDIVONE.

(12) 27 February: Admiral U.S. Grant Sharp CINCPAC v i s i t e d Enterpr ise f o r h i g h l e v e l discussions.

(13) 2 March: Enterpr ise pulled off Yankee Sta t ion f o r Subic.

(14) 5 March: Arrived a t Subic moored a t NAS Cubi.

(15) 12 March: Sai led from Subic Bay f o r Hong Kong, BCC.

(16) 14 March: Anchored near Green Is land i n Hong Kong harbor f o r second por t v i s i t .

(17) 20 March: Sai led from Hong Kong f o r Yankee S ta t ion f o r t h i r d l i n e period.

(18) 22 March: Arrived a t Yankee S ta t ion f o r t h i r d l i n e period.

(19) 29 March: South Vietnamese Chief of S t a t e Gen. Ngu$en Van Thieu, Premier Nguyen Cao Ky, General W i l l i a m C. Westmoreland COMUSMACV and Admiral John J. Hyland COMSEVENTHFLT w e r e present f o r an awards ceremony aboard t h e sh ip honoring 7th F l e e t personnel.

(20) 30 March; U.S. Ambassador t o Vietnam Henry Cabot Lodge v i s i t e d t h e ship .

ENCLOSURE ( 2 )

(21) 17 April: Enterpr ise departed Yankee S ta t ion f o r Subic.

(22) 19 Apri l : Arrived Subic Bay. Moored a t NAS Cubi.

(23) 26 April: Rear Bdmiral Horace H. Epes, Jr. re l ieved Rear Admiral Roger W. MehPer as COMCARDIVONE .

(24) ;27 April: Departed Subic Bay f o r Yankee Sta t ion.

(25) 29 April: Arrived Yankee S ta t ion f o r t h e four th l i n e period.

(26) 27 May: Departed Yankee S ta t ion f o r Subic Bay.

(27) 29 May: Arrived Subic Bay; moored Leyte Wharf.

(28) 3 June: Departed Subic Bay f o r f i f t h and f i n a l l i n e period.

(29) 16 June: W i l l i a m W, Bla i r , U.S. Ambassador t o t h e Phi l ippines , v i s i t e d t h e h i p with RADM P.B. Gilkeson (COMNAVBASESUBIC).

(30) 20 June: Enterpr ise t r ans fe r red Yankee Team Assets t o USS In t rep id and departed Yankee Sta t ion f o r Subic Bay.

(31) 22 June: Arrived Subic Bay, moored Leyte Wharf.

(32) 26 June: Enterprfse underway f o r San Francisco.

(33) 6 July: Arrived San Francisco, moored NAS Alameda. v

(34) 12 July: Captain Kent L Lee re l ieved Captain James L Holloway i n Hangar Bay ceremonies.

(35) 12 July: Moored San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard f o r l imi ted a v a i l a b i l i t y period -- sh ip ' s maintenance.

(36) 9 August: Mayor John Shelley of San Francisco v i s i t e d the ship .

(37) 31 August: Fas t c r u i s e and dock t r i a l s held.

(38) 5 September: Ship departed NSY Hunters Point f o r sea t r i a l s off San Francisco.

(39) 7 September: Enterpr ise returned t o NAS Alameda f o r carrier Qual i f ica t ions off t h e coast .

(40) 11 September: Departed NAS Alameda f o r Car r i e r Qual i f ica t ions off t h e coast .

(41) 12 September: Returned t o NAS Alameda.

(42) 15 September: Departed NAS Alameda f o r F lee t Refresher Training at San Diego.

(43) 16 September: Arrived San Diego, moored NAS North Is land.

(44) 18 September: Departed San Diego f o r r e f resher t r a i n i n g off Coronado Roads. Moored Coronado Roads, anchorage 171.

(45) 20 September: Underway from Coronado Roads 0700.

(46) 22 September: Returned t o NAS North I s l a n d , San Diego.

(47) 25 September: Departed NAS North I s l and f o r f u r t h e r r e f resher t r a in ing .

(48) 28 September: Moored Coronado Roads.

(49) 29 September: Underway from Coronado Roads.

(50) 30 September: Returned t o NAS Alameda.

(51) 9 October: Departed NAS Alameda f o r Carr ier Qual i f ica t ions . Vice President Humphrey v i s i t e d t h e ship.

(52) 13 October: Returned t o NAS Alameda.

(53) 16 October: Underway f o r Carrier Qual i f ica t ions .

(54) 20 October: Returned t o NAS Alameda.

(55) 8 November: Departed NAS Alameda f o r r e f resher t r a i n i n g and Pres ident ' s v i s i t .

(56) 10 November: Anchored Coronado Roads. Underway i n v i c i n i t y of E l Toro. Pres ident Johnson a r r ived f o r overnight v i s i t .

(57) 11 November: Pres ident Johnson l ed Veterans Day se rv ices on f l i g h t deck. Departed by helo. Underway f o r Refresher Training.

(58) 17 November: Anchored Coronado Roads. Underway with COMCARDIVSEVEN f o r operat ing area.

(59) 22 November: Returned t o NAS Alameda. COMCARDIVSEVEN departed.

(60) 28 November: Underway f o r operat ing a reas off t h e coast with F i r s t F lee t sh ips p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n Exercise Blue Lotus.

(61) 4 December: Returned t o NAS Alameda. - (62) 7 December: Administrative Inspection.

(63) 8 December: Administrative Inspection. '\ (64) 9 December: Family Day Cruise. \

(65) 11 December: Underway f o r Carrier Qual i f ica t ions .

(66) 16 December: Returned t o NAS Alameda.

(67) 3 January 1968: Underway f o r WESTPAC.

U. S. S. ENTERPRISE (CVA(N)*) F.P.O. SAN FRANCISCO 96601

1 JU11969 From: Commanding Off icer , USS ENTERPRISE (CVAN-65), FPO San Francisco,

Ca l i fo rn ia 96601 To : Chief of Naval Operations COP-05D2) , Washington, D . C . 20350

Subj: OPNAV Report 5750-1; submission of

Ref: (a) OPNAVLNST 5750.12A

Encl: (1) Nar ra t ive Cornand Klstory of USS ENTERPRISE (CVAN-65) f o r 1 January 1E8 t o 31 Deceuibc-.

C2) Chronology of Events from 1 January 1968 t o 31 December 1968 (3) Biography and photograph of new Commanding Off icer , CAPT For-

rest S, PETERSEN, USN

1. I n accordance wi th r e fe rence (a) , sub jec t r e p o r t i s forwarded.

2. Enclosures (1) through (3) augment this repor t .

K.L. L W

Copy to: Direc tor of Naval History (OP49B9) CINCPACnT COMNAVAIRPAC COMFAIR ALAMEDA

USS ENTERPRISE (CVAN-65) NARRATIVE COMMAND HISTORY 19 68

After spending Christmas i n her homeport of Alameda, Ca l i fo rn ia ,

ENTERPRISE s a i l e d f o r her t h i r d Western P a c i f i c c r u i s e January 3, 1968.

I n company wi th her two escor ts , t h e nuclear-powered f r i g a t e USS

TRUXTON (DLGN-35) and the conventionally-powered f r i g a t e USS HALSEY

(DLG-23), ENTERPRISE steamed i n t o Sasebo, Japan, January 19. ENTERPRISE

and TRUXTON w e r e the f i r s t elements of t h e U.S. Navyts nuclear-powered

su r face f l e e t t o v i s i t a Japanese port .

During t h e five-day inpor t period a t Sasebo, t h e c i t y suffered

wide-spread controversy and v i o l e n t demonstrations among i ts c i t i zenry .

Despite the underlying theme of "anti-Americanism" during t h e anti-nuclear

r i o t s , a l l t h r e e s h i p s spent t h e e n t i r e inpor t period i n Sasebo without

one inc ident , deser t ion o r absentee involving crewmembers.

ENTERPRISE departed Sasebo on t h e morning of January 23, enroute

t o Yankee S t a t i o n i n Tonkin Gulf. Short ly a f t e r s a i l i n g , she w a s suddenly

ordered i n t o t h e Sea of Japan, following the s e i z u r e of the Naval i n t e l l i -

gence v e s s e l USS PUEBLO (AGER-2) by a North Korean p a t r o l boat. ENTERPRISE

became t h e f l agsh ip f o r t h e special ly-created Task Force 71, under the

command of Rear Admiral Horace H. EPES Jr., remaining wi th in t h e v i c i n i t y

of South Korea f o r almost a month a s p a r t of t h e U.S. build-up of fo rces

i n t h e a r e a i n t h e aftermath of t h e c r i s i s .

Following h e r r e l i e f i n t h e Sea of Japan February 16, ENTERPRISE

was once again ordered t o Yankee Sta t ion . After two days of upkeep a t

Naval S t a t i o n Subic Bay, Republic of the Phi l ippines , s h e a r r ived on

Yankee S t a t i o n February 21, beginning combat opera t ions t h e following

day.

ENCLOSURE (8)

C

Upon her a r r i v a l a t Yankee S ta t ion , ENTERPRISE encountered poor

f ly ing weather brought about by the Asian monsoon season. Nevertheless, -

two days a f t e r a r r i v a l , ENTERPRISE A6A In t ruders from Attack Squadron

35 were a b l e t o car ry out t h e f i r s t s u r p r i s e r a i d on t h e p o r t f a c i l i t y

of North Vietnam's c a p i t a l c i t y of Hanoi. During t h e pre-dawn a t t ack ,

t h e all-weather radar cont ro l led bombers dedged a f l u r r y of surface-to-air

missiles and a heavy barrage of a n t i - a i r c r a f t f i r e , i n f l i c t i n g severe

damages aga ins t t h e v i 4 a y important enemy supply center.

Two more s t r i k e s w e r e made aga ins t t h e por t f a c i l i t y during the

following weeks. I n each case, p i l o t s of t h e highly soph i s t i ca ted A6's

reported good systems runs. The computerized f ly ing systems w e r e proving

invaluable i n only their second tour aboard ENTERPRISE. Loaded wi th f a r

more ordnance than contemporary a i r c r a f t and depending on a computerized

radar system t o guide them t o their t a r g e t s , p i l o t s of t h e Grumman-built

In t ruder a c t u a l l y welcomed t h e cover of darkness and inclement weather.

Throughout February and much of March, North Vietnam was shrouded

i n a blanket of heavy clouds and t o r r e n t i a l r a i n s brought about by t h e

nor theas t monsoon. However, much l ike t h e proverbia l mailman, t h e

In t ruders of Attack Squadron 35 penetrated t h e unkind monsoon n igh t a f t e r

n ight , s t r i k i n g repeatedly aga ins t t h e hear t land of North Vietnam.

I n the south along t h e Demili tar ized Zone, A4 Skyhawks of Attack

Squadrons 56 and 113 and F4 Phantoms of Fighter Squadrons 92 and 96

joined A i r Force and o ther Navy fighter-bombers, d is rupt ing enemy supply

routes and destroying bunkers, s9;orage a reas and a r t i l l e r y pos i t ions .

A t the same time, more A i r Wing NINE a i rp lanes joined w i t h o ther

A i r Force and Navy planes i n defense of t h e beseiged Marine encampment

a t Khe Sanh. By t h e f i r s t week of March, Communist g a ~ r i l l a forces

- w e r e A t the f o r t r e s s perimeter, digging a s s a u l t t renches and hunkers.

Armed w i t h 1,000-pound bombs a t h delayed-action fuzes, ENTERPRISE planes -

w e r e soon caving them i n as f a s t a s they were dug. ENTERPRISE p i l o t s dog-

gedly pursued their combat support missions around the s t r a t e g i c a l l y lo-

cated encampment u n t i l the sus ta ined a i r a t t a c k and improved weather con- (

d i t i o n s managed t o break t h e seige. The cowered remnants of North Vietnamese

un i t s , bea ten and forced t o follow new s t r a t e g y , withdrew i n t o the jungle.

On March 13, a chance break in the w e a t h e r permitted a l a r g e ENTERPRISE

s t r i k e group t o h i t the HaiphDng R a i l and Highway Bridge West. I n t h e a i r

wing's only major multi-plane "alpha" s t r i k e i n t o North Vietnam's heart-

land before curtai lment of bombing above the 20th p a r a l l e l , WTERPRISE

fighter-bombers dove through t h e parted monsoon clouds t o complete their

highly success fu l mission. Pos t -s t r ike photography confirmed the br idge

was down.

ENTERPRISE was on the line. when Pres ident Johnson announced March

31 t h a t bombing had been r e s t r i c t e d t o t a r g e t s below the 20th p a r a l l e l .

W i t h the advent of the new bombing l i m i t a t i o n s and the breaking up

of the monsoon weather, ENTERPRISE p i l o t s concentrated their e f f o r t s

aga ins t t rucks , barges, br idges and s t o r a g e a reas near the c i t y of Vinh.

S t r i k e s w e r e heavy aga ins t the V i n h Transshipment point , the southernmost

c o l l e c t i o n point f o r war m a t e r a i l s b e f o r e they a r e dispersed along the

Ho C h i Minh T r a i l w e s t i n t o Laos and sou th i n t o South Vietnam.

Typical t a r g e t s i n the a r e a of V i n h w e r e l a r g e t ruck convoys moving

under cover of darkness. On the n igh t of Apr i l 15, a i r wing p i l o t s

spot ted an unusually l a r g e convoy movement. One p i l o t described it a s

"more t rucks than I could count. Headlights s t r e t ched as f a s as you could

see and dispersed i n t o the haze."

A s Navy p i l o t s began t o systematically destroy hr idges and roads and

strike petroleum s to rage areas , the nurnher of convoys and t rucks s igh ted

beg an t o decrease sharply . On May 8, Navy planes from c a r r i e r s on Yankee S t a t i o n i n Tonkin Gulf,

including a l a r g e complement from ENTERPRISE, s t r u c k rJhat was described

a s t h e l a r g e s t Communist petroleum and ammunition s to rage a r e a sou th of

the 20th p a r a l l e l . In three days of cease less bombing, the Xom Trung Hoa

Storage Area n o r t h e s t of V i n h y ie lded t o hundreds of secondary explosions

a s Navy p i l o t s dropped bomb a f t e r bon~b on the s t r a t e g i c supply center .

I n M@y a s diplomatic e f f o r t s were sJ_owly leading toward peace talks

i n Pa r i s , ENTERPRISE, continuing her aix attacks on panhand le ta rge t s ,

remained i n t o t a l combat readiness t o thwart a p o s s i b l e "last push!' the

Communists w e r e expected t o make t o improve their bargaining p o s i t i o n in

Par is .

O n May 20, ENTERPRISE departed Yankee S ta t ion , and a f t e r a b r i e f

s t o p i n Subic Bay, entered Hong Kong f o r a week of rest and l i b e r t y f o r

t h e crew. The week-long p o r t c a l l was a pleasant , r e l a t i v e l y quCet exper-

ience f o r ENTERPRISE, d e s p i t e a Communist Chinese p r o t e s t that Seventh

F l e e t warships w e r e a l l eged ly using the Rri . t%& Crown Colony a s a base

of opera t ions i n the V i e t n a m war. T h e charge was quickly spurned by

B r i t i s h a u t h o r i t i e s , and the ship s a i l e d a s scheduled May 30 f o r her

f i n a l line period of the deployment.

On June 9 , s h o r t l y a f t e r her a r r i v a l on Yankee S ta t ion , General

W i l l i a m C. Bestmoreland, Commander Mi l i t a ry Ass is tance Command Vietnam,

a r r ived on board ENTERPRISE. The genera l was enroute t o Washington t o

assume t h e pos i t ion of Chief of S ta f f of the AT. He had chosen

ENTERPRISE as the s e t t i n g f o r h f s ZareweI-1 address t o the S q e n t k Flee t .

----- - " - --

, I n t e r d i c t i o n strikes aver the panhandle of North Vietnam continued

u n t i l June 26, wken ENTERPRISE and Izer ve teran a i r wing f in i shed a t h i r d

success fu l combat c r u i s e and began the voyage home.

ENTERPRISE a r r ived a t her homeport of Alameda Ju ly 18. Af ter a b r i e f

s t a y , during which post-deployment conferences were conducted, she departed

Ju ly 27 on "Operation N o r t h c t Passage" enroute t o the Puget Sound Naval

Shipyard, Bremer ton, Uashington. During "Operation Northwest Passage,"

dependents w e r e i nv i t ed t o board ENTERPRISE f o r the t r i p t o the yard. The

opera t ion was an overwhelming success ~ 5 t h the number of dependents a r r iv -

ing aboard f a r exceeding the o r i g i n a l estimate.

ENTERPRISE a r r ived i n the yard J u l y 29, w h e r e she remained u n t i l Sep-

temb er 28, undergoing a much-needed overhaul. Upon depar ture from Bremerton,

dependents w e r e once again welcomed aboard, this t ime f o r the r e t u r n t o

Alameda . Back i n Alameda, the newly rejuvenated carrier prepared f o r r e f reshe r

t r a i n i n g exe rc i ses o f f the coas t of California. Departing Alameda Octoher 9,

she a l t e r n a t e d i n p o r t per iods with re f reshe r t r a in ing and combat readiness

exerc ises along t h e W e s t Coast u n t i l November 22, when she returned t o Ala-

meda f o r her annual Administrat ive and Mater ia l Inspection.

On December 3, ENTERPRISE joined 27 o the r sh ips and 31 a i r squadrons

of the F i r s t F l e e t f o r "Operation Beeftrust ," a seven-day combat t r a i n i n g

e x e r c i s e conducted off t b ~ coas t of Southern Cal i fornia . The sixth and

f i n a l exe rc i se exerc ise conducted by F i r s t F l e e t f o r the year w a s designed

t o prepare t h e p a r t i c i p a t i n g u n i t s f o r combat they would encounter not

only i n Vietnam, b u t anywhere i n the Western Pac i f i c .

Following "Operation Beeftrust ," ENTERPRISE returned t o p o r t i n Ala-

meda and prepared f a r the C h r i s t m a s kolidays, p r i o r t o an expected f o u r t h

deployment t o Southeast Asia i n e a r l y January.

-USN-

- ENCLOSURE C2) . , . HISTORICAL DIARY INFORMATION

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS 1968

1 January-Enterprise is docked a t her homeport, NAS Alameda, Cal i fornia .

2 January-Visitors included: Commander Car r i e s Division Seven, Com- mander F l e e t A i r Alameda, Vice Counsel of Aus t ra l i a , Commander Naval A i r Forces Pac i f i c .

3 January-Enterprise departed Alameda enroute t o P e a r l Harbor. S ide honors were accorded Commander Car r i e r Division Seven. Commander Naval A i r Forces P a c i f i c was a guest aboard.

7 January-Commander F l e e t A i r Hawaii was a gues t aboard.

8 January-Enterprise a r r ived within Operations A r e a Hawaii.

9 January-Ent e r p r i s e is enrou te t o Midway Islands.

11 January--Enterprise is enroute t o Sasebo, Japan.

18 January-Visitors included: U. S . Ambassador t o Japan, Commander Naval A i r Forces Japan, m d e r s , of the Japanese D i e t and o the r govern- ment o f f i c i a l s , and members of t h e Japanese press.

19 January--Enterprise a r r ived in Sasebo. T h e Mayor of Sasebo and Commanding Of f i ce r USS Truxton were v i s i t o r s .

20 January-Visitors included: Governor of Nagasaki, Mayor of Sasebo, Regional Commandant Sasebo, Destroyer Squadron Seven, and Commanding Off i c e r USS Truxton.

21 January-Visitors included members of t h e Japanese D i e t .

22 January-Visitors included members of the Japanese m i l i t a r y and o the r government of f i c i a k .

23 January--Enterprise departed Sasebo enroute t o Naval Base Subic Bay. Shor t ly a f t e r departure, she was suddenly ordered i n t o the Sea of Japan following the capture of the USS Pueblo by a North Korean p a t r o l boat.

24 January-Enterprise began opera t ions between Cheiu Dp,Korea and Fukoe- shima, Japan.

15. 25 January-Enterprise began opera t ions in the Sea of Japan.

16. 27 January--Conrmander Naval Forces Korea was a v i s i t o r .

17. 1 February-Visitors included: Commander Seventh F lee t , Republic of Korea Chief of Naval Operations, Republic of Korea Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Commander Naval Forces Korea, and Commanding General 314th A i r Division.

ENCLOSURE (2)

* 18. 2 February-Commander S w e n t h F l e e t was a guest .

7 February-Enterprise a r r ived in East China 6ea f o r operations.

12 February-Enterprise o f f i c i a l l y became a p a r t of the newly created Task Force Seventy-One.

16 February-Commander Car r i e r Division One t r ans fe r red t o USS Ranger.

17 February-Enterprise departed East C h i n a Sea enroute t o Naval S t a t i o n Subic Bay.

19 February-Enterprise a r r ived Leyte P i e r , Subic Bay. V i s i t o r s included: Commander Naval A i r S t a t i o n Cuhi Point , Deputy Commander F lee t A i r Wes- t e r n Pac i f i c , Commander Destroyer F l o t i l l a Seventh F lee t , members Staf f Commander Car r i e r Divisfon Three,

20 February-Enterprise departed Subic Bay enroute Yankee Sta t ion .

21 Fehruary-Enterprise arrzved Yankee Stat ion. Commander Car r i e r Division Three embarked.

22 February-Prospect17ve Commanding Off icer USS Oriskany and members of the press were guests .

26 February--Visitors. included: Commander Naval A i r Systems, Forces Material b f f i c e r Naval A i r Systems, and Avionics Off icer Naval A i r systems.

28 Fehruary-Members of the- p ress were aboard,.

4 March-Commander Car r i e r Division Five was a guest .

12 March-Visitors included: Commander Car r i e r Division Five. A6A a i r c r a f t l o s t a t sea; probable cause: flame-out. Crewmen were not recovered . 13 March-Commander in Chief P a c i f i c F lee t , Commander Seventh F l e e t and Commander Carrier Division F i v e were guests .

1 4 March-Commander Service Group Three and members of the German press w e r e aboard.

16 March-A6A a i r c r a f t downed nor th of Hanoi. P i l o t and bombadier/navi- ga to r bel ieved captured.

17 March-Air Wing conducted awards ceremony.

35. 18 March-EntBpprise departed YanJc.ee S ta t ion enroute t o Subic Ray.

36. 19 March-Enterprise ar r fved SuWc Bay.

37. 20 March--Members of the seventh and d g h t h grades from the Kalayaan School, Subic Bay w e r e v i s i t o r s .

- 38. 21 March4ommanding Of f i ce r U S Hawyampa was a guest.

39. 22 Marchaemhers of SubZc Naval Reserve Composite Company w e r e aboard.

40, 23 Marchdembers of a g i r l scout troop sponsored by the. Ship RepA5.r F a c i l i t y Subic and Clark A i r Ease were ahoard.

41. 25 March-Arrived in the Operat5ans Area Phi l ipp ines f o r carrier quals.

42, 26 March-Enroute Yankee Sta t ion .

43. 27 March-RADM Biendel assumed command of ComCarDivThree. Commander Seuezkth F l e e t w a s a guest .

44. 29 March-ComCarDivOne and Ass i s t an t Wing Commander F i r s t Marine A i r Wing w e r e aboard.

45. 30 March-Ship's company was enter ta ined by a US0 show.

46. 31 March-Deputy Commander Republic Of Korea Forces Republic of Vie-tnanl and s t a f f members were aboard.

47. 4 April-ComCarDivOne, ComSeventhFlt and Commanding Off icer USS Truxton w e r e aboard.

48. 7 April-Commander P a t r o l Forces P a c i f i c was aboard.

49. 10 April--Commander Naval A i r Forces A t l a n t i c w a s aboard.

50. 11 April--.Members of tke p r e s s were abaard.

51. 1 4 April-ComSeventhFlt and m e n h e r s of t h e p r e s s were guests .

52. 18 April-ComCarDivOne departed. Members of the p r e s s were ahoard.

53. 23 April-ComCarDivOne ra$sed f l a g on Enterprise..

54. 24 April-Enroute Subic.

55, 25 April-Arrived Subic.

56. 26 April-Commanding Of f i ce r USS Truxton was. a guest.

57. 28 April--Members of the Olongapo Ctty Chamher of Commerce and the Centra l Luzon (Province) Youth- Camp w e guests.

58. 29 April-Commander Underway Rep lcnfsben t Group Two and Commander Naval Supply Depot Subic were ahoard.

59. 30 April-Enroute XtmEee StatSon.

60. 2 May-Arrived Yankee StatTon. Commander Naval Afy Forces Pacific, s t a f f members from the Of £ i c e of the- CWef qf Naval Operat ions and members of the Naval Weapons Center China Lake were aboard.

5 May-RA5C l a a t a t sea.

7 May-F4B downed; praba61e cause: NiG fire. A4F l o s t in land* pat- tern. ComNavAirPac Ueapons. Off icer , ComPra~AlrPac Ordnance Safe ty Team, o f f i c e r s of USS America, ExecutTve Off icer VA 85, Commander Destroyer Squadron One, ComCarDivTm a d s t a f f members were aboard.

10 May-ComCarDivTwo and Commander Destroyer Squadron One w e r e aboard.

11 May-Visitors included: ComCarDivSeven and s t a f f , BrigGen H.A. French, USAF, and BrigGen J.E. Frizen, USAF.

1 3 May-A6A l o s t due t o d i r e c t i5i.t; crew recovered.

16 May-Members of the 30th Construction Regiment w e r e aboard.

17 May--Commander Destroyer Squadron Seven was a guest.

21 May-Enroute Subic. Memorlal ceremony was conducted.

22 May--Arr ived Subic . 23 May-Enroute Hong Kong . 24 May-Arrived Hong Kong. CmodoreHong Kong and t h e Counsel General w e r e gues ts .

26 May--Guests included c i t i z e n s of Hong Kong, England, I r e l and , Scotland, Wales, Tanzania, E i r e and China.

28 May-Commander B r i t i s h Forces Hong Kong was aboard.

30 May-Enroute Yankee Sta t ion .

1 June--Arrived Yankee Statirm. Vis i tors . included: Direc tor General Spanisb Mi l i t a ry Academy, D i r e c t ~ r Spanish A i r Universi ty, Chief Army Centra l S ta f f CSpain), Director S c b a l Advanced S tud ies (Spain) and USAF escor t .

2 June-F4B 10s t ; prohable cause: hydraulic system f a i l u r e . Memhers of the press w e r e aboard.

4 June-Members of the CindpacFlt Quality Research and Control Elec t ronics Warfare Systems S t a f f , t he Southeast Asia Research and Evaluation Off i c e , and the M i l i t a r y Ass is tance Command Vietnam Science Advisory Group w e r e aboard.

6 June-Director of Operat ions 1 3 t h A i r Force, Members of U.S. Amy Company B Detachment F i r s t Mi l i t a ry I n t e l l i g e n c e Bat ta l ion , and memhers of the p r e s s w e r e aboard,

7 June-Members of the p r e s s e r e ahoard.

8 June-RADM Cagle r e l i eved RADM Qes. ComCarDi~Seven, ComCarDiflwo, Commander Cruiser Destroyer P l o t l l l a Seven, Commandw Antisubmarine

Warfare Group One and Flag Commander Aust ra l ian ~ l e e t w e r e gues ts .

. - 81. 9 J u n d e n e r a l Westmoreland d e l i v q e d farewel l address t o Seventh

Fleet . ComSeventhFlt , CmCaxDivTwo , ComCarDivSeven, Commander Anti- submarine Warfare Squadron Group One, ~ n d Commanding General Third Marine Amphibious Forces were guests.

10 June--Mili tary Assis tance Command Vietnam A S Briefer, memhers of Combytt Camera Group PacifSc and tEm press; w e r e aboard.

12 Jun-The Minister-Counsel t o the. Amlrassador t o t h e Republic of Vietnam, members of McDonnell-Douglas A i r c r a f t Corp., and a midshigman indoctr inat ion c l a s s were ahoard.

1 3 June-Commander Naval CammunTcations S ta t ion Phi l ippines and the Assis tant Chief of Naval Operations Communications Representat ive w e r e aboard.

15 June-A4 l o s t a t sea due flame-out; p i l ~ t recovered. A4 crashed on f l i g h t deck due nose w h e e l collapse; p f l o t uninjured.

16 June-Crew was enter ta ined bry a US0 skow.

20 June-CinCPacFlt and par ty , ComSeventhFlt and party, Naval Reactors Safeguard Team and t E - e Off f cer i n Charge- Detachment C w e r e aboard.

23 June--A4 l o s t a t s e a due flame-out; p i l o t recovered. A4 crashed on f l i g h t deck due nose wheeS. collapse; p i l o t uninjured.

24 June--A6 l o s t probable cause -d i rec t Ut; p i l o t and bomhadier/navigator missing i n act ion. Deputy Commanding General F l e e t Marine Forces P a c i f i c was aboard.

26 June-ComCarDivSeven, Commander Destroyer Squadron 21 and Commanding Off icer USS Hornet were aboard.

27 June-Enroute Subic . 28 June-Arrived Subic.

1 July--Communications SecuriXy Trai-g v i s i t by Naval Communications S ta t ion Phi l ippines personnel.

4 July-Ship a t f u l l dress. Gun s a l u t e f i r e d by Naval Base Subic.

5 July-ComCarDivOne departed. Supervisor of Ships Newport N e w s , Commander Destroyer Squadron Seven, Commanding Off icer USS Truxton, ComNavAirPac, CAFSU D r i l l Team and Commanding Off icer HMAS Kohart w e r e aboard.

6- July-Enroute- Conus.

97. 18 July-Arrived Alameda. Bura i l a t sea; LCDR A.K. Tyszki.&cz. ComFair Alameda, Naval Archi.tect Naval Shipyard Eremeston, Washington, ComCarDivThree and Commanding Off icer USS Oriskany w e r e aboard.

98. 19 July-Representatives from Naval mpyard Bremerton were aboard.

- . .

- * 99.. 22 JUI~-AIMD Post-Deployment Conf exence conducted.

100. 27 July--Departed Alameda on Operati&nNortEmest Passage.

101. 29 July-Arrived Pug& Sound Naval ShTpyard, E r a e r t o n .

102. 8 August-Commander Pug& Sound Naval W p y a r d and Commander Sand Point Naval A i r S ta t ion , S e a t t l e Tarere guests .

103. 9 August-Members of t h e Eremer ton Navy. League were aboard.

104. 11 August-Commanding Off icer U S Sacramento was a guest.

105. 15 August-ComNavAirPac and Commander Puget Sound Naval Shipyard w e r e aboard.

106. 26 August-Assistant Secretary of D e f e n s e f o r Atomic Energy was ahoard.

19 Sept ember--Commanding Off icer En te rp rke- paid o f f i c i a l v i s i t t o Commander F l e e t A i r W d h e y Island.

21 September--Members of the- Eremextan Chamber of Commerce and Navy League w e r e guests.

22 September--Open house conducted f o r skLpyard personnel and families.

25 September--Bremerton High School hand gave concert f o r crew. Mayor of Bremerton was a guest .

26 September-Fast cruise. conducted.

27 September-Dependents embarked f o r second hal f of Operation North- w e s t Passage.

28 Septemher-Enroute Alameda.

30 Sep tanher-Arr ived Alameda . 1 Octoher-4ommandihg Off icer U S Paracutin was ahoard.

4 October-Awards ceremony conducted; Captafi Lee r e c d v e d Legion of Merit, En te rp r i se and A i r UTng received Navy Unit Commendation. ComNavAirPac, ComCarDivSwen, ComIFairAlameda were guests.

6 October--Members of the Malnut Creeb- Ea l2 f . l United Methodist Church w e r e guests.

9 October-Enroute San D i e g o .

119. 11 October-Arrived Operatfans Area Sauthern California.

120. 12 October-4ammander Naval S ta t ion NortL Tsland and members of Naval eir Forces P a c l f t c vzere aboard.

121, 14 October--Commander F l e e t Tra inf ig Group was ahoard.

122. 19 October-Arrived Naval S t a t i o n North Island.

123. 2 1 October-Began opera t ions i n Operat ions Area Southern Cal i fornia .

124. 24 October-Arrived Coronado Roads, San Diego. Departed f o r Alameda.

125, 25 October-Arrived Alameda.

126. 28 October-Commander Naval A i r Forces P a c i f i c Board of Inspect ion and Purvey was aboard.

127, 2 November---Began opera t ions in OperatTons Area Northern Cal i fornia .

128. 4 November--A group of Sec re ta ry of theNavy gues t s was aboard.

129, 5 November-ComCarDivOne was aboard.

130. 10 November-Arrived Alameda.

131. 12 November-Enroute Operat ipns Area Sauthexn Calif a rn ia .

132. 13 November-Arrived O p a a t i a n s Area Southern Cal i fornia .

133. 16 November-HC-lblicopter l o s t a t sea; p i l o t recovered b u t died later.

134. 18 Novaher--ComCarDivOne Chief of S ta f f was aboard.

135. 2% November-Arrived Alameda.

136. 26 November-.ComCarDivSeven arr3ve.d t o conduct annual Administrat ive and Mate r i a l l#$pection.

137. 27 Novembex--ComNavAirPac, ConiFafrAlameda, ComFairWhidbey and ComCarDiv- Seven w e r e aboard.

138. 1 December-Observers from ComFafrAlameda and ComCarDivOne ar r ived.

139. 2 December-Enroute Operations Area Southern Ca l i fo rn ia f o r Operation Beef t r u s t ,

140. 3 December-Began conducting opera t fons Tn Operations Area Southern Cal i fornia .

141. 9 December-Arrived Alameda.

142, 10 December-Commanding Off icer , Executive Off icer and Engineering Off icer USS Bainbridge were aboard.

143, 17 December-Awards ceremony conducted. ComNavAirPac 3-M Team was ahoard.

144. 25 December-Ship observed CEnfstmas.

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Co2y to: - J -C$L5c]) fv.~/o ~nclosilr , : I : I j, (12) or :: ?I' Director of iqaval El . ,

CINSPACFLT t : , ,'a c-,: A A%: ,i), (4Iz { l l ) , (12) O~ i :3 ) ) CB'XNAVAIKPL~~; (C;c ... ; ,;./ ic enc:oa-r.liea (3 ) , (41, , i &), ,12) G . + :?3 , ) '

"DECLASSIFIED" -

.. . CHRONOLOGY

1-5 JAN lnport Alameda.

6 .JAN Underway f r o m Alameda I'or P e a r l Harbor.

13-14 JAN Operational Readiness Inspection.

. 14 JAN OR1 te rminated by fire/e>:plosions on flight deck. 27 dead, 6 2 hospitalized. CINCPACFLT inspected f i r e damage.

14 JAN - 4 MSIR Inport P e a r l Harbor.

15 JAN

'16 JAN . .

11 MAR

Pre l imina ry inve stigatior;. of 1-4 JAN in.cident by COMCARDIV ONE.

SAR terminated. COMCARDIV SEVEN on board as Senior Member F o r m a l I-:yiestigating Board.

F o r m a l Investigating Bozrd completed investigation.

ENTERPRISE presented vvith plaque commemorating r e l a t io~ l s between ship ar. S shipyard during rz~,a5 r s.

C INCPACFLT p r e- deploliment briefings.

Conducted fas t cruise .

Hawaiian a r e a operations and r e f r e s h e r training.

Underway for WESTPAC.

13 MAR: Cros s ed International Da:... Line.

22-26 MJ'& Philippine a r e a opera tic:. - . 27-25 M..I,R h p o r t Subic Eay. P r e - S 'SCOPS briefing? by varioce

WESTPAC activities. E- -3arked COMCARDIV ONE.

31 MAR - 16 APR SPECOPS Yankee Statior*.

Enclosure (1)

31 MAR One RA5C f rom RVAE- 6 .c;zt over Laos. Pilots missing.

16 APR T F 7 1 activated for Nortk Korczn contil~gency. Enroute to Tsushima Straits /Ser?, . '

.pz-,

1.9 APR,

22 APR

Intercepted two s e p a r ~ t c overflig:hts.

Overflown by two Bears !:; Sea of Japan.

'2'6 APR Transit Tsushima Strait 2 .-xroute f rom Sea of Japan to Defender Station i..r Sie c, w Sea.

. . 12 MAY Departed Defender Static; 2nroute to Sv5ic Bzy.

14-20 UAY Inport Subic Bay.

24-28 MAY h p o r t Singapore.

31 MAY - 16 JUN SPECOPS Yankee Stat;or:

1 3 T N One A-7B f rom VA-213 ! # Pilot recovered.

18-19 JUN . h p o r t Subic 8ay. Elise? ,-zk,ed COMCAR31V ONE.

2C 2 Jib' Departed Subic Bay for A: --n-cda.

27 T3N Crossed International Da , L i ~ e .

2-13 JUL, Inport Alameda.

8 J U L . Change of Command. C.t' 'T K. L. LEZ, USN, relieved by CAPT F. S. PETE!? 31 ;, TJ'SN.

14 J U L Underway for Norfolk.

Crossed equator. Initia'c.:d 2, 380 new She:lbacks.

. , ~ ~ J u L ' ' . . . . Rounded Cape Horn.

.29 J U L - 2 AUG Inport Rio de Jarreiro.

12 AUG . - lo OCT Inport Norfolk Naval 3.i:: yzrd.

.,. . i.2 AUG

.. . . . Commenced overhaul.

2 Enclosure (1)

22 AUG

11 OCT

. . . . . .

. . Moved to ;lry Dock #8, NNSY. . ,.. .._ ... . .

Deadplant ':ransit f rom NNSY to Newport New5 Shipbuilding :, ' and Drydc nking Company, Newport News, Vir'ginia.

11 OCT - 3 1 DEC lnpor t Ne\:port News.

MAR i 3 1971 (Uncla r r ified upon removal

From: Commmding Officer, U S ENTERPRXSE ( C V M - 6 5 ) To: Chief of Naval Qperrtfon* (OP-O5D2)

Sub): 1970 Coanmrnd Hi.tory; forwrrding of

-1: (1) Chronnl~gy (2) Bedc Narrative (3) Preae PCits (4) OttiBabrtion Packet (6) V W B r s h r s (6) G#unrl Virltting w e t Trl M d d (8) Ell#% $I&gasiner

1 (9 ) Il+rtrr of Obfieerr (10) Rorter of EBUatd (1 1) Bega3ar Brerhul Repolla (12) Bag+dar Overhaul SITREPS 113) Livt of EngfnesPiw D e p r e e n t Overbul Jobs (14) SeSecbd Sbtograph. and Key

1. In accor&sce wish xsferanca (u), anclosurarr (1) through (14) are forwarded ar ElTTS8Plhll14EE1r 1970 Commrnd History.

Copy to: (W/O I ) P C ~ Q * U Y ~ ~ (10) through (12)) Mructot of Nanrl Hiawry (OP-O9B9) CIWCFAGFLT

1 .TAX .i970 - 23 DEC 1970

23 DEC 1970

lvioored alongside P i e r 2, N e w p ~ r i X e w - Sh i~bu i ld ing and S r y 3 0 c k Coiil?p&ny.

- . i ~ r ~ e a ship bow-lit, r e tu rned 'ic m o o r aioilgside Tier 2, Newport News Shi2builaing and Dry Dock Connpally.

23 DEC 1970 - 31 DEC 1970 Moored alongside P i e r 2, Newport News Shipbuilding and D r y Dock Company.