Sea Story ... The Real Thing

geetrue · 01-18-07, 04:50 PM

Sea Story …

This is a real sea story … I don’t have a link,
but the pictures at the end will prove this ain’t no lie …

For those too young to remember, during Viet Nam conflict, carriers were
so woefully short of ordnance that missions were often launched with only
a half load just to keep the sortie rate up so that the REMF's in DC would
not send out blistering messages about failure to support the war effort, etc.

Yes, this really happened

Once again history is stranger then fiction, and a lot funnier:

USS Midway VA-25's Toilet Bomb.

In October 1965, CDR Clarence J. Stoddard, Executive Officer of VA-25
"Fist of the Fleet", flying an A-1H Skyraider, NE/572 "Paper Tiger II" from
Carrier Air Wing Two aboard USS Midway carried a special bomb to the
North Vietnamese in commemoration of the 6-millionth pound of ordnance
dropped. This bomb was unique because of the type... it was a toilet!

The following is an account of this event, courtesy of Clint Johnson, Captain,
USNR Ret. Captain Johnson was one of the two VA-25 A-1 Skyraider pilots
credited with shooting down a MiG-17 on June 20, 1965.

"I was a pilot in VA-25 on the 1965 Vietnam cruise.

572 was flown by CDR C. W. "Bill" Stoddard. His wingman in 577
(which was my assigned airplane) was LCDR Robin Bacon, who had a
wing station mounted movie camera (the only one remaining in the fleet
from WWII).

The flight was a Dixie Station strike ( South Vietnam ) going to the Delta.
When they arrived in the target area and CDR Stoddard was reading the
ordnance list to the FAC, he ended with "and one code name Sani-flush".

The FAC couldn't believe it and joined up to see it. It was dropped in a dive
with LCDR Bacon flying tight wing position to film the drop. When it came off,
it turned hole to the wind and almost struck his airplane.

It made a great ready room movie. The FAC said that it whistled all the way
down.

The toilet was a damaged toilet, which was going to be thrown overboard.

One of our plane captains rescued it and the ordnance crew made a rack,
tailfins and nose fuse for it. Our checkers maintained a position to block the
view of the air boss and the Captain while the aircraft was taxiing forward.

Just as it was being shot off we got a 1MC message from the bridge, "What the
hell was on 572's right wing?" There were a lot of jokes with air intelligence about
germ warfare. I wish that we had saved the movie film."

YNCS D on Harribine, USN(ret)

01-18-07, 04:50 PM	#1
geetrue Cold War Boomer Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Walla Walla Posts: 2,837 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Sea Story ... The Real Thing Sea Story … This is a real sea story … I don’t have a link, but the pictures at the end will prove this ain’t no lie … For those too young to remember, during Viet Nam conflict, carriers were so woefully short of ordnance that missions were often launched with only a half load just to keep the sortie rate up so that the REMF's in DC would not send out blistering messages about failure to support the war effort, etc. Yes, this really happened Once again history is stranger then fiction, and a lot funnier: USS Midway VA-25's Toilet Bomb. In October 1965, CDR Clarence J. Stoddard, Executive Officer of VA-25 "Fist of the Fleet", flying an A-1H Skyraider, NE/572 "Paper Tiger II" from Carrier Air Wing Two aboard USS Midway carried a special bomb to the North Vietnamese in commemoration of the 6-millionth pound of ordnance dropped. This bomb was unique because of the type... it was a toilet! The following is an account of this event, courtesy of Clint Johnson, Captain, USNR Ret. Captain Johnson was one of the two VA-25 A-1 Skyraider pilots credited with shooting down a MiG-17 on June 20, 1965. "I was a pilot in VA-25 on the 1965 Vietnam cruise. 572 was flown by CDR C. W. "Bill" Stoddard. His wingman in 577 (which was my assigned airplane) was LCDR Robin Bacon, who had a wing station mounted movie camera (the only one remaining in the fleet from WWII). The flight was a Dixie Station strike ( South Vietnam ) going to the Delta. When they arrived in the target area and CDR Stoddard was reading the ordnance list to the FAC, he ended with "and one code name Sani-flush". The FAC couldn't believe it and joined up to see it. It was dropped in a dive with LCDR Bacon flying tight wing position to film the drop. When it came off, it turned hole to the wind and almost struck his airplane. It made a great ready room movie. The FAC said that it whistled all the way down. The toilet was a damaged toilet, which was going to be thrown overboard. One of our plane captains rescued it and the ordnance crew made a rack, tailfins and nose fuse for it. Our checkers maintained a position to block the view of the air boss and the Captain while the aircraft was taxiing forward. Just as it was being shot off we got a 1MC message from the bridge, "What the hell was on 572's right wing?" There were a lot of jokes with air intelligence about germ warfare. I wish that we had saved the movie film." YNCS D on Harribine, USN(ret) __________________