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USS Hancock (CVA-19) Viet Nam Operations - 1965 National Archives Airailimages

gray eagle

gray eagle

SOH-CM-2025
This was filmed 2-65 just a few months before I got there with VF-24. Most of those bombs shown look to be AN Mk65 bombs.
During the height of the American bombing campaign in Vietnam during 1967, the Mark 80 series bombs were being used faster than they were being manufactured, leading to a shortage in the Mark 83 one thousand-pound bomb that had replaced the Mark 65 in naval service. To fill the shortage until new Mark 83 bombs could be delivered, the U.S. Navy used the remaining Mark 65 bombs it had left over from the Korean War.

I've read that during underway replenishment (unreps) that the CO's of some carriers would refuse transfer of the older AM Mk65 Bombs and sent them back.


BTW the FID was supposed to relieve the Bonnie DIck on Yankee Station when the fire took place. I was on the Bonnie DIck and we had just supposedly loaded our last launch for the cruise when the FID caught fire. We sailed close (and fast) up to the FID and the Crispy O (Oriskany) was there as well. - She had recently had a flare fire so I can imangine she knew what the FID was going thru.
 
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Goos stuff, gray eagle!

I remember the fallout from FID and Oriskany fires - bomb cook offs and mag flare dangers. A lot of improvements were made to lessen those chances.

When epoxy coatings were added to the MK80 series bombs it obviously changed the drag characteristics so all the ballistic tables for gunsight settings etc had to be tested, recalculated and re-issued.
 
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