Philippine Sea A-4 incident, 1965

[@hamish9917]

Wow. Outside of the tragedy of losing a nuclear weapon. This is a touching memorial to Lt.Jg Webster. I hope this spurs an effort to have his name added to the memorial!

[@llYossarian]

"Tragedy" doesn't feel like the right word...

[@danielbeck9191]

His name and rank belong on the Memorial!!!

[@jamessimms415]

Depends. If the carrier was not in direct support of the Vietnam War, then he will not. June 1969, the USS Frank E. Evans was cut in half by the HMAS Melbourne during a joint exercise, 74 sailors died & they are not on the wall. From Wiki: ‘Despite operating in Vietnamese waters immediately before deployment to Sea Spirit, and being scheduled to return to activities supporting the war effort after the exercise, it was determined that as Sea Spirit was not directly linked with US operations in Vietnam, and the exercise took place outside the geographical limit for the conflict as defined by the outer edge of Market Time operations, the crew was ineligible for inclusion on 'The Wall'. Exceptions to the geographic limit rule have been made for other personnel killed as part of the conflict but not in Vietnam itself; for example those involved in operations in Laos, and those dying in transit to or from Vietnam. However, an act of Congress specifically permitting the inclusion of their names on the memorial is required: legislation to have those killed in the Melbourne-Evans collision has been introduced on several occasions, but has so far failed to gather sufficient support.’

[@jimwinchester116]

@@jamessimms415 Lt Donald Vol Hester was added to the Memorial in 1986. His accidental death in 1964 (as part of the same squadron and air wing as Doug Webster) occurred between Iwo Jima and Japan, so does not qualify under the above criteria. I do not know on what basis he was added, but if he qualified, so should Webster and the USS Evans sailors.

[@nicholasstilley2370]

I'm so excited to see this, I met a man at a yard sale who was on board uss Ticonderoga when this happened and it was mind blowing how I had never heard the story before. He mentioned that he never knew that it was classified until much later and just assumed everyone back home had read about it in the papers

[@FartSquirel]

There's a lot you haven't heard about Philippines, like the million killed by USA just because they spoke Spanish.

[@dellawrence4323]

One day soon the bomb will detonate and the US will blame it on China starting WW3.

[@jemkey6930]

One of the men that sometimes appears at my grandpa's war buddies meetings was a ranking officer in that war. All of the regular guys that attend the group know how much I love to hear about history. So I asked Mr officer if he could tell some fascinating experiences. He said this " Ma'am I will tell about the gallant, brave men and women thrust into dire, terrifying situations. But I have nothing to say about that war." Those words have stayed with me for a long time. Thank you Mr History Guy for telling us about the soldiers like Mr Webster that was forgotten for so long. History that deserves to be remembered.

[@mattwilliams3456]

At a time when the US and Soviet Union were ready to go to war with minutes notice, it is incredibly naive to think a carrier battle group deployed anywhere in the world would not be armed with its normal complement of nuclear weapons.

[@marckyle5895]

I wonder how many B-43s a SCB-125 era Essex class carrier would have routinely kept on board? 2? 5? 10? You know they had a nuclear section put in the magazines during the reconstruction - I would have.

[@josephbenson6301]

I'm guessing They were counting on that naivete.

[@dmk0210]

I was thinking that very same thing. Of course they would have nuclear weapons on board. Why wouldn't they?

[@marckyle5895]

@@dmk0210 I figured no more than two. An Essex carrier would have less of a strike role, so any situation which called for more than one tactical nuke would involve a Midway or Forrestal. The one or two on the Essex would be a 'just in case', hence the adjustable yield.

[@alexsis1778]

@@marckyle5895Adjustable yields were very common on bombs meant to be carried by lighter aircraft because they would often be used in a more tactical role closer to friendly forces. You want to be able to adjust the yield to suit the target and the relevant distance from friendlies. You're not going to be going deep into Russia to bomb a strategic target with an A-4. Fixed yield bombs are usually larger and intended for strategic aircraft or ICBMs. Something that likely has a pre-designated target. As was mentioned, the fact that this one was set for its maximum yield was shocking to the ordinance crew. This seems to imply that they were far more used to seeing and training with bombs on the lower available settings. These lower settings are likely what an A-4 or other light aircraft would most likely use in any situation short of all out nuclear war. That being said they would have carried far more than just two nukes and I think you're significantly underestimating the strike capability of an Essex. There were 2 different sizes of hulls and they were fitted out to a rather bewildering number of refit standards. The combat focused CVs (not the anti-sub CVS) had a standard loadout that was generally 5-6 squadrons with at least half or more being strike aircraft. I couldn't find an actual 1960s era breakdown of the actual plane quantities that made up those combat squadrons but in the mid to late 1960s the USS Oriskany is listed as having 2 squadrons of F-8J Crusaders and three squadrons of A-4E Skyhawks and various early warning/recon planes. In 1971 she's listed as actually having 71 aircraft on board of which 36 were A-7B Corsairs (the A-4's replacement). So with 30+ nuclear capable aircraft on board it would be pretty ridiculous to assume the carrier would only carry 2 nukes for them. Its far more likely to assume they had at least 1 per aircraft if not two. Especially during the height of the cold war. You also have to remember that with the safeguards around nuclear weapons (and japan's dislike of said nukes) that they weren't going to be able to resupply on them after leaving the US. Any nukes they might need for the entire deployment and any potential emergency escalations had to be carried from the start. So its likely they were going to over estimate.

[@frankgulla2335]

Thank you, THG for remembering an important piece of our naval history and a young pilot who lost his life serving his country.

[@Weazel1]

To quote from one of my favorite films, “I don't know what's scarier, losing nuclear weapons, or that it happens so often there's actually a term for it.”

[@MichaelOfRohan]

And what film might that be?

[@edwardrhoades6957]

"Broken Arrow"@@MichaelOfRohan

[@dougjb7848]

_Broken Arrow_

[@lynch6642]

​@@MichaelOfRohanThe saying was actually used in, we were soldiers with Mel Gibson. Broken Arrow", a code phrase notably used during the 1965 Battle of Ia Drang to indicate an American combat unit was in danger of being overrun.

[@aaronleverton4221]

@@lynch6642 The term (also movie title) quoted by dougjb was used in We Were Soldiers, the saying quoted by the OP was not.

[@goldsmithy1]

Never to be forgotten. Rest in peace Lt. Douglas Webster. Thank you History Guy for the rememberance.

[@jamesdoyle5405]

One of the first things you learned on a carrier in the 60's and 70's was " I can neither confirm or deny the presence of nuclear weapons aboard this ship."

[@kenkahre9262]

Japan long suspected that there were nukes aboard carriers everytime we sailed there for RR and got testy when we said that. Can't say as I blame them.

[@maxmclanahan6821]

I can remember being told that when I was on board the USS Ranger. But everybody knew we had them on board back then. I often wondered how the protesters at NAS Alameda back then would of reacted if they knew how close they were to the rest of the stored Atomic weapons on base.

[@kenkahre9262]

@@maxmclanahan6821 Probably even more riled. I always thought they were stored primarily at NWS Concord.

[@maxmclanahan6821]

I had a friend that was a marine on base that escorted the nukes from the storage to when they were loaded onboard . They were kept at the southwest corner of the base by the north and south runway. @@kenkahre9262

[@RetiredSailor60]

Good morning from Ft Worth TX History Guy and everyone watching....

[@keithpennock]

My dad was stationed at Carswell AFB, a lot of fond memories as a kid of going to air shows or being in our little sailboat on Lake Worth at the end of the runway watching F-4s, F-16s & B-52s land and take off. It was the 1980s-1990s.

[@CFRF13]

Always appreciate your military history videos.

[@deanstrickland6993]

Love the Enterprise on the shelf! Of course, I love all your videos!🎉

[@richardparrott7192]

Didn’t know about this one at all ☢️ great to share these History’s with us HG!

[@Nova_Needle]

I love your content! Thank you for doing what you do!

[@RevMikeBlack]

Sometimes things just go wrong. You might think you've anticipated every possible issue, then something like this happens.

[@josephbenson6301]

Anybody who thinks nothing can go wrong is an idiot. Throughout history the damnedest things have happened at the worst times... things you can't possibly imagine, let alone plan for. But they still happen. And they happen because, no matter how improbable, they are still possible.

[@alantoon5708]

Thank you, LT Webster, for your service to our country, and your sacrifice...

[@JeffreyGlover65]

I learn more history from watching THG than I ever did in school

[@desmcharris]

That was a very sad and haunting, forgotten history lesson. Thank you for bringing it to us. I can’t shake the thought of that brave young man in his last moments, and his fellow crew mates. If you could all excuse me, but I’ve been watching the shelf’s behind the host . 1965 was the year “Lost in Space”, appeared on TV. Hence the Robot, but Star Trek was 1966. Just a thought.

[@RetiredSailor60]

USS Turner Joy is a museum ship in Bremerton WA. USS Gridley was redesignated as a guided-missile cruiser.

[@sullivanspapa1505]

Mr History Guy, another heart felt presentation, I think that’s REALLY what separates you from other “influencers”. Its ok to make a living doing what they (you) do but your faithful readers know that you care about what you speak!

[@chainweaver3361]

With the history guy here, There's truth to the old saying, "You learn something new every day." 👍👍

[@PhantomLover007]

There needs to be a greater effort to add the pilot on the list of names on the wall. But, this is probably just listed as a Class A training accident

[@johnphillips519]

Well you got me at the end.....so sad

[@KF4IXM_Mike]

As always, a great video and history remembrance. Looking forward to the other video about keeping the radioactive materials separate.

[@allenboogaard5690]

I was involved in nuclear safety when I was stationed at Minot AFB, N.D. in 1971. In the classified classes I was required to take covering nuclear weapons, the subject of arming was covered in some detail. Due to the method used my most of our weapons, it requires coordinated detonation of all the segments of conventional explosive to take place. To prevent accidental detonation of the atomic portion of the weapon, on segment of convectional explosive is purposely kept in a retracted position and moved into arming position a few minutes or seconds before desired launch/release. Therefore, the weapon that was lost in the accident aboard the aircraft carrier did not have an armed weapon loaded on the A-4 lost. Just want to keep things real. All our nuclear weapons use this arming safe system. Everyone relax. No bombs will be going off accidently anytime soon.

[@C21H30O2]

I think the bigger concern is someone retrieving it...

[@allenboogaard5690]

Yes, that is a big concern. But our host said specifically that the weapons were armed. They were and are not armed and therefore, will not create a nuclear detonation.

[@TheStefanskoglund1]

Except that he said that the armourer had done all their work..... so they bomb should have been by that time live.

[@karlbrundage7472]

@@TheStefanskoglund1 No. The "explosive train" has several additional steps that must be accomplished before the final detonation sequence occurs, including the pilot "arming" the weapon in the cockpit, the release of the weapon and the separation of the umbilical from the aircraft and the achievement of the final attack profile (Airburst at X altitude, surface burst or sub-surface burst). Without all of those happening in sequence (and with the appropriate accelerometer inputs) the final command to detonate will not occur. It takes a lot to detonate a nuclear weapon (US built- can't vouch for anyone else's)

[@kenjackson5685]

1st class.. thankyou for sharing

[@laserbeam002]

Yet another wonderful post by the History Guy. Never disapoints. Thank you.

[@John--vj5ef]

Thanks for telling the story of Lt Webster, truly a sad and haunting loss

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Thank you!

[@peekaboopeekaboo1165]

​@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Pardon me for asking this question... Where exactly did the accident happened ... inside Philippine waters or near Okinawa ??

[@chuniquepaceno470]

In my years in the Navy we were always told if asked about the presence of nukes on our ships the correct answer was "I can't confirm or deny their presence onboard." This was all the more emphasized while I was stationed on the USS Midway, which was homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, since--as you point out--the Japanese are very sensitive about them. Speaking of Yokosuka, the proper pronunciation doesn't pronounce the "u," so the correct pronunciation is "Yokoska," in case you care to pronounce it correctly on future videos that might include it. Love your videos.

[@ambiguousscreenname]

Thank you for always bringing the human aspect into these stories. When stories contain such intriguing details, it's too easy to overlook the lost of life.

[@njpaddler]

Makes me wonder what else is hidden behind a veil of stupidity, incompetence, and deadly hubris that we don't know about. Brave servicemen deserve better treatment than this and it's criminal neglect in memorializing the pilot.

[@rockhopper01]

The video indicates that the cover-up was to avoid an international incident with allied Japan during an in-progress war in Vietnam. In addition, the knowledge that such weapons were present aboard carriers is best kept from both China and the Soviet Union. That is not “stupidity, incompetence, or hubris.”

[@chicosbailbonds9764]

@@rockhopper01 I suspect China, the Soviet Union, and Japan already knew about the nuclear weapons on the US carriers. The cover-up was to avoid a PR disaster (aka "international incident") and egg on the face of the US Navy. Whether it was stupidity, incompetence, or hubris can be debated. Sometimes accidents just happen and defeat the contingencies set in place to mitigate them.

[@jbrhel]

What else is hidden? In short, a LOT!

[@TheStefanskoglund1]

@@rockhopper01 or protecting the japanese government from their population which was cheated.

[@TheStefanskoglund1]

@@chicosbailbonds9764 The premier in Tokyo would have been forced to either: act ie force a removal of nuclear bombs from Japan, or resign and force a realignment of Japan.

[@shed66215]

Tom Clancy's book 'The Sum of All Fears' takes it a bit further when a nuclear bomb is lost and subsequently recovered with the loss again being set against the backdrop of conflict, again one under the fuselage of an A4, albeit one that was in Israeli use.

[@dezznutz3743]

Yeah but the bomb was compromised/damaged and it didnt give off anywhere near its original payload capacity, which TBH, is most likely in a real world scenario.

[@aramirez8427]

Outstanding report...............👍

[@allgood6760]

Thanks for this we operated A-4 Skyhawks with our RNZAF. 🇳🇿... may the young pilot RIP✈️🙏

[@Tauridballistics]

RIP Lt. Webster.

[@Art65483]

Unfortunately Lt. J.G. Webster is not the only person left off of the wall. I have spoken with vets who tried finding the records of friends KIA in Vietnam (or in areas they were never officially in) but not inscribed on the wall. Not only could they not find military records but school records and more were gone - vanished. Their friends had become erased, never existed officially. Good work sir.

[@kaptainkaos1202]

I’m sorry but I find that hard to believe. Think of the coordination required to to that by the government. I work for the federal government and we operate like an octopus with 16 brains and none are talking to each other. Additionally in my past I worked in airborne reconnaissance. We lost an aircraft with all hands on board and it was in an area somewhere in the Pacific in an area hostile to us. Not near hostile areas but we heard fairly far inland. All were buried with military honors. Their mission would have been classified TS with some letters after the TS. If that wasn’t erased I can’t see much being erased like you said. If you have names submit them to the History Guy and let’s see what he can do otherwise it’s just an old wives tale.

[@Art65483]

@@kaptainkaos1202 Perhaps. I would hope that is true. All I have is the word of a few old Rangers who were on patrol in areas they said were not being officially acknowledged. Either they are remembering incorrectly, they lied, or are truthful. Have a happy day.

[@TomSwift-wy1gx]

@@Art65483 I have to agree with Kaptain Kaos. Your main point, that some people are not on The Wall, is to be expected, as some ops are too sensitive to acknowledge. But school records? Naw. We're just not that efficient. (Now that I see Kaos' history, I wonder if he and I were in the same squadron, doing "interesting things" in the Pacific.) Your Ranger buddies are not "lying," they're totally convinced of their story, however it got started.

[@pooryorick831]

Great segment. I did not know about this incident. I can understand the Japanese's consternation. It's close to home for them in more ways than one.

[@christinamoneyhan5688]

I hope you did not ( or don’t know of ) the one lost off of NC. Coast. I believe they found it a few years ago.

[@ghowell13]

​ There were two that fell IN North Carolina proper, near 😂Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, in Goldsboro, NC. Along with the bomber that crashed (it developed a fuel leak, soon after refuling. A B-52, I beleive) One was recovered, one buried itself so deep, they couldn't recover it, only a lot of the pieces of it, so the U.S. government bought the section of property at ground zero, and about 400 feet in all directions around it, in the middle of the farmers field. There's even an NC historical marker placed nearby the area, just outside of Goldsboro, NC. I don't recall hwaring of one being lost off the coast, however.

[@pooryorick831]

@@ghowell13 That's disturbing. It begs the question of how many there are out there that we don't know about. And not j6st the USA. How many Soviet era nukes are there buried in the ocean or in the interior of the former USSR. We probably only see the tip of the iceberg. I bet there are more.

[@ghowell13]

I'm not certain how the laughing face got inserted in my comment. Obviously I somehow managed to place it there, but it was unintentional.

[@ghowell13]

@@pooryorick831 there's no real way of knowing the full truth of your statement, though true it most definitely is, without doubt. I'm not certain we want to know, although we certainly need to know. Alomg a similar vein, how much nuclear material went missing at the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. is another unknown, although I would think that any material has likely been recovered as it was being planned on being used for nefarious acts, else there would be areas besides Chernobyl/ Pripyat that are hazardous fallout areas now.

[@lanceferraro3781]

Good episode. A history teacher myself, so I enjoy what you do. Skyhawk trivia. The planes nickname is 'Scooter.' Its roll rate is 400 degrees per second, thats nearly one and a quarter revolution in a second.

[@geraldarcuri9307]

Superbly related... as usual! Thanks!

[@Lee-mx5li]

Superb job on video!!

[@bjsracer]

Well told.

[@tobyeperkins5301]

That young pilot absolutely should be on the Vietnam War Memorial!

[@shawnmiller4781]

I don’t agree. As noted in the video his loss was off the coast of Japan and he was not in the war zone. Nor was he participating in a live combat sortie. It was a training accident

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

​@@shawnmiller4781I think I'm going to go ditto on this. While there have been names added; this was clearly outside of the combat zone. I'm not sure what the requirements are however?

[@jimwinchester116]

Although Webster was not flying a combat mission or in the war zone, another pilot, Donald Vol Hester, from the same squadron and the same ship was lost in an accident in waters closer to Japan a year previously and his name was added to the Memorial in 1986. I have yet to find under what criteria this was done, but if Hester qualifies, so should Webster.

[@Cemi_Mhikku]

10:55 This is a VERY appropriate picture to use when uttering the word "horror"; imagine how abjectly terrifying it would be to be that man stuffed down the intake while working on the plane. Then realize that some of these jobs down that intake had to be done with the engine running, with your crewmates holding onto your legs in case you slip; and you with anything metal off of your person in case both you and they do... Source: One of the guys who regularly got stuck down the intake in one of the first two squadrons that got Scooters, VA86.

[@andreperrault5393]

Even the A-1 Skyraider, a 300 MPH propeller driven attack aircraft practiced nuclear attack missions. Informed by a Naval Aviator of that time. Naval Aviation has always been a risky business. An aircraft carrier is a hazardous work environment. Thanks for this recounting, History Guy.

[@adamvolcek9618]

I love this channel, something about it reminds me of listening to Paul Harvey back when i was younger.

[@marckyle5895]

According to current DoD guidelines, service members may be eligible for inscription on The Wall if they have: died (no matter the cause) within the _defined combat zone of Vietnam_ (varies based on dates) died while on a combat/combat support mission to/from the defined combat zone of Vietnam So he isn't eligible, as The Wall is strictly for those killed in theater. However...people will see Lt. Webster here and remember him, name on the Wall or not.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Those sound like pretty fair criteria for listing.

[@charmcitytoe]

Well that did it. I had to join. This is what teaching history is all about. The good, the bad, the ugly and the hidden. I propose the "Lieutenant JG Webster Vietnam Memorial" back in my home town.

[@TPaine1776]

VA-56 was aboard USS Midway in the 80s when I was aboard her with A-7s. Excellent squadron .

[@joedunbarjr]

I was with VA-305 out of Point Mugu with one of the last A-7 squadrons. Dam, good plane, slow but solid. That would of been about 1981 / 82.

[@lancerevell5979]

When I was in the US Navy, serving on an ASW Frigate, if asked about nuclear weapons our standard response was always, "I can neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons aboard this ship". Onboard, they were called "specials". Of course, it became obvious when a "special" was being on or off loaded, by the presence of armed Marines on pierside and a USCG cutter motoring around in the water nearby. That was never done for standard ASROCs or Harpoons.

[@rogerlibby14613]

If you see SD on the tail it indicates that aircraft is set up for Special Delivery.

[@BasicDrumming]

I appreciate you, thank you for making content.

[@manwithmountain]

Its unfair that the pilot is not recognized. 😢

[@shawnmiller4781]

Yes but he wasn’t in Nam nor flying a mission to Nam so the Vietnam memorial is not the appropriate place

[@ellisonms]

A minor point for accuracy...The naval base at Yokosuka is pronounced "Ya-kus-ka". Who am I? I was once the Commanding Officer of the base.

[@archlich4489]

Thank you for your service!

[@jbrhel]

This might your most moving post ever. That's saying a LOT because I've seen them all. Thank you THG.

[@Reddotzebra]

I still maintain that they should have codenamed the event of an accidentally launched or nonfunctional nuclear weapon as "Broken Arrow" and used a separate name for lost devices, for example "Empty Quiver". But the military always want to sound cool and condense as many bad events as possible under one umbrella so it's easier to maintain separate layers of operational security so what use is logic in semantics?

[@steveanderson9290]

Codenames are specifically designed not to be overtly descriptive of what they represent since the codename itself is is not classified to the degree that the "file" or "operation" that it represents because uncleared individuals may encounter it. My personal experience with this was in 1971 when, on duty at the operations office of a Navy P-3 squadron as an uncleared Airman (E-3), the phone rang, and a voice at the other end said "Branding Iron" and hung up. I looked at the phone, and hung up. At the time, the duty officer and enlisted Master-at-Arms had gone to dinner and I was the only one manning the duty office. Five minutes later, the phone rang again. I answered it, and the same voice said "Branding Iron" again. This time he didn't hang up, waited a few seconds and said "Airman, do you know what that means?". "I have no idea" I replied. He said, "Is your duty officer there?" "No" I replied, "They are out to dinner." He said (very kindly), "Well when they return tell them that someone called and said "Branding Iron". "Who is this" I said. He said "That doesn't matter, just pass the message along please, they will know what to do." Twenty minutes later the Duty Officer and MAA returned and I told them the story. The blood drained from his face and he went to the classified safe and extracted a file and broke into a flurry of activity. Later he took me aside and explained that "Branding Iron" was a codeword to initiate a "scramble" of the ready alert crew. He also stated the he was in trouble but that I did everything right and not to worry about it. I never heard a word of the incident again.

[@dmk0210]

Some Russian submarine got lucky that day!

[@landtuna3469]

My ship operated with the Tico constantly during this period and I do remember them losing a plane but had no idea it carried a nuke. The Turner Joy was also one of the destroyers involved in the so-called "Gulf of Tonkin" incident. After talking with that ship's sailors we knew that was a lie from LBJ. I lost all faith in the Navy and in the US government as a result. After all, there was no way, even if the USSR or China knew the exact position of the nuke there was no way of retrieving it. BTW, US sailors pronounced the name of the city You-KUSE-ka, and not YOKO-soo-ka.

[@jeanthony4003]

Great story and you've told it well. I had a history teacher like you at Texas A&M. I loved that course, but alas I was majoring in Computer Science at that time (and couldn't remember dates worth a dam) (sp on purpose)

[@MarshOakDojoTimPruitt]

thanks

[@kaptainkaos1202]

FYI for any A-3 Skywarrior fans, the Whale that comes into view at time 10:31 is attached to VAH-4 according to its tail designator. VAH-4 later was redesignated as famed VAQ-131 flying the now converted into the glorious EA-3B, the largest Navy aircraft to routinely fly from our carriers. Please don’t point out that a C-130 Herc did it. The Whale danced on the decks routinely for many years.

[@davidhoffman1278]

Weren't there some Skywarriors and Vigilants that were quite large?

[@TomSwift-wy1gx]

@@davidhoffman1278 The A-3 Whale was the biggest jet to operate routinely on carriers. In fact, when my EA-3B hit the deck, it would bounce a bit, which the crew called the Whale Dance. As to size, there was a C-130 making landings (Forrestal, I think), but it was a test only.

[@louissimons7787]

in the Pacific, only Heavy 4 (VAH-4) flew on the small, modified WW II, carriers. That was the most difficult carrier landing routine in the Vietnam era. The plane had no ejection seats for the three man crew which led to the designation of A3D, which officially stood for Attack model #3 Douglas ( now absorbed by Boeing), to be changed aboard carriers to " all 3 dead".

[@kaptainkaos1202]

@@TomSwift-wy1gx VQ-1 or 2? I was in VQ-1 and got lucky to fly on the Whale a few times before I stuck with the EP-3

[@TomSwift-wy1gx]

@@kaptainkaos1202 Q-2, Guam. I was ELINT petty officer 75-79. My first flight was on a big bird in the SOJ, but I was soooo bored, I asked for whales immediately upon landing. You?

[@mtdover]

Excellent and fitting ending to this one, well done

[@billybob2584]

Great Vid - Thank you - was curious, why did they never recover the missing bomb from the accident in Canada?

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

It was ejected before the crash and has never been found.

[@mikebronicki8264]

It is mind-boggling to think that a nuclear bomb is just laying on a mountainside in Canada.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

@@mikebronicki8264 under snow, under water. The site was very remote and difficult to locate, and the plane was thought lost at sea. The wreck site wasn’t found until three years after the accident, with no sign of the weapon nor unusual radioactivity. The bomb did not have it’s plutonium trigger, but did include radioactive material. In 2016 a diver found what he thought might be a part of the bomb, but an investigation showed that it was not.

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

@TheHistoryGuyChannel >>> Great video...👍

[@Rorschach1024]

It was standard procedure to keep the "physics package" separate from the implosion assembly. In that way, there isn't a nuclear weapon until the two are mated together. This was the nail that the navy hung its hat upon when mooring in Japanese ports. They weren't weapons until assembled.

[@wmrayburn7620]

You're damn right that this is history that deserves to be remembered

[@RebeccaCampbell1969]

I don't think the carrier elevator is a place where pilots need to be in constant visual communication with the crew... it is possible Webster was concentrated in one of the dozen other things a pilot needs to check before going to deck. If knowing what kind of ordinance his A4 was carrying... that only meant the level of nervousness made him being distracted by his surroundings in a neutral place which is the elevator more plausible. The elevator itself would make me nervous enough. What a bad moment, bad losses of man, plane and weapon. Any other day this would have never happened.

[@Joe_VanCleave]

With the engine off and no APU connected, the aircraft has a limited amount of hydraulic pressure to operate the brakes, while being moved from flight deck to hangar bay. On the elevator is always the most crucial time for either the pilot or “plane captain” (enlisted crewman who rides the brakes while the aircraft is being towed), and calls for maximum attentiveness.

[@tbm3fan913]

On an Essex the only way to fall off is back into the hangar deck. Both L2 and L3 one can roll off the edge into the ocean and the platforms are not that small for an A-4.

[@ghrey8282]

Excellent

[@nobodyspecial7185]

There’s one sitting in the mud right off the coast to Savannah Georgia

[@sesapup]

For future reference, it's not "yoko-sooka", it's Yo-ko-ska. The "U" is usually silent in Japanese.

[@channelingusllcix3512]

amazing i had never heard of this incident

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

We should remember all Cold Warriors that died in the line of duty, Perhaps a memorial for the cold war.

[@shawnr771]

I was in the Army in the late 1980s. There were a lot of soldiers injured and killed during training.

[@jamessimms415]

@@shawnr771. Military people died as a result of the German Red Army & other such organizations in bombings.

[@-jeff-]

It's a shame that the only real surprise to me of the entire event was that the pilot's name wasn't put on the Vietnam War Memorial.

[@helenel4126]

'The only "active" one that the federal government has admitted to' would be a more accurate statement. Off the coast of Savannah, GA, there's a nuclear warhead sunk in the mud. The Army Corps of Engineers replenishes the Tybee Island sand scrupulously and annually. It can't just be for the pleasures of the local beach-going public.

[@BenjySparky]

THG you rock! Peace

[@wirebrushofenlightenment1545]

This one I was unaware of.

[@michaelnaue7363]

Well done

[@edlewis4696]

Well done, very well done. Do the Tybee Island Bomb.

[@RobertPaskulovich-fz1th]

The US Navy official policy is to neither confirm nor deny that carriers have nukes.

[@emy1111]

Have you heard about the' Kee Bird'? maybe you've done a video on it already.

[@-.Steven]

Absolutely Astonishing! Thank you History Guy! This is a real gem of forgotten, no, hidden history! Thank you for bringing it to light! Of course the government said the weapon disintegrated before reaching the ocean floor, as if they would know! We hope so, but let's not forget the Glomar Explorer. I'll bet The History Guy already has a video on that sea tale! I'll never forget being a young 21 year old, only a couple weeks out of navy bootcamp and just taking in San Diego; me and a few other sailors got on another base and boarded a ship (a destroyer I believe it was) and we just knew this ship had nuclear weapons on board, and one of us asked the E5 showing us around if the ship had nuclear weapons. I'll never forget that E5's response: "I can neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons aboard this ship." That's the Glomar Response. 😂 Classic!

[@stevedolesch9241]

Thirty thousand N-Ms for the US? The other countries at that time, 1965? Scary.

[@perryhubbard3741]

The aircraft at the 5:45 thru 7:01 mark is not a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, it is a McDonnell F3H Demon.

[@carypyke935]

Nice to see NCC-1701 In the background

[@darkwinter6028]

I’m a bit surprised that the water pressure at depth didn’t implode the pit, resulting in a detonation (which would probably have been a fizzle as the force involved wouldn’t have been sufficient to have an even spherical implosion; nor would it have been fast enough to get a high yield before the pit would have exploded). 🤔

[@SuperCatacata]

Yeah, a bomb blast at that depth wouldn't really do much.

[@richardportillo3001]

May we never forget.

[@willw8011]

Currently, the USN does not say if nuclear weapons are within aircraft carrier strike groups.

[@geauxtigersdjs]

The most potential serious nuclear incident was near Goldsboro NC on January 24 1961. As improbable as it sounds it was only luck that prevented a Mark 39 thermonuclear bomb from laying waste. The other Mark 39 that fell from the B-52 is still buried deep underground with area chained off.

[@sheldonseaton6651]

Could you cover what happened to the uss liberty in the Mediterranean during the 60's

[@jeffbangkok]

Good morning

[@timbrwolf1121]

Even though I am against whaling. I would love to hear some history on whaling ships in the US and even other militaries.

[@crow578]

Interesting that you've chosen to relate the official version of the Gulf of Tonkin incident...

[@TruthNerds]

Don't confuse the August 2, 1964, incident with the August 4 incident which apparently never happened.

[@TruthNerds]

To clarify, both the real firefight on August 2 and the imaginary firefight of August 4 (where it appears that the US basically fired in the direction of spurious radar returns that they took to be Vietnamese vessels) were used to justify the war. Politically it was very relevant and maybe should have been mentioned. But the video is about a different topic altogether so it's arguable how relevant the events of August 4 are here.

[@shawnr771]

​@@TruthNerdsI think what really should be mentioned is exactly what the USS Maddox was doing there in the first place. The USS Maddox was providing intelligence and communication servixes for clandestine South Vietnamese forces operating in North Vietnam. The US was far more involved in the war between North and South than was being admitted to the public.

[@richardmcgowan1651]

Though they never told the Japanese offically I doubt it would have caused much of a stir regardless. Since even to this day Japan and other pacific Island territories rely heavily on American hardware and man power. Especially with one county that has always been a threat and spreading its influence to other counties in the region.

[@kellywilson8440]

8:13 is a Skyhawk from the USS Coral Sea , Did a med-cruise on her with my f-18 squadron VFA-131 Wildcats assigned to CAG-13 1987/1988 good times !

[@peteengard9966]

I can bet there are a lot more nuclear weapons incidents than ever reported. In 1983 there was a short range nuclear missile that fell off the mobile launcher onto the Autobahn in Germany. The reason I know this is because it was my wrecker that picked it up and set it on the flatbed truck. They didn't mention what the missile was until the job was done.

[@marckyle5895]

"Hey! Thanks for picking up our nuke for us!"

[@robertball3578]

It wouldn't have been armed while in transit and may not even have the warhead in place. You can bet someone got demoted. They use modified trucks to transport nuc demolition charges so they have more tie-down points.

[@TomSwift-wy1gx]

Gotta ask. Did you personally pick up the weapon, or was it "your wrecker" from "your squadron" but not you personally. Asking to be clear.

[@peteengard9966]

@@TomSwift-wy1gx It was my issued M816 wrecker and I was the operator with a rigger for assistance. And yes the warheads were attached. But no arming mechanism. The missile broke out the lower rail stop from the mobile launcher. The short range tactical nukes had an operating range of 40 miles.

[@TomSwift-wy1gx]

@@peteengard9966 Very cool. Thanks for that.

[@williamscoggin1509]

I would like to say that it was not the Navy that covered up the incident, it was the Pentagon and the president.

[@jimmydcricket5893]

Situational awarness.

[@thadrobinson8343]

Good footage of the McDonnell F3H Demon @5:48 to 7:00.

[@tombland2681]

Please do a review of the USS Liberty incident.

[@idolhanz9842]

I read about this in that Naval Institute magazine..

[@plunder1956]

It makes me wonder. What is really more dangerous in such a situation. Loosing an active live Atomic bomb at sea in such a depth. Or ever trying to recover it with a deep submersible. It's terrifying that so many Atomic weapons were on one ship during a war. After all, what if the ship itself is lost?

[@michaelfabrizio6225]

Hello THG - Great topic - however a correction is in order - regarding the 1950 "Broken Arrow" incident you mentioned - the nuclear core was filled with natural (not refined) uranium. It was filled with a fake practice core as the Convair B-36B 44-92075 aircraft was on a simulated bombing run. The ship developed serious engine trouble with three of it's six engines. The crew decided to abandon the aircraft because it could not stay aloft with three engines out of commission while carrying a heavy payload. The atomic bomb was jettisoned and detonated in mid-air, resulting in a large conventional explosion over the Inside Passage. The USAF later stated that the fake practice core on board the aircraft was inserted into the weapon before it was dropped.[2] - (WIKIPEDIA)

[@ronaldschoolcraft8654]

Well done.

[@jjohnsonTX]

love the footage of the Demon's making passes and landings on the Ticonderoga before she was modified with the angled flight deck.

[@mikew1332]

Those were Demons - thank you! I knew they weren't Skyhawks but I wasn't sure what they were.