Replies

Control of the great lakes was a must. Whoever controlled the lake had a faster mode of troop transport and keeping troops supplied. Commander Robert Barclay thought his little undermanned fleet could beat the Americans for control of Lake Erie. Barclay's force had the tree hundred ton Detroit with seventeen guns and two carronades (Commander Robert Barclay), the two hundred ton Queen Charlotte with tree guns and fourteen carronades (Commander Robert Finnis), the ninety six ton Lady Prevost with three guns and ten carronades (Lieutenant Edward Buchan), the seventy five ton General Hunter boasting six guns and two carronades (George Bignell), the sixty ton Little Belt with three guns and the single 9pounder Chippawa weighing thirty five tons (John Campbell).

To oppose this the commander of the American fleet, Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry, had the Lawrence weighing two hundred and sixty tons armed with two guns and eighteen carronades (Perry), the two hundred and sixty ton Niagara with two guns and eighteen carronades, the eighty five ton Caledonia with two guns and a single carronade, the sixty ton Ariel with four guns, the Somers weighing sixty five tons with a single gun and carronade, the Scorpion with the same amount of guns as the Somers and the Porcupine, Tigress and Trippe each weighing fifty tons with a lone gun on swivels.

Waiting for re-enforcements half the summer (which never came), finally on September 9th, Barclay set sail in search of a fight. The next morning white dots could be seen across the horizon. At 10:00 AM the two fleets were still ten km. apart. Finally at 11:45 the bugle sounded as the crews of the British ships cleared the deck for battle. A sot was fired from one of the Detroit's 24pounders, but fell short. A second shot hit the Lawrence forward bulwark.

The gap closed between the Detroit and the Lawrence as the Chippawa and Detroit raked Perry's flagship. The Queen Charlotte was being hammered by the Niagara and Caledonia killing Commander Finnis. Lieutenant Thomas Stokoe also fell with a splinter wound, giving command to Provincial Marine Lieutenant Robert Irvine.

At 2:30, Perry abandoned the Lawrence since it was too badly damaged and moved his ensign to the Niagara. The Niagara was out of the battle at the start and was untouched when it engaged the Detroit. A canister shot struck Barclay's shoulder blade during the shoot out, giving command to George Inglis.

Captain Oliver Perry

The Niagara kept firing at the Detroit with her carronades. Inglis ordered the starboard battery to be put into action. As the ship started to turn the Queen Charlotte smashed into the Detroit. The two ships' rigging were tangled, and the Niagara was coming up to exploit that. The only figure left on the Lady Prevost was her captain screaming in pain with a huge wound in his back.

The Queen Charlotte pulled down her ensign after the two ships broke free and the Detroit shortly after. After the battle Perry would not let the British officers give up their swords after such a awesome fight.

Now the Americans could transport troops and supplies to almost anywhere quickly, and safe

Oliver Hazard Perry

The most important person to remember in the history of the U.S. Brig NIAGARA is her relief commander during the Battle of Lake Erie, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. It was Perry who penned the famous report of victory, "We have met the enemy and they are ours..." after the defeat of the British squadron.

Perry was born on August 23, 1785, at the Old Perry Homestead in South Kingston, Rhode Island, of "Fighting Quaker parents." His father was in the United States Navy and young Perry soon followed. At the age of 13, Perry entered the Navy as a midshipman, where his first assignment was in the Caribbean under the command of his father aboard the sloop-of-war, GENERAL GREENE.

Perry's subsequent voyages took him to Europe and Africa during the Barbary Wars. In 1805, at the age of 20, Perry became a lieutenant and was given the command of a small schooner. Next, he was called to oversee the construction of a number of gunboats ordered by President Thomas Jefferson. When this job was successfully completed, Perry was given the command of the 14-gun vessel REVENGE and cruised the northern- and mid-Atlantic waters of the Eastern United States.

In January 1811, Perry was ordered to survey a number of Rhode Island harbors. Unfortunately, through faulty piloting and bad weather, REVENGE wrecked on a reef. Perry requested an inactive status and an investigation. The court of inquiry found him blameless for the loss and actually applauded him for his valiant attempts to save public property.

In May 1812, Perry returned to active duty and received a promotion to master-commandant. One month later the United States declared war on Great Britain, citing British policies that infringed on the American trade and freedom of the seas. He was given command of 12 gunboats at Newport and New London. Perry lost interest in the relative inactivity of this post, and, in September 1812, requested duty on the high seas or the Great Lakes.

This flag, one of the most historic in the annals of the United States Navy, was commissioned by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and flown in his flagship, the USS Lawrence, during the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813. The slogan "Don't give up the ship" came from the last words of the vessel's namesake, Captain James Lawrence, as he lay mortally wounded on the deck of the USS Chesapeake three months earlier. In what was certainly the most famous shifting of flags ever carried out in U.S. naval history, Perry took this battle flag along with his commodore's broad pennant from the sinking Lawrence and hoisted them in the USS Niagara before going on to capture the entire British squadron on the lake, HMS Detroit, HMS Charlotte, and four smaller vessels mounting a total of 63 guns to Perry's 54. This flag is now in the possession of the United States Naval Academy. The image above was made from a photograph of the original.

In February 1813, he was ordered to Commodore Isaac Chauncey's command at Sacket's Harbor, Lake Ontario. Perry reached Chauncey's headquarters on March 3. Because British attacks were expected momentarily, Chauncey kept Perry with him for two weeks. The attacks failed to materialize and Chauncey decided that Perry would be of better use in Erie, Pennsylvania, where a fleet was being constructed to wrest control of Lake Erie from the British who already had a small squadron there. Perry was fully briefed on the situation in Erie and was sent to command the project. He worked well with Noah Brown, the master builder who Commodore Chauncey had hired earlier.

Although facing many adverse conditions, including lack of men and materials, Perry and his men successfully completed six vessels by July 1813. These six were joined by others from Buffalo. Two months later, on September 10, 1813, the American squadron commanded by Perry fought a British squadron commanded by Captain Robert Barclay, RN.

The Battle of Lake Erie began with Perry aboard his flagship LAWRENCE. In the early stages of the battle, however, LAWRENCE and her crew took most of the enemy's fire. LAWRENCE was severely damaged and over 80 percent of Perry's crew were killed or wounded by concentrated British gunfire. In an attempt to change defeat to victory, Perry, carrying his battle flag emblazoned with Captain Lawrence's dying words, "Don't Give Up The Ship," transferred from LAWRENCE to the lightly damaged NIAGARA in a small boat. He took command of NIAGARA and sailed her into the British battle line. The British had also taken heavy casualties from the Lawrence' fire. Broadsides from the fresh NIAGARA compelled their surrender within 15 minutes of Perry's transfer.

Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial was declared a national monument on July 4, 1936 by proclamation of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Symbolizing nearly two centuries of peace between the United States and Canada, the monument is administered by the US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, and it is the only international peace memorial in the National Park system.

Immediately following his victory at the Battle of Lake Erie, Perry penned the famous words, 'We have met the enemy and they are ours..." in his report to General William Henry Harrison.

Perry was the first in history to defeat an entire British squadron and successfully bring back every ship to his base as a prize of war. Perry, at the age of 28, was hailed by the public as a national hero for his victory on Lake Erie.

After his victory in the War of 1812, Perry was promoted to the rank of Captain and given command of the new frigate JAVA. Then in 1819, as commander of JOHN ADAMS, Perry was sent to Venezuela on a diplomatic mission. After completing his mission he contracted yellow fever and died at sea near Trinidad on August 23, 1819, his 34th birthday. He was buried at Port of Spain, Trinidad, with full military honors. In 1826, his remains were moved from Trinidad to Newport, Rhode Island, where a monument in his honor was erected by the state.

Additional Sources:

members.attcanada.ca
www.brigniagara.org
www.nuwc.navy.mil
www.shippaintings.com
www.homewego.com
www.senate.gov
www.philaprintshop.com
www.navysna.org
www.galafilm.com
www.acs.ohio-state.edu
home.earthlink.net/~mcmillanj
www.northwestern.edu
www.put-in-bay.com

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on April 21:
1488 Ulrich von Hutten German poet/humanist/patriot
1546 Arcangelo Crivelli composer
1619 John A van Riebeeck colonial director/founder (Cape Colony)
1672 Johann Philipp Kafer composer
1713 Louis Duke de Noailles marshal of France
1729 Catharina II the Great, writer/emperess of Russia (1762-96)
1730 Antonin Kammel composer
1749 Johann Michael Malzat composer
1774 Jean-Baptiste Biot French physicist/astronomer (balloonist)
1775 Alexander Anderson US, engraver/illustrator (Shakespeare)
1779 William Knyvett composer
1782 Friedrich W A Fröbel Germany, educator (founded kindergarten)
1795 Vincenzo Pallotti Italian saint
1803 Levin Minn Powell Commander (Union Navy), died in 1885
1806 Peter van Schendel Dutch painter
1809 Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter Secretary of State (Confederacy)
1814 Beni Egressy composer
1816 Charlotte Brontë Tornton England, novelist (Jane Eyre)
1816 Louis Trezevant Wigfall Confederate Army, died in 1874
1824 Anselmo Clave composer
1828 Hippolyte Taine French philosopher/historian (Voyage in Italy)
1834 William Rufus Terrill Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1862
1837 Fredrik Bajer Denmark, politican/feminist/pacifist (Nobel 1908)
1838 John Muir US, naturalist (discovered glaciers in High Sierras)
1838 Nat Thompson cricketer (1st batsman dismissed in a Test match)
1840 Franz Xaver Haberl German priest/musicologist (Magister choralis)
1849 Oskar Hertwig Germany, embryologist, discovered fertilization
1853 Charles-Theodore Malherbe composer
1854 Eusapia Palladino Napolitanse with parergische phenomenons
1854 Wladyslaw Rzepko composer
1864 Max Weber German sociologist/economist/historian (Ancient Judaism)
1867 Benjamin A Jesurun Antillian literary
1871 Leo Blech composer
1871 Vojtech Rihovsky composer
1872 G W Bitzer [Johann Gottlob Wilhelm Bitzer] Roxbury MA
1878 Albert Weisgerber German painter/graphic artist
1881 Jules-Marie Canneel Flemish painter/caricaturist (Rocks of Oran)
1886 Charlie Naughton Glasgow Scotland, actor (Frozen Limits)
1887 Lillian Walker Brooklyn NY, entertainer
1892 ? 1st buffalo born in Golden Gate Park
1892 Jaroslav Kvapil composer
1896 Attila Hörbiger Austrian actor (Die Grosse Liebe, Die Julika)
1896 Henry M de Montherlant French stage author (La Reine Morte)
1898 Steve Owen NFL tackle, coach (New York Giants)
1899 Randall Thompson New York NY, composer (Trip to Nahant)
1899 Clement D'Hooghe composer
19-- Christopher [Chip] Mayer New York NY, actor (Vance-Dukes of Hazzard, Glitter)
1901 Julian Bautista composer
1902 Bernard J H "Ben" Stroman recensent/writer (Jomtof & Blue Beard)
1903 Hans Hedtoft premier Denmark (1947..55)
1904 Jean Hélion artist/author (They Shall Not Have Me)
1904 Gijsbert van Hall banker/mayor of Amsterdam (1957-67)
1905 Edmund G "Pat" Brown (Governor-Democrat-CA)
1906 Tom Burns editor
1907 Beatrice Kay New York NY, singer/actress (Sister Sue-Calvin & the Colonel)
1907 Antoni Szalowski composer
1908 Louis Hostin France, Light Heavyweight (Olympics-gold-1932, 36)
1909 Rollo May US, psychologist (Love & Will)
1911 Leonard Warren New York NY, baritone (Metropolitan Opera 1939-60) died on stage
1912 Feike P Asma Dutch organist
1912 Marcel Camus French director, Orfeu negro)
1912 Nell [Petronella GS] Koppen actress, Kniertje-Op Hoop van Zegen)
1913 Choh Hao Li biochemist professor (isolated growth hormones)
1913 Norman Parkinson England, fashion photographer (Harper's Bazaar)
1913 Kai-Uwe von Hassel German politician
1915 Anthony Quinn Chihuahua México, actor (Zorba the Greek, Lawrence of Arabia)
1915 Andor Kovach composer
1915 Frick [W Groebli] Swiss clown (Frick & Frack)
1916 Sidney Clute Brooklyn NY, actor (Lou Grant, Cagney & Lacey)
1917 Emanuel Vardi Jerusalem Israel, violist (San Diego Symphony 1978-82)
1919 Franc [Franklin E] Essed Suriname agricultural eng, Oper Grasshopper)
1919 John Goddard cricketer, West Indian all-rounder 1948-57)
1920 Bruno Maderna Venice Italy, conductor/composer (Hyperion)
1920 Christopher Dark New York NY, actor, (Suddenly, Tenderfoot)
1921 Jack Fletcher Forrest Hills NY, actor (Grady, Bob Crane Show)
1922 Allan Watkins cricketer, England batsman late 40s early 50s)
1923 Andrea Domburg Dutch actress, (Theo d'Or Prize, Keetje Tippel)
1924 Ira Louvin Rainsville AL, country singer (Louvin Brothers)
1924 Daniel Melnick New York NY, producer, Get Smart)
1926 Elizabeth [Alexandra Mary Windsor II] queen of England (1952- )
1927 Robert Brustein New York NY, dean (Yale School of Drama)
1930 Silvana Mangano Rome Italy, actress (Death in Venice, Barabbas)
1930 Don Tyson founder, Tyson Foods)
1930 Margaret Rose London England, Princess of York [or Aug 21]
1932 Elaine May Philadelphia PA, comedienne/writer/actress (New Leaf)
1932 Angela Mortimer English tennis player, Wimbledon)
1933 Easley Blackwood Indianapolis IN, composer (Un Voyage á Cythere)
1934 Martin Horton cricketer, England off-spin all rounder, 2 Tests 1959)
1935 Charles Grodin Pittsburgh PA, actor (Beethoven, Woman in Red, Lonely Guy, Heartbreak Kid)
1935 Robin Dixon England, 2 man bobsled (Olympics-gold-1960)
1936 Bob Cleary US, ice hockey player (Olympics-gold-1960)
1936 Anthony Joseph Gnazzo composer
1937 Charles Lee Herron Kentucky, FBI most wanted fugitive (Jan 1 1986)
1939 Ernie Maresca singer/songwriter (Runaround Sue, Wanderer)
1939 John McCabe composer
1940 Souleymane Cisse director (Waati, Yeelen, Finye, Baara)
1942 Bobby McClure US gospel singer (Don't Mess Up a Good Thing)
1946 S Venkataraghavan cricket (Indian off-spinner, Test ump, ICC referee)
1947 Iggy Pop [James Newell Osterberg] Ypsilanti MI, rocker (Zombie Birdhouse)
1947 John Weider bassist (Family-Family Entertainment)
1947 Alan Warner rocker (Foundations)
1948 Claire Denis Paris France, actress (Boom Boom, Chocolat)
1948 Gary A Condit (Representative-Democrat-CA)
1948 Lord Egremont English large landowner/multi-millionaire
1948 Paul Davis Meridian MI, country/rock vocalist (I Go Crazy)
1949 Patti LuPone Northport NY, stage/screen actress/singer (Evita, Life Goes On)
1951 Tony Danza Brooklyn, (Tony Banta-Taxi, Tony Micelli-Who's the Boss)
1951 Aleksandr Ivanovich Laveykin Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-2)
1951 Nicoel Barclay rocker
1951 Paul Carrack Sheffield England, rock vocalist (Mike + the Mechanics-All I Need Is A Miracle, Squeeze/Ace-How Long)
1953 Edward Ray Fiori Lynwood CA, PGA golfer (1979 Southern Open)
1954 Dale Eggeling Statesboro GA, LPGA golfer (1995 Oldsmobile Classic)
1956 Rick DeMont US, 400 meter swimmer, drug disqualification (1972 Olympics)
1957 Jesse Orosco Santa Barbara CA, baseball relief pitcher (New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers)
1958 Andie [Rosalie Anderson] MacDowell Gaffney SC, actress (Groundhog Day, Multiplicity, Greystoke)
1958 Kyle Stevens LPGA golfer
1959 Robert Smith Sussex England, rock guitarist/vocalist (Cure-Just Like Heaven )
1960 Julius Korir Kenya, 3K steeplechaser (Olympics-gold-1984)
1962 Sergei Viktorovich Zalyotin Russia, Major/cosmonaut
1963 John Cameron Mitchell El Paso TX, actor (Misplaced, Band of the Hand)
1963 Ken Caminiti Hanford CA, infielder (San Diego Padres)
1964 Louise Mullard Kurri Kurri New South Wales, golfer (1990 T3 Coca Cola Classic)
1965 Karen Foster Lufkin TX, playmate (October 1989)
1965 Ed Belfour Carman, NHL goalie (Chicago Blackhawks)
1965 Gary Grant NBA guard (New York Knicks)
1966 Judy Diduck ice hockey defenseman (Canada, Olympics-98)
1968 Peter van Foxes soccer player (Ajax)
1969 Conrad Clarks NFL center (Indianapolis Colts)
1969 Dwight Hollier NFL linebacker (Miami Dolphins)
1970 Israel Stanley NFL/WLAF defensive end (New Orleans Saints, Rhein Fire)
1970 Stewart Malgunas Prince George, NHL defenseman (Washington Capitals)
1971 Samantha Druce youngest woman to swim the English Channel
1971 Jennifer Reed Miss Michigan-USA (1997)
1971 Tom Cavallo NFL/WLAF linebacker (Frankfurt Galaxy, San Francisco 49ers)
1971 Tony Mcgee NFL tight end (Cincinnati Bengals)
1972 David Williams Bedford PA, outfielder (San Francisco Giants)
1972 Lori Flick Boston MA, Miss Massachusetts-America (1997)
1972 Tia Jackson WNBA forward (Phoenix Mercury)
1974 Brice Hunter wide receiver (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
1975 Angela Michelle Hughes Anderson SC, Miss South Carolina-America (1997)
1975 Danyon Joseph Loader Dunedin New Zealand, 200 meter/400 meter swimmer (Olympics-2 gold-96)
1977 Karen Ann Peterson Miss Aruba-Universe (1997)
1978 Avi Phillips Ontario Canada, actor (Maniac Mansion)
1978 Aimee Delatte Miss Arkansas Teen-USA (1996)
1978 Melissa Coish Miss New Hampshire Teen-USA (1996)
1984 Ashley Peldon Staten Island NY, actress (Marah Lewis-Guilding Light, Deceived)

Deaths which occurred on April 21:
1073 Alexander II [Anselmo da Baggio] Pope (1061-73), dies
1109 Anselmus philosopher/archbishop of Canterbury, dies
1142 Pierre Abélard French philosopher (Sic et Non, Héloïse), dies at 62
1509 Henry VII 1st Tudor king of England (1485-1509), dies at 52
1552 Peter Apianus [Bennewitz/Bienewitz] German astronomer, dies at 50
1574 Cosimo de Medici Italian duke of Toscane, dies at about 54
1652 Pietro Della Valle composer, dies at 66
1696 Andres de Sola composer, dies at 61
1699 Jean Racine French playwright (Phèdre), dies at 59
1730 Jan Palfijn Flemish physician/inventor (forceps), dies at 79
1736 Frans Eugenius duke/prince of Savoye, dies at 72
1780 Ferdinand Zellbell composer, dies at 60
1871 Elisabeth Grube writer, dies
1878 Temistocle Solera composer, dies at 62
1898 Louis Theodore Gouvy composer, dies at 78
1899 Heinrich Kiepert German cartographer/geographer, dies at 80
1900 Heinrich Vogl composer, dies at 55
1910 Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] author(Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn), dies in Redding CT at 74
1918 "Red Baron" [Manfred von Richtofen] shot down in WWI at 25
1924 Eleanora Duse Italian actress (La Gioconda, La Locandiera), dies at 64
1930 Christine [Elizabeth C] Poolman Dutch actress (Mother), dies at 79
1930 Robert S Bridges poet laureate (Testament of beauty), dies at 85
1938 Muhammad Iqbal Brt E Indies lawyer/Pakistan national hero, dies at 65
1939 Herman Finck composer, dies at 66
1945 John Poston British Major/Montgomery's ADC, dies in battle at 25
1946 John M Keynes English economist (How to pay for the war?), dies at 62
1946 Robert Graham cricketer (3 wickets for South Africa in 2 Tests 1898-99), dies
1948 Carlos Lopez Buchardo composer, dies at 66
1952 [Richard] Stafford Cripps English minister of Plane-manufacturing, dies at 62
1952 Leslie Banks actor (Henry V, 21 Days, Eye Witness), dies at 61
1961 James Melton opera tenor (Ford Festival), dies at 57
1962 Frederick Handley Page designer of 1st big airplane (40 seats), dies
1965 Edward V Appleton English physicist (Nobel Prize 1947), dies at 72
1967 André L Danjon French astronomer, dies at 77
1968 Toby Halicki car-crash film producer 48, killed shooting stunt
1968 Norman Demuth composer, dies at 69
1971 Edmund Lowe actor (Front Page Detective), dies at 81
1971 François "Doc" Duvalier dictator of Haiti, dies at 64
1973 Ursula Jeans [McMinn] actress (Cavalcade, Over the Moon), dies at 66
1975 Jack Allan Westrup composer, dies at 70
1977 Gummo [Milton] Marx US comic (Marx Brothers), dies at 84
1978 Sandy Denny country singer, dies at 37
1981 Harry Lee cricketer (scored 18 & 1 in only Test for England), dies
1982 Joe Sawyer actor (Biff O'Hara-Adventures of Rin Tin Tin), dies at 80
1983 Walter Slezak actor, commits suicide at his New York home at 80
1985 Rudi Gernreich US designer (miniskirt), dies at 62
1985 Tancredo Neves President-elect of Brazil, dies at 75
1987 Edith S Green (Representative-Democrat-OR), dies at 77
1989 James Kirkwood actor/writer (Devil's Holiday), dies at 64
1990 Erté art deco stylist, dies at 97
1990 Johnny Beagley winner of two 1942 World Series games, dies
1991 Richard Bolling (Representative-Democrat-MO), dies at 74
1991 Willi Boskovsky Austrian conductor (new years concert), dies at 81
1992 Robert Harris murderer, executed in California's gas chamber at 39
1992 Vladimir K Romanov Grand Duke/Russian pretender to the throne, dies at 74
1993 Hal Schumacher baseball pitcher, dies at 82
1994 Clement Merk animal trainer, dies at 93
1995 Robert Elliott Storey Wyatt cricketer, dies at 93
1995 Stafford Heginbotham toymaker/Football Club Chairman, dies at 61
1996 A H Kardar cricketer (3 Tests for India & 23 for Pakistan 1946-58), dies
1996 Dzhokhar Dudayev President of Republic of Chechenia (1991), dies at 52
1996 Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder oddsmaker/sportscaster (CBS), dies at 76
1996 Robert Hersant press baron, dies at 76
1996 Rodney Meredith Thomas architect/painter, dies at 93
1996 Zora Arkus-Duntov engineer, dies at 86
1997 Andres Rodriguez Paraguayan President (1989-93), dies
1997 Diosdado Macapagal Philippine President (1961-65), dies

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1966 AUSTIN ELLIS E. VERMONTVILLE MI.
POSS DEAD

1966 KELLER JACK E. CHICAGO IL.

1967 HAMILTON ROGER DALE BALTIMORE MD.

1967 HASENBACH PAUL A. FREEBURG MO.
DISAPEARED WHILE ON SAMPAN

1967 MANGINO THOMAS A. ALLIANCE OH.
DISAPEARED WHILE ON SAMPAN

1967 NIDDS DANIEL R. WEST ISLIP NY.
DISAPPEARED WHILE ON SAMPAN

1967 WINTERS DAVID M. DELPHIA CA.
DISAPEARED WHILE ON SAMPAN

1968 CREAMER JAMES E. NORTH BRANFORD CT.

1968 JOHNSON FRANKIE B. JR. FOUNTAIN INN SC..

1968 JAMERSON LARRY C. ROSMAN NC.

1968 LINK ROBERT C. WASHINGTON DC.

1968 MAC KEDANZ LYLE E. HUTCHINSON MN.

1968 OLSEN FLOYD W. WHEATON IL.

1968 SPINDLER JOHN GATES ST LOUIS MO.

1970 WHEELER EUGENE L. ASHVILLE OH.
"VOICE CONTACT, IN SHOOTOUT"

1978 MAC NAMARA LEN
PHNOM PHENH JAIL TIL 11/78

1978 CLARK JAMES W.
PHNOM PHENH JAIL TIL 11/78

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
0753 -BC- Traditional date of the foundation of Rome
0953 Otto I the Great gives Utrecht fishing rights
1420 Treaty of Saint Maartens Dike
1453 Turkish fleet sinks ships Golden Receiver in Constantinople
1477 Maximilian of Habsburg marries Maria of Bourgondië at proxy
1509 Henry the VIII becomes King of England
1521 Battle at Villalar Emperor Charles I beats Communards
1526 Battle at Panipat Mogol Emperor Babur beats sultan Ibrahim Lodi
1572 France & England sign anti-Spanish military covenant
1600 1st date in James Clavell's novel Shogun (OS)
1649 Maryland Toleration Act passed, allowing all freedom of worship
1654 England & Sweden sign trade agreement
1689 William III & Mary Stuart proclaimed king & queen of England
1739 Spain & Naples-Austria sign peace accord
1785 Russian tsarina Catharina II ends noble privileges
1789 John Adams sworn in as 1st US Vice President (9 days before Washington)
1794 NYC formally declares coast of Ellis Island publically owned, so they can build forts to protect NYC from British
1818 Franz Grillparzer's "Sappho", premieres in Vienna
1828 Noah Webster publishes 1st American dictionary
1836 Battle of San Jacinto, in which Texas wins independence from México
1856 1st railroad bridge across Mississippi River, Rock Island IL-Davenport IA
1857 Alexander Douglas patents the bustle
1862 Congress establishes US Mint in Denver CO
1862 Ellen Price Wood's "East Lynne, premieres in Boston
1863 Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh; Bahá'í Feast of Ridván (Jalâl 13, 20)
1865 Abraham Lincoln's funeral train leaves Washington
1878 The ship Azor leaves Charleston with 206 blacks for Liberia
1878 New York installs 1st firehouse pole
1878 Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Inscrutabili
1884 Potters Field reopened as Madison Park
1892 1st buffalo born in Golden Gate Park
1892 Black Longshoremen strike for higher wages in St Louis Mo
1894 George Bernard Shaw's "Arms & the Man", premieres in London
1898 Phillies' pitcher Bill Duggleby hits a grand slam on 1st at bat
1898 Spanish-American War begins
1904 Ty Cobb makes his pro debut for Augusta (South Atlantic League)
1908 Frederick A Cook claims to reach North Pole (He didn't)
1910 Cleveland Naps play 1st game at League Park, lose to Detroit Tigers 5-0
1913 German passenger ship Imperator runs aground
1913 Gideon Sundback of Sweden patents the zipper
1914 US marines occupy Vera Cruz México, stay 6 months
1920 John Galsworthy's "Skin Game", premieres in London
1921 Ottawa Senators beat Vancouver Millionaires 3 games to 2 for Stanley Cup
1925 Chuvash Autonomous Region in RSFSR becomes Chuvash ASSR
1925 No baseball games played in National League due to Charles Ebbets' funeral
1925 Noël Coward's "Fallen Angels", premieres in London
1930 Fire (set as part of an escape attempt) at Ohio State Penitentiary kills 320
1930 Vladimir Mayakovsky's "Moskva Golid", premieres in Moscow
1934 Moe Berg, Senators catcher, plays American League record 117th cons errorless game
1935 King Boris of Bulgaria forbids all political parties
1940 1st $64 Question, "Take It or Leave It", on CBS Radio
1940 Netherlands beats Belgium 4-2 in soccer
1941 Greece surrenders to Nazi-Germany
1944 NFL Chicago Cardinals & Pittsburgh Steelers merge (dissolves on Dec 3)
1945 Allied troops occupy German nuclear laboratory
1945 Ivor Nivello's "Perchance to Dream", premieres in London
1945 Russian army arrives at outskirts of Berlin
1945 US 7th Army occupies Neurenberg
1946 SED, Socialistic Einheitspartei Germany forms in East Germany
1948 1st Polaroid camera is sold in US
1948 2nd NBA Championship Baltimore Bullets beat Philadelphia Warriors, 4 games to 2
1951 5th NBA Championship Rochester Royals beat New York Knicks, 4 games to 3
1951 Stanley Cup Toronto Maple Leafs beat Montréal Canadiens, 4 games to 1
1952 BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) begins 1st passenger service with jets (London-Rome route)
1954 Gregori Malenkov becomes premier of USSR
1954 USAF flies French battalion to Vietnam
1955 Brooklyn Dodgers win 10th straight game to begin a season (this was a record at the time)
1955 Jerome Lawrence & Robert E Lee's "Inherit the Wind", premieres in NYC
1955 Minas Gerais Argentina tunnel caves in; 30 die
1956 Elvis Presley's 1st hit record, "Heartbreak Hotel", becomes #1
1957 Marlene Hagge wins LPGA Babe Didrikson-Zaharias Golf Open
1957 Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Fidei Donum
1959 Alf Dean (using a rod and reel) hooks a 2,664lb, 16' 10" great white shark (largest fish ever caught on a rod)
1960 Brasilia becomes the capital of Brazil
1961 French army revolts in Algeria
1961 USAF Major Robert M White takes X-15 to an altitude of 32,000 meters
1961 Dirk U Stikker chosen as Secretary-General of NATO
1962 Century 21 Exposition opens in Seattle WA
1963 Beatles meet Rolling Stones for 1st time
1963 Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Sunshine Women's Golf Open
1963 Dr Michael Ellis De Bakey performs 1st successful heart implant
1964 Pirates & Cubs combine for 9 homeruns, Pirates win 8-5
1965 New York World's Fair reopens for 2nd & final season
1966 Emperor Haile Selassie (Ethiopia) visits Kingston Jamaica
1967 Los Angeles Dodgers 1st rain out in Los Angeles (after 737 consecutive games)
1967 Svetlana Alliluyeva (Josef Stalin's daughter) defects in NYC
1967 EO, Evangelical Broadcasting, begins in Netherlands
1967 Military coup in Greece, Konstantinos Kollias becomes premier
1968 22nd Tony Awards Rosencranz & Guilderstern & Hallelujah Baby! win
1968 Carol Mann wins LPGA Lady Carling Golf Open
1969 Record 1,152 starters compete in Boston Marathon
1969 73rd Boston Marathon won by Yoshiaki Unetani of Japan in 2:13:49
1971 Original Codex Reguis (with Edda-liederen) returns to Iceland
1972 John Young & Charles Duke explore Moon (Apollo 16)
1972 Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 4 (Copernicus) launched
1974 28th Tony Awards River Niger & Raisin win
1974 3rd Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Jo Ann Prentice
1975 Last South Vietnam President Nguyen Van Thieu resigns after 10 years
1975 4th Boston Women's Marathon won by Liane Winter of West Germany in 2:42:24
1975 79th Boston Marathon won by Bill Rodgers of Massachusetts in 2:09:55
1976 Swine Flu vaccine, for non-epidemic, enters testing
1976 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1977 Billy Martin pulls Yankee line-up out of a hat, beats Blue Jays 8-6
1977 Charles Strouse & Martin Charnins musical "Annie" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 2377 performances
1977 Zia ur-Rahman appointed President of Bangladesh
1979 "Carmelina" closes at St James Theater NYC after 17 performances
1980 84th Boston Marathon won by Bill Rodgers of Massachusetts in 2:12:11
1980 9th Boston Women's Marathon won by Jacqueline Gareau of Canada in 2:34:28 Rosie Ruiz disqualified as women's champion; she hadn't run entire course
1980 Howard Stern begins broadcasting on WWWW Detroit MI
1981 US furnish $1 billion in arms to Saudi-Arabia
1982 Atlanta Braves win their 13th straight game
1982 Dutch Queen Beatrice addresses US Congress
1983 £1 coin introduced in United Kingdom
1984 "Nightline" reverts back from 1 hour to ½ hour
1984 After 37 weeks, "Thriller" is knocked off as top album by "Footloose"
1984 Franz Weber of Austria skis downhill at a record 209.8 kph
1984 Montréal Expo David Palmer no-hits St Louis Cardinals, 4-0 in a perfect 5 inning game
1984 Centers for Disease Control says virus discovered in France causes AIDS
1985 Flyers 5-Islanders 2-Patrick Division Finals-Flyers hold 2-0 lead
1985 Ingrid Kristiansen wins the London Marathon in a record 2:21:6
1985 Bomb attack in NATO/AEG-Telefunken building in Brussels
1985 Patty Sheehan wins LPGA J&B Scotch Pro-Am Golf Tournament
1986 Bob Hering sets Formula One power boat record (165.338 mph, Arizona)
1986 Geraldo Rivera opens Al Capone's vault on TV & finds nothing
1986 15th Boston Women's Marathon won by I Kristiansen of Norway in 2:24:55
1986 90th Boston Marathon won by Rob de Castella of Australia in 2:07:51
1987 Dow Jones Average soars 664.7; 2nd biggest one-day gain in history
1987 Milwaukee Brewers lose, ending American League season-opening winning streak at 13 games
1987 Richard Hadlee makes highest Test Cricket score of 151 (v Sri Lanka)
1987 Tamil bomb attack in Colombo Sri Lanka, 115 killed
1988 Barbra Streisand records "You'll Never Know"
1988 1st four-day games in County Cricket Championship commence
1989 Thousands of Chinese crowd into Beijing's Tiananmen Square cheering students demanding greater political freedom
1990 "Cartoon All Stars to the Rescue" shown on all 4 TV networks
1990 National League umpire is arrested for stealing baseball cards
1990 Cincinnati Reds win running their record to 9-0, best start in club history
1991 52nd PGA Seniors Golf Championship Jack Nicklaus wins
1991 Greatest extra-inning comeback, Pittsburgh scores 6 in bottom of 11th erasing 5 run Chicago Cub lead, Pirates also trailed 7-2 in bottom of 9th
1991 Jakov Tolstikov wins 4th World Cup marathon (2:09:17)
1991 Rosa Mota wins 4th World Cup female marathon (2:26:14)
1992 "High Rollers" opens at Helen Hayes theater on Broadway
1992 Mobil Oil tug with 12,000 gallons of oil run aground in Arthur Kill
1993 "Wilder, Wilder, Wilder" opens at Circle in Square NYC for 30 performances
1993 Brazil votes against a monarchy
1993 Rolling Stone Bill Wyman weds Suzanne Accosta on French Riveria
1994 "Picnic" opens at Criterion Theater NYC for 45 performances
1994 Eddie Murray sets record for switch hit homeruns in a games (11 times)
1994 Serbian army bombs distress clinic in Goradze Bosnia, 28 killed
1995 Boston Celtics final game at Boston Gardens, New York Knicks win 98-92
1995 FBI arrests Timothy McVeigh & charge him with Oklahoma City bombing
1996 57th PGA Seniors Golf Championship Hale Irwin
1996 Barb Mucha wins LPGA Chick-fil-A Charity Golf Championship
1996 Chicago Bulls win NBA record 72 games (72-8)
1996 Edward Albee's "A Delicate Balance", opens at Plymouth Theater NYC
1996 Matabeleland beat Mashonaland Country Dist to win Logan Cup
1996 Wayne James scores 99 & 99 & ct 11 stp 2 in Logan Cup Final
1997 101st Boston Marathon won by Lameck Aguta of Kenya in 2:10:34
1997 26th Boston Women's Marathon won by Fatuma Roba of Ethopia in 2:26:23
1997 Ashes of Timothy Leary & Gene Roddenberry launched into orbit

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Belize, Hong Kong : Queen's Birthday
Brazil : Tiradentes Day/Día de Tiradentes/Brasilia Day (1789, 1960)
Indonesia : Kartini Day
Israel : Deliverance from Egypt
Taiwan : Death of Chiang Kai-shek/Tomb Sweeping Day (non leap years)
Texas : San Jacinto Day (1836)
Massachusetts, Maine : Patriots Day-Boston Marathon run (1775) - - - - - ( Monday )

Religious Observances
Ancient Rome : Parilia, honoring Pales, protector of flocks & herds
Denmark : Common Prayer
Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican : St Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, confessor/doctor

Religious History
1649 The Toleration Act was passed by the Maryland Assembly. It protected Roman Catholics within the American colony against Protestant harassment, which had been rising as Oliver Cromwell's power in England increased.
1783 Birth of English churchman and hymnwriter Reginald Heber. Heber published his first hymn at 28, and among his best remembered today are: "Holy, Holy, Holy," "The Son of God Goes Forth to War" and "From Greenland's Icy Mountains."
1828 English churchman John Henry Newman wrote in a letter to his sister: 'May I be patient! It is so difficult to make real what one believes, and to make these trials, as they are intended, real blessings.'
1878 Leo XIII published the encyclical, "Inscrutabili dei consilio." It outlined a program of reconciling the Catholic Church with modern civilization, many of its details reversing policies of his predecessor, Pius IX.
1897 Birth of A. W. Tozer, one of the most popular and influential pastors to come out of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church. Tozer was also a prolific writer, and his best- known publications include "The Pursuit of God" (1948) and "The Root of Righteousness" (1955).

Thought for the day :
"Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better."

Just checking in. Been at school all day. I have chores to do now. I hope to make it back later.

Hooches and smugs

Ensign John Charles England

He enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve as an Apprentice Seaman at Los Angles on September 6, 1940 After active duty training on board the USS New York from November 25, to December 21, 1940 he attended Naval Reserve Midshipman's School, New York, N.Y. and was appointed Midshipman, USNR, March 6, 1941. He completed his training on June 5 and was commissioned Ensign, USNR, June 6, 1941.
He was next assigned duty under instruction at the Naval Radio School, Norton Heights, Connecticut, reporting June 20, 1941. Upon detachment from school, he reported on September 3, 1941 to the USS Oklahoma at Pear Harbor.

USS OKLAHOMA BB-37

During this period he had also married and in early December he was eagerly awaiting the arrival of his wife and three week old daughter (Victoria Louise England) who were do to arrive in a few days. He had never seen his daughter.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, just four days from his 21st birthday John C. England volunteered to work in the ships radio room for a friend so that he might have more time with his family when they arrived. That morning the Japanese attacked Pear Harbor and the USS Oklahoma was one of their first targets.

Oklahoma was moored Battleship Row 7, outboard alongside Maryland. USS Oklahoma took 3 torpedo hits almost immediately after the first Japanese bombs fell. As she began to capsize, 2 more torpedoes struck home, and her men were strafed as they abandoned ship. Within 2O minutes after the attack began, she had swung over until halted by her masts touching bottom, her starboard side above water, and a part of her keel clear.

Ensign England survived the initial attack and escaped topside as the ship was capsizing. He remembered the men still in the radio room. He returned three times to the radio room, each time guiding a man to safety. He left to go back below decks for the fourth time and was never seen again. He was one of twenty officers and 395 enlisted men were killed on board USS Oklahoma that morning. Ensign England's gallant effort saved three, but cost him his life.

His family would hear of his death by Postal Telegram sent by Rear Admiral Nimitz on December 16, 1941.

USS England
(DE-635, later APD-41), 1943-1946
USS England, a 1400-ton Buckley class escort ship, was built at San Francisco, California. Commissioned in December 1943, she was assigned to escort and patrol duty in the south Pacific area early in 1944. Between 19 and 26 May 1944, while serving as part of an anti-submarine hunter-killer group, England sank the Japanese submarines I-16, RO-106, RO-104, RO-116 and RO-108. A few days later, she joined other ships in destroying a sixth enemy submarine, RO-105. This impressive feat, facilitated by poor Japanese Navy communications security, remains unsurpassed in U.S. Navy history and earned England a Presidential Unit Citation. It also prompted Admiral Ernest J. King, the Chief of Naval Operations and Commander in Chief U.S. Fleet, to proclaim "There'll always be an England in the United States Navy", a commitment honored between 1963 and 1994 by the service of USS England (DLG/CG-22), but which appears to be currently in abeyance.

USS England CG 22

USS England CG-22 current status is MARAD...she can be seen with many other ships in Reserve at Suisuns Bay California.

Today's classic ship, USS Massachusetts (BB-59)

South Dakota class battleship
Displacement. 35,000 t.
length. 680'10"
Beam. 108'2"
Draft. 29'3"
Speed. 27 k.
Complement. 1793
Armament. 9 16", 20 5", 24 40mm., 35 20mm.

USS Massachusetts, (BB-59) was laid down 20 July 1939 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Mass.; launched 23 September 1941; sponsored by Mrs. Charles Francis Adams; and commissioned 12 May 1942 at Boston, Capt. Francis E. M. Whiting in command.

After shakedown, Massachusetts departed Casco Bay, Maine. 24 October 1942 and 4 days later made rendezvous with the Western Naval Task Force for the invasion of north Africa, serving as Flagship for Adm. H. Kent Hewitt. While steaming off Casablanca 8 November, she came under fire from French battleship Jean Bart's 15-inch guns. She returned fire at 0740, firing the first 16-inch shells fired by the U.S. against the European Axis Powers. Within a few minutes she silenced Jean Bart's main battery; then she turned her guns on French destroyers which had joined the attack, sinking two of them. She also shelled shore batteries and blew up an ammunition dump. After a cease-fire had been arranged with the French, she headed for the United States 12 November, and prepared for Pacific duty.

Massachusetts arrived at Noumea, New Caledonia, 4 March 1943. For the next months she operated in the South Pacific, protecting convoy lanes and supporting operations in the Solomons. Between 19 November and 21 November, she sailed with a carrier group striking Makin, Tarawa, and Abemama in the Gilberts; on 8 December she shelled Japanese positions on Nauru; and on 29 January 1944 she guarded carriers striking Tarawa in the Gilberts.

The Navy now drove steadily across the Pacific. On 30 January Massachusetts bombarded Kwajalein, and she covered the landings there 1 February. With a carrier group she struck: against the Japanese stronghold at Truk 17 February. That raid not only inflicted heavy damage on Japanese aircraft and naval forces, but also proved to be a stunning blow to enemy morale. On 21 to 22 February, Massachusetts helped fight off a heavy air attack on her task group while it made raids on Saipan, Tinian, and Guam. She took part in the attack on the Carolines in late March and participated in the invasion at Hollandia 22 April which landed 60,000 troops on the island. Retiring from Hollandia, her task force staged another attack on Truk.

Massachusetts shelled Ponape Island 1 May, her last mission before sailing to Puget Sound to overhaul and reline her gun barrels, now well-worn. On 1 August she left Pearl Harbor to resume operations in the Pacific war zone. She departed the Marshall Islands 6 October, sailing to support the landings in Leyte Gulf. In an effort to block Japanese air attacks in the Leyte conflict, she participated in a fleet strike against Okinawa 10 October. Between 12 and 14 October, she protected forces hitting Formosa. While part of TG 38.3 she took part in the Battle for Leyte Gulf 22 to 27 October, during which planes from her group sank four Japanese carriers off Cape Engano.

Stopping briefly at Ulithi, Massachusetts returned to the Philippines as part of a task force which struck Manila 14 December while supporting the invasion of Mindoro, Massachusetts sailed into a howling typhoon 17 December, with winds estimated at 120 knots. Three destroyers sank at the height of the typhoons fury. Between 30 December and 23 January 1945, she sailed as part of TF 38, which struck Formosa and supported the landing at Lingayen. During that time she turned into the South China Sea, her task force destroying shipping from Saigon to Hong Kong, concluding operations with air strikes on Formosa and Okinawa.

From 10 February to 3 March, with the 5th Fleet, Massachusetts guarded carriers during raids on Honshu. Her group also struck Iwo Jima by air for the invasion of that island. On 17 March, the carriers launched strikes against Kyushu while Mas sachusetts fired in repelling enemy attacks, splashing several planes. Seven days later she bombarded Okinawa. She spent most of April fighting off air attacks, while engaged In the operations at Okinawa, returning to the area in June, when she passed through the eye of a typhoon with 100-knot winds 5 June. She bombarded Minami Daito Jima in the Ryukyus 10 June.

Massachusetts sailed 1 July from Leyte Gulf to join the 3d Fleet's final offensive against Japan. After guarding carriers launching strikes against Tokyo, she shelled Kamaishi, Honshu, 14 July, thus hitting Japan's second largest iron and steel center. Two weeks later she bombarded the industrial complex at Hamamatsu, returning to blast Kamaishi 9 August. It was here that Massachusetts fired what was probably the last 16-inch shell fired in combat in World War II.

Victory won, the fighting battleship sailed for Puget Sound and overhaul 1 September., She left there 28 January 1946 for operations off the California coast, until leaving San Francisco for Hampton Roads, arriving 22 April. She decommissioned 27 March 1947 to enter the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Norfolk, and was struck from the Naval Register 1 June 1962.

"Big Mamie," as she was affectionately known, was saved from the scrap pile when she was transferred to the Massachusetts Memorial Committee 8 June 1965. She was enshrined at Fall River, Mass., 14 August 1965, as the Bay State's memorial to those who gave their lives in World War II.

Massachusetts received 11 battle stars for World War II service.

Maybe we should bring the "Big Mamie" out of retirement to have another go at the french.

Air Power
Vought A-7 Corsair II

The A-7 is a modern, sophisticated, integrated, highly versatile airborne weapon system capable of performing a variety of search, surveillance and attack missions. Often called the SLUFF (short little ugly fat fellow), it was called many other names, but beautiful isn't one of them. It is capable of carrying four external wing-mounted 300 gallon fuel tanks, coupled with a variety of ordnance on remaining stations. The A-7 can also conduct in-flight refueling operations and is capable of transferring over 12,000 pounds of fuel. The A-7 has a fully integrated digital navigation/weapon delivery system, and the integration technique is common to all current US Navy and US Air Force attack aircraft. The avionics system, based on state-of-the-art electronics, digital computing techniques, and an automation philosophy, provide unparalleled mission effectiveness and flexibility. With its Forward-Looking InfraRed (FLIR) capability, the A-7's night attack accuracy is equivalent to its day attack accuracy

As applied to an aircraft, the name Corsair has its origins in a series of famous biplanes built for the Navy by the Vought Corporation between World Wars I and II. Later, the name was applied to the famous Vought F4U series of fighters flown by Navy and Marine pilots during World War II. The modern-day descendant of these historic aircraft is the Vought A-7 Corsair II.

Compared with the F-8, the A-7A had a shorter fuselage with less sweepback on the wing, and without that F-8 Crusader’s adjustable wing incidence. Outboard ailerons were introduced on the A-7 wing, and the structure was strengthened to allow the wings and fuselage to carry a total ordnance load of 15,000 lbs on eight stations (two fuselage each with 500 lb capacity, two inboard on the wings with 2,500 lb capacity each, and four on the outer wings with 3,500 lb capacity each) for more than 200 combinations of different stores. The A-7A incorporated the 11,350 lb thrust Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-6 turbo-fan engine which had been developed for the F-111. The engine for the A-7, however, was not to have an after-burner.

That the lineage of the A-7 can be traced directly to the Vought F-8 Crusader fighter is obvious. Like the F-8, the configuration of the A-7 is characterized by a high wing, low horizontal tail, chin inlet, and short landing-gear legs that retract into the fuselage. Since the A-7 is a subsonic aircraft, however, no area ruling is incorporated in the fuselage, which is also shorter and deeper than that of the supersonic F-8. Because of the larger mass flow of the turbofan engine employed in the A-7, the size of the chin inlet is somewhat larger than that of the turbojet-powered F-8. These differences make the A-7 appear shorter and more stubby than the earlier fighter. The A-7 is sometimes unofficially called the SLUF (Short Little Ugly Fella) USAF crews.

The wing of the A-7 is closely related in geometry and physical size to that of the F-8. Leading flaps and single-slotted trailing-edge flaps are fitted to the wing, as are upper surface spoilers located ahead of the flaps. Not used on the A-7 is the unique variable-incidence feature of the F-8 wing. The shorter length of the fuselage together with the slight "upsweep" of the underside of the afterbody allow the A-7 to be rotated to a significantly higher pitch angle on takeoff and landing, without tail scrape, than was possible for the F-8. The higher available ground pitch attitude, together with the good augmentation capability of the high-lift system, no doubt played a large part in obviating the need for a variable-incidence capability in the wing. Speed brakes are located on the bottom of the fuselage about midway between the nose and the tail. A braking chute is provided for use in shore-based operations. The A-7A began Vietnam combat operations in December 1967, and proved to be one of the most effective Navy close support and strike aircraft in that conflict. A-7E Corsair IIs were part of the two-carrier battle group that conducted a joint strike on selected Libyan terrorist-related targets in 1986. Together with carrier-based F/A-18s, A-7s used anti-radiation missiles to neutralize Libyan air defenses. During Desert Storm, the A-7 demonstrated over 95% operational readiness and did not miss a single combat sortie.

The A-7 is one of those aircraft with a demonstrated capability of performing well in a wide variety of missions. Other aircraft are faster or have a greater range-payload capability or have a faster rate of climb; sometimes, certain of these characteristics is deemed so important that it dominates the entire design. What results is a "point design" aircraft that can perform one mission extremely well but is relatively much less effective in any other mission. The design parameters of the A-7 were chosen so that the aircraft has great mission versatility. It was successfully employed in just about every conceivable attack role during the Vietnam conflict where it first saw action in 1967.

Contractor: Ling-Temco-Vought (Prime, now Northrop Grumman Corp.)
Power Plant: Single Allison/Rolls Royce TF41-A-400 non-afterburning turbofan engine with a static thrust rating of 15,000 pounds
Accommodations: A-7E Pilot only
TA-7C Two seats
Performance: (A-7E/TA/7C) Maximum speed at 20,000 feet Mach .94

Range: greater than 1,900 nautical miles

External Dimensions:
Wing Span: 11.8m/ 38.73 ft
Length: overall 14.06m/ 46.13 ft
Height: overall 4.90m/ 16.06 ft

Weight: (with TF41-A-2 engine):
Combat (Clean A/P) 25,834 lbs
Maximum takeoff (Overload) 42,000 lbs
Maximum takeoff (Normal) 37,279 lbs
Maximum landing (Carrier) 25,300 lbs

Avionics & Countermeasures:
ALQ-119 ECM [Westinghouse]
ALQ-131 ECM [Westinghouse]
ALQ-123 IR countermeasures [Xerox]
ALQ-126 DECM [Sanders]
ALQ-162 tactical communications jammer [Eaton AIL]
ALQ-162 radar jammer Northrup

Armament: (A-7E/TA-7C) One internally mounted M61A1 20 mm six barrel cannon
Six wing pylons
Two fuselage launch stations
Pylons can carry a large single weapon, multiple racks capable of six weapons per rack, or triple racks with three weapons per rack.
Can carry 15,000 pounds of payload
Compatible with practically all first line ordnance used by the U.S./USAF/NATO.

Mission and Capabilities: Modern, sophisticated, integrated, highly versatile airborne weapon system platform
Capable of performing a variety of search, surveillance, and attack missions
Can carry four externally wing-mounted 300 gallon fuel tanks, coupled with a variety of ordnance on remaining stations.
Can conduct in-flight refueling operations
Capable of transferring more than 12,000 pounds of fuel
Fully integrated digital navigation/weapon delivery system is common to all current USN/USAF attack aircraft.