MAG-13, H&MS-13 |
Point of Contact = Squadron Duty Officer (SDO). See FAQ/Research/Contact link under [SA] in the menu. |
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Patch No info yet. |
Sources David Weber Harry S. Gann |
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Handle No info yet. Heritage 30NOV45: Deactivated. 15MAR51: Activated at MCAS El Toro. |
Home Ports MAR51: MCAS Kaneohe Bay, HI. JUN65: MCAS Iwakuni, Japan. OCT70: - El Toro, California. 01OCT87: MCAS Yuma. |
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Air Wings 1966 -1969: - YU - MCAS Chulai |
Aircraft Date Type First Received - - - - - - Type of Aircraft: Circa 1966: F-4B Phantom. 8 November 1961 - - - - - - Douglas A4D-2 (A-4B) Skyhawk * 19 July 1971- - - - - - - - Douglas A4D-5 (A-4E) Skyhawk * 19 June 1968- - - - - - - - Douglas TA-4F Skyhawk 9 November 1979 - - - - - - Douglas OA-4M Skyhawk * November 30, 1962 The A4D-2 designation changed to A-4B The A4D-5 designation changed to A-4E For A-4 Skyhawk aircraft assigned to this unit see lower in this page: |
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Deployments 1951 - 1965: Marine Aircraft Group 13 was assigned to various locations such as Kaneohe Bay, Atsugi and Iwakuni, Japan. 1966 -1969: - Chu Lai |
Commanding Officers Jun '76-Oct '76 - - LtCol Tom Ungar - H and MS-13 |
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Awards No info yet |
Awards continued No info |
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Events March 1965: First Marine Division mud Marines waded ashore at Da Nang to protect the allied airfield from the Viet Cong. The mud Marines were soon in the midst of heavy combat and were requesting air support of their own. The Marine landing coincided with a need for a new air base on the coast in order to reduce flight time to targets in Quang Tin province and adjacent districts. Da Nang was the first Marine air base in South Vietnam. Marine Aircraft Group 11 (MAG-11) would direct most operations assigned Da Nang aircraft that flew north of the base and over the DMZ and southern North Vietnam. A second airfield was sorely needed. Chu Lai located about 50 miles south of Da Nang was chosen for the new airfield. Navy Seabees worked in 100-degree-plus temperatures to prepare the remote Chu Lai site for an aluminum plank SATS (short airfield for tactical support) "tinfoil strip" 4,000-foot runway. A catapult and arresting gear were planned to allow Skyhawks to use the field. The arresting gear was soon installed but a catapult was not available. So JATO (Jet Assisted Take Off) was planned to reduce the Skyhawk takeoff distance by half. Soon the Chu Lai facility had a runway, arresting gear, taxiways, and a parking ramp. A catapult was installed May 14, 1966. Marine Aircraft Group 12 (MAG-12) was assigned to Chu Lai to direct most Skyhawk operations in South Vietnam. The plan was to rotate Skyhawk squadrons to and from Chu Lai and Japan to conduct combat operations. Marine Aircraft Group 13 (MAG-13) was also assigned to Chu Lai -- The dates and mission are a mystery. It is believed MAG-13 supported the III Marine Amphibious Force and other forces in I Corps and II Corps tactical zones, Laos, North Vietnam and Cambodia; but we do not have confirmation of that yet. October 28, 1968: Capt. Charles R. Connor, 30, (USMC) and Lt. William Ernest Ricker, 35, (USN) disappeared (BuNo 154304) on flight from Hue to Chu Lai. Capt. Connor and his co-pilot ("special crew") Lt. Ricker launched from the Chu Lai Air Base at about 11:20 a.m. on a Tactical Airborne Controller mission near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Enroute to their operations area, they made radio contact with several controlling agencies. At 12:15 p.m. local time they radioed their mission complete and requested and received clearance back to Chu Lai. Their radio call indicated they were over water heading down the coast towards their home field. No further radio contact was made and the aircraft never landed at Chu Lai as expected. According to the Marines an emergency radio beeper signal was detected, indicating that one or more of the crew probably successfully ejected from the aircraft. Connor and Ricker were not located, however, and were placed in MIA Status. November 22, 1972: Maj. J.B. Ezell, 36, and Capt. Kenneth C. Crouch, 30, are missing and presumed dead after their TA-4 (BuNo 154620) crashed in the Pacific Ocean 40 miles south of San Clemente while on a routine training flight from El Toro. The Arizona Republic, Sat., Dec. 2, 1972. March 23, 1973: Capt. Ron R. Brooks, 28, and 1st Lt. David C. Wood, 27, ejected safely from their TA-4 Skyhawk (BuNo 152857) about 4 p.m. Thursday when it missed the arresting cable on landing at MAS El Toro, veered off the runway and crashed into some bleachers and was destroyed. Independent, Long Beach, CA, Friday, March 23, 1973. May 16, 1974: Capt. W.T. Hayes, 29, and his observer Cpl. T.J. Crawford, 20, ejected safely when their TA-4 Skyhawk (BuNo 154309) crashed when it developed engine trouble and crashed about 120 yards from the El Toro base. Nine persons on the ground were injured, two seriously, when their cars were struck by flaming jet fuel and chunks of wreckage. Daily Facts, Redlands, CA, Saturday, May 18, 1974 and The Coshocton Tribune, Coshocton, OH, Saturday, May 18, 1974. March 15, 1986: Maj. Thomas E. Chaffin, 39, and Maj. Benjamin L. Williams, 41, ejected safely on approach to MCAS El Toro when their OA-4 Skyhawk (BuNo 154624) crashed at 3:40 p.m. in a cow pasture five mile south of the airfield and burst into flames. The aircraft crashed on the Mission Viejo's Aliso Viejo Ranch near Wood Canyon near a Saddleback Valley apartment complex. They were returning from Luke AFB after a routine training mission. The Orange County Register, (cont.) March 16, 1986. H&MS-13 OA-4M BuNo 154624 was destroyed at El Toro when aircraft experienced low altitude flameout and crashed into ground. 15 March 1986. Aircrew ejected. Naval Safety Center via Jim Winchester. 1987: MAG-13 becomes the principal operating unit at MCAS El Toro. |
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Unit Photos 1975: HMS-13 Skyhawks BuNo 153459, YU-5, BuNo 154633, YU-4, BuNo 154652, YU-3 and BuNo 154624, YU-2, as they pass by one of the channel islands. Harry Gann>. 15 July 1975: HMS-13 Skyhawk BuNo 153459, YU-5. U.S. Navy photo by Cpl. Quinn. 1976: left to right: HMS-13 Skyhawks BuNo 153459, 154331, 154623, 154651; 154328, YU-6. Harry Gann. APR 1977: HMS-13 Skyhawk BuNo 152877, YU-2, parked on the ramp in front of the Mountain Home AFB welcome sign. Rob Mignard. 09 NOV 1977: HMS-13 154331, YU-01, at Kirtland AFB. J.A. Sheets. Date unknown: OA-4M, BuNo 154335 of HMS-13. A-4F in the background is 154194 (ME-03) of VMA-133. Photographer & location unknown. 1978: H&MS-13 Skyhawk BuNo 154331, YU-01, in formation with BuNo 154633, YU-4 in the foreground and BuNo 154623 & BuNo 154651 in the background. Unknown photographer via W. Mutza. OCT78: BuNo 153459, YU-5, parked on the ramp with external power hooked up. Gary Verver Collection. NOV79: BuNo 15624, MALS-13, shortly after conversion to OA-4M configuration. Gary Verver Collection. 1979: BuNo 154622, YU-07, with someone peeking into the forward Hell Hole. Gary Verver Collection. 30 Aug 1980: BuNo 153531, YU-8, parked on the Andrews ramp. Photo by E. Zorn via Scott Van Aken. OA-4M of H&MS-13, BuNo 153531, sits on the ramp. AUG81: BuNo 154307, OA-4M, on the ramp with what looks like flight gear hanging on the nose gear door. Gary Verver Collection. Photo dated Mar 1990: Last TA-4F Skyhawk aircraft (BuNo 154633) to be received by this Marine Corps Air Station. U.S. Navy photo by Msgt Grindstaff. 19MAR80: Low angle front view of TA-4F Skyhawk aircraft BuNo 154633. U.S. Navy photo by Msgt Grindstaff. 19MAR80: Port side rear view of the last TA-4F Skyhawk aircraft (BuNo 154633) to be received by this Marine Corps Air Station. The A-4 is a "work horse" used by the infantry for many close air support missions. U.S. Navy photo by Msgt Grindstaff. 06 Jan 1982: BuNo 154623 taxiing on a snow covered taxiway. Photo by Joe Cupido, G. Verver collection. Jun 1980: BuNo 154335 parked on the flight line. Gary Verver Collection. 1980: BuNo 154623 parked on the ramp with a variety of other a/c. Gary Verver Collection. 19 MAR 1981: OA-4M Skyhawk BuNo 154333 parked on the MCAS El Toro flight line. The aircraft is equipped with a tanker package. U.S. Navy photo by Msgt Grindstaff. 1982: BuNo 154328, YU-xx on the ramp. This is an OA-4M, and the image is from Gary Verver. 1982: BuNo 154630, YU-xx on the ramp. Another OA-4M from Gary Verver Collection. DEC82 BuNo 154630, tail code YU-2, parked on El Toro ramp. Gary Verver Collection. JUN83 BuNo 154623, YU-000, assigned to MGEN J.M. Batis parked on the ramp. Gary Verver Collection. OCT85: H&MS-13 Skyhawk BuNo 153529, YU-00, comes in for a landing. R.E. Arance. MAY86: H&MS-12 TA-4F BuNo 153488, WA-00, MAY 1986. Name below the canopy is p/c LCpl Tuttle. Photographer unknown, from Gary Verver Collection. 08MAY87: OA-4M BuNO 154630 Marine "Observation" Aircraft - aka "Fast FAC". On the nose wheel door is Plane Captain LCpl RL Baker's name. Photographer Unknown. 1987: BuNo 154630, OA-4M, H&MS-13 of NAS El-Toro. Gary Verver Collection. Off-Duty Photos No info yet. |
A-4 Skyhawk aircraft assigned to this unit:
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