Lieutenant Commander Harry Charlemont Martin from Battle Creek, Michigan lost his life at the age of 48 on March 16, 1970.
Lieutenant Commander Harry Charlemont Martin was born on May 08, 1921 and was a Limited Duty Officer, World War II and Korean War Veteran with 26 years of service in the U.S. Navy detached to Da Nang Airbase assigned to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 1 (VQ-1), 7th Fleet.
On March 16, 1970, a U.S. Navy EC-121K Warning Star (#145927) spy plane (PR-26 "Deep Sea Two Six") from Fleet Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron One (VQ-1) with 31 crewmen aboard suffered a mechanical failure during a landing approach at a Da Nang airbase at the end of a ferry flight from Taiwan. One of the airplane's four engines had been shut down enroute due to a generator overheat problem. Furthermore, the first one thousand feet of Da Nang's runway was closed for repairs. The combination of the two factors dictated an out-of-the-ordinary approach. At 11:25 as the Warning Star was on short final, another aircraft taxied onto the active runway, forcing the EC-121 to attempt an aborted landing. The pilot banked while flying over a concrete revetment and caught the tip of the left wing on a shelter. The EC-121 immediately cartwheeled, striking another revetment containing an RF-4C and exploded. Eight crewmen from the EC-121 and two U.S. Air Force personnel on the ground were injured. The aircraft crashed 300 yards east of the runway near a busy road leading to a large American mess hall. The aircraft broke into three pieces: the cockpit and fuselage forward of the wing slid into revetment wall and burned; the center section crashed upside down into a street and burned; and the tail section landed on a softball field, ripping into a backstop (the field was deserted). One of these flying sections hit a tar truck, knocking it into two power poles. The poles were severed and live power lines were strewn over the area. Only the white tail section and part of the fuselage were distinguishable amid the scattered wreckage. The RF-4C inside the hanger was also destroyed. One man from the tail section walked away unscathed, meanwhile the four other survivors from the center section were gravely injured. Although ground personnel made heroic efforts to rescue the men aboard the EC-121, braving gasoline and jet fuel fires and the risk of electrocution, 23 men were either dead or fatally injured. The 23 crewman that lost their lives are listed below.
LCDR Harvey Chadwick Kamohoalii Aiau
LT George Lee Morningstar
LT Robin Andrew Pearce
LTJG Charles Edward Pressler
LCDR Harry Charlemont Martin
LTJG Jean Pierre Souzon
LT James Madison Masters Jr.
ADRC William John Risse
AT1 Larry Overton Marchbank
ATR1 Arthur Dee Simmons
ATR1 Donald Wayne Wilson
AE2 Floyd Edward Andrus III,
ADR2 Stuart Jackson Scruggs Jr.
AMS2 William Pete Bletsch
ATN2 John Macy Birch
ATN2 Guy Thomas Denton,
ATN2 John Steve Schaefer
ATN2 Barry Martin Searby
ATR2 Joseph Stephen Saukaitis
ADR3 Gregory Joseph Asbeck
ATN3 Thurle Eugene Case Jr.
ATN3 Ben Allen Hughes Jr.
ATN3 Ralph Scott Purdum
Lieutenant Commander Harry Charlemont Martin is honored on the Vietnam Memorial at Panel 11W, Line 91.
Contributor: Bruce Barney (48607679) • [email protected]
Lieutenant Commander Harry Charlemont Martin was born on May 08, 1921 and was a Limited Duty Officer, World War II and Korean War Veteran with 26 years of service in the U.S. Navy detached to Da Nang Airbase assigned to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 1 (VQ-1), 7th Fleet.
On March 16, 1970, a U.S. Navy EC-121K Warning Star (#145927) spy plane (PR-26 "Deep Sea Two Six") from Fleet Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron One (VQ-1) with 31 crewmen aboard suffered a mechanical failure during a landing approach at a Da Nang airbase at the end of a ferry flight from Taiwan. One of the airplane's four engines had been shut down enroute due to a generator overheat problem. Furthermore, the first one thousand feet of Da Nang's runway was closed for repairs. The combination of the two factors dictated an out-of-the-ordinary approach. At 11:25 as the Warning Star was on short final, another aircraft taxied onto the active runway, forcing the EC-121 to attempt an aborted landing. The pilot banked while flying over a concrete revetment and caught the tip of the left wing on a shelter. The EC-121 immediately cartwheeled, striking another revetment containing an RF-4C and exploded. Eight crewmen from the EC-121 and two U.S. Air Force personnel on the ground were injured. The aircraft crashed 300 yards east of the runway near a busy road leading to a large American mess hall. The aircraft broke into three pieces: the cockpit and fuselage forward of the wing slid into revetment wall and burned; the center section crashed upside down into a street and burned; and the tail section landed on a softball field, ripping into a backstop (the field was deserted). One of these flying sections hit a tar truck, knocking it into two power poles. The poles were severed and live power lines were strewn over the area. Only the white tail section and part of the fuselage were distinguishable amid the scattered wreckage. The RF-4C inside the hanger was also destroyed. One man from the tail section walked away unscathed, meanwhile the four other survivors from the center section were gravely injured. Although ground personnel made heroic efforts to rescue the men aboard the EC-121, braving gasoline and jet fuel fires and the risk of electrocution, 23 men were either dead or fatally injured. The 23 crewman that lost their lives are listed below.
LCDR Harvey Chadwick Kamohoalii Aiau
LT George Lee Morningstar
LT Robin Andrew Pearce
LTJG Charles Edward Pressler
LCDR Harry Charlemont Martin
LTJG Jean Pierre Souzon
LT James Madison Masters Jr.
ADRC William John Risse
AT1 Larry Overton Marchbank
ATR1 Arthur Dee Simmons
ATR1 Donald Wayne Wilson
AE2 Floyd Edward Andrus III,
ADR2 Stuart Jackson Scruggs Jr.
AMS2 William Pete Bletsch
ATN2 John Macy Birch
ATN2 Guy Thomas Denton,
ATN2 John Steve Schaefer
ATN2 Barry Martin Searby
ATR2 Joseph Stephen Saukaitis
ADR3 Gregory Joseph Asbeck
ATN3 Thurle Eugene Case Jr.
ATN3 Ben Allen Hughes Jr.
ATN3 Ralph Scott Purdum
Lieutenant Commander Harry Charlemont Martin is honored on the Vietnam Memorial at Panel 11W, Line 91.
Contributor: Bruce Barney (48607679) • [email protected]
Lieutenant Commander Harry Charlemont Martin from Battle Creek, Michigan lost his life at the age of 48 on March 16, 1970.
Lieutenant Commander Harry Charlemont Martin was born on May 08, 1921 and was a Limited Duty Officer, World War II and Korean War Veteran with 26 years of service in the U.S. Navy detached to Da Nang Airbase assigned to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 1 (VQ-1), 7th Fleet.
On March 16, 1970, a U.S. Navy EC-121K Warning Star (#145927) spy plane (PR-26 "Deep Sea Two Six") from Fleet Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron One (VQ-1) with 31 crewmen aboard suffered a mechanical failure during a landing approach at a Da Nang airbase at the end of a ferry flight from Taiwan. One of the airplane's four engines had been shut down enroute due to a generator overheat problem. Furthermore, the first one thousand feet of Da Nang's runway was closed for repairs. The combination of the two factors dictated an out-of-the-ordinary approach. At 11:25 as the Warning Star was on short final, another aircraft taxied onto the active runway, forcing the EC-121 to attempt an aborted landing. The pilot banked while flying over a concrete revetment and caught the tip of the left wing on a shelter. The EC-121 immediately cartwheeled, striking another revetment containing an RF-4C and exploded. Eight crewmen from the EC-121 and two U.S. Air Force personnel on the ground were injured. The aircraft crashed 300 yards east of the runway near a busy road leading to a large American mess hall. The aircraft broke into three pieces: the cockpit and fuselage forward of the wing slid into revetment wall and burned; the center section crashed upside down into a street and burned; and the tail section landed on a softball field, ripping into a backstop (the field was deserted). One of these flying sections hit a tar truck, knocking it into two power poles. The poles were severed and live power lines were strewn over the area. Only the white tail section and part of the fuselage were distinguishable amid the scattered wreckage. The RF-4C inside the hanger was also destroyed. One man from the tail section walked away unscathed, meanwhile the four other survivors from the center section were gravely injured. Although ground personnel made heroic efforts to rescue the men aboard the EC-121, braving gasoline and jet fuel fires and the risk of electrocution, 23 men were either dead or fatally injured. The 23 crewman that lost their lives are listed below.
LCDR Harvey Chadwick Kamohoalii Aiau
LT George Lee Morningstar
LT Robin Andrew Pearce
LTJG Charles Edward Pressler
LCDR Harry Charlemont Martin
LTJG Jean Pierre Souzon
LT James Madison Masters Jr.
ADRC William John Risse
AT1 Larry Overton Marchbank
ATR1 Arthur Dee Simmons
ATR1 Donald Wayne Wilson
AE2 Floyd Edward Andrus III,
ADR2 Stuart Jackson Scruggs Jr.
AMS2 William Pete Bletsch
ATN2 John Macy Birch
ATN2 Guy Thomas Denton,
ATN2 John Steve Schaefer
ATN2 Barry Martin Searby
ATR2 Joseph Stephen Saukaitis
ADR3 Gregory Joseph Asbeck
ATN3 Thurle Eugene Case Jr.
ATN3 Ben Allen Hughes Jr.
ATN3 Ralph Scott Purdum
Lieutenant Commander Harry Charlemont Martin is honored on the Vietnam Memorial at Panel 11W, Line 91.
Contributor: Bruce Barney (48607679) • [email protected]
Lieutenant Commander Harry Charlemont Martin was born on May 08, 1921 and was a Limited Duty Officer, World War II and Korean War Veteran with 26 years of service in the U.S. Navy detached to Da Nang Airbase assigned to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 1 (VQ-1), 7th Fleet.
On March 16, 1970, a U.S. Navy EC-121K Warning Star (#145927) spy plane (PR-26 "Deep Sea Two Six") from Fleet Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron One (VQ-1) with 31 crewmen aboard suffered a mechanical failure during a landing approach at a Da Nang airbase at the end of a ferry flight from Taiwan. One of the airplane's four engines had been shut down enroute due to a generator overheat problem. Furthermore, the first one thousand feet of Da Nang's runway was closed for repairs. The combination of the two factors dictated an out-of-the-ordinary approach. At 11:25 as the Warning Star was on short final, another aircraft taxied onto the active runway, forcing the EC-121 to attempt an aborted landing. The pilot banked while flying over a concrete revetment and caught the tip of the left wing on a shelter. The EC-121 immediately cartwheeled, striking another revetment containing an RF-4C and exploded. Eight crewmen from the EC-121 and two U.S. Air Force personnel on the ground were injured. The aircraft crashed 300 yards east of the runway near a busy road leading to a large American mess hall. The aircraft broke into three pieces: the cockpit and fuselage forward of the wing slid into revetment wall and burned; the center section crashed upside down into a street and burned; and the tail section landed on a softball field, ripping into a backstop (the field was deserted). One of these flying sections hit a tar truck, knocking it into two power poles. The poles were severed and live power lines were strewn over the area. Only the white tail section and part of the fuselage were distinguishable amid the scattered wreckage. The RF-4C inside the hanger was also destroyed. One man from the tail section walked away unscathed, meanwhile the four other survivors from the center section were gravely injured. Although ground personnel made heroic efforts to rescue the men aboard the EC-121, braving gasoline and jet fuel fires and the risk of electrocution, 23 men were either dead or fatally injured. The 23 crewman that lost their lives are listed below.
LCDR Harvey Chadwick Kamohoalii Aiau
LT George Lee Morningstar
LT Robin Andrew Pearce
LTJG Charles Edward Pressler
LCDR Harry Charlemont Martin
LTJG Jean Pierre Souzon
LT James Madison Masters Jr.
ADRC William John Risse
AT1 Larry Overton Marchbank
ATR1 Arthur Dee Simmons
ATR1 Donald Wayne Wilson
AE2 Floyd Edward Andrus III,
ADR2 Stuart Jackson Scruggs Jr.
AMS2 William Pete Bletsch
ATN2 John Macy Birch
ATN2 Guy Thomas Denton,
ATN2 John Steve Schaefer
ATN2 Barry Martin Searby
ATR2 Joseph Stephen Saukaitis
ADR3 Gregory Joseph Asbeck
ATN3 Thurle Eugene Case Jr.
ATN3 Ben Allen Hughes Jr.
ATN3 Ralph Scott Purdum
Lieutenant Commander Harry Charlemont Martin is honored on the Vietnam Memorial at Panel 11W, Line 91.
Contributor: Bruce Barney (48607679) • [email protected]
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