The mission was publicized for years after as the textbook example of how to use a single A-6 Intruder in its designed role
To make its carrier air wings more flexible, the Navy pursued the development of an all-weather attack capability that would allow strikes against targets in almost any conditions. This initiative gained speed in the years after the Korean War as improvements were made in radar, bombing, and navigation technology. Following a 1956 request for a strike aircraft able to attack targets at long range and low altitude in any weather, the Navy received 11 design proposals and chose Grumman Aerospace Corporation’s mid-wing subsonic jet concept as the winner.
Named the A2F, and later redesignated the A-6 Intruder, the aircraft entered fleet service in 1963. As the world’s first all-weather attack aircraft, it had a two-person crew seated side by side and was equipped with Digital Integrated Attack Navigation Equipment (DIANE), which allowed electronic target and terrain displays even when visibility was poor.
Although it faced early problems in Vietnam, such as bombs detonating too soon, the A-6 demonstrated its value in the difficult weather conditions over Southeast Asia. It frequently conducted one- or two-aircraft night raids with remarkable precision, achieving outsized effects.
In The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club, Thomas McKelvey Cleaver describes a mission flown by VA-196 “Main Battery” that clearly showed the Intruder’s effectiveness and its advantages over other attack aircraft. The mission was carried out by pilot Lieutenant Commander Charlie Hunter and bombardier/navigator Lieutenant Lyle Bull, both former instructors with Intruder training squadron VA-128 at NAS Whidbey Island. Each had logged more than 600 hours in the aircraft, making them the most experienced crew in the squadron, and they continued flying together after joining the unit.
One of the most significant targets in North Vietnam was the Hanoi Rail Ferry on the Red River. After being removed from the prohibited list and approved for attack, it became a high-priority objective. Earlier efforts to destroy it through Alpha air wing strikes had failed because of the large concentration of SAM and AAA defenses around the area. VA-196’s Lieutenant Commander Blackwood had long argued that a single Intruder could successfully strike the target by flying in at very low altitude at night, insisting that this type of mission was exactly what the aircraft had been designed for.
During the night of October 30–31, 1967, Hunter and Bull were given the mission. After crossing inland north of Vinh, they headed toward Hanoi at just 500 feet of altitude, carrying thirteen 1,000-pound Mark 83 Snake Eye retarded bombs mounted on five MERs. Hunter used the surrounding landscape to his advantage, flying along parallel rocky ridges, or karsts, to remain within the radar shadow created by the terrain. The enemy showed no response until the aircraft was 18 miles from the target, when their PRC-68 radar warning receiver indicated that Fan Song surface-to-air missile radar had locked onto them. A short time later, they saw the first missile launched.
At 500 feet, Hunter believed the missile would not be able to follow them, since it was thought that SAMs could not track aircraft flying below 1,500 feet. But when Bull said the missile still seemed to be locked on, Hunter responded with a high-G barrel roll in an attempt to shake it. The missile passed behind them and detonated when it hit the ground just as the Intruder reached the halfway point of the roll, upside down at 500 feet.
Almost immediately, the darkness was broken by the launch of five additional SAMs, while tracer fire from several AAA positions streaked across the night sky. Hunter completed the maneuver with a snap roll back to an upright position, then dropped to 100 feet and accelerated to 450 knots, weaving aggressively as they continued toward the ferry. Bull noticed the radar altimeter hit 50 feet three separate times during the approach, but he never doubted Hunter’s skill. Flying that low left the SAMs with no realistic chance of intercepting them.
A short time later, the target showed up on radar. Hunter climbed to 200 feet, and when DIANE indicated they were correctly positioned, Bull released the Snake Eyes in a salvo. All 13 bombs struck the ferry, putting it out of action. Hunter then turned east at once to avoid Gia Lam Airport directly ahead. As he made his way toward the Tonkin Gulf, he maneuvered evasively while AAA tracer fire and heavy aerial bursts followed the Intruder. One 85mm shell detonated close enough to shake the aircraft, but they soon reached open water. After a memorable 1.9-hour mission, Hunter completed a routine night landing aboard Constellation. Both he and Bull received the Navy Cross for the flight.
For years afterward, the mission was cited as a classic example of how a single A-6 should be employed in the role it was designed to perform. Both men later went on to become admirals.
The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo by U.S. Navy
