Spad V. MiG
Some 60 years ago today, on 9 October 1966.
A Douglas A-1 Skyraider piloted by 26-year-old LT(j.g.) William T. Patton from the “Thunderbolts” of Attack Squadron 176 (VA-176) off USS Intrepid (CVS 11) bagged an NVAF MiG-17 over Vietnam. It was at least the second victory scored by a propeller-driven Skyraider against a MiG, following a 1965 dogfight between MiGs and Spads from VA-25 off USS Midway.
U.S. Navy Douglas A-1J Skyraider (BuNo 142028) of VA-176 “Thunderbolts” with the AK tail flash tagging it to Attack Carrier Air Wing 10 (CVW-10) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid (CVS-11), during her 4 April to 21 November 1966 Vietnam deployment. U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.253.2886
Though officially an ASW carrier, Intrepid carried out three Vietnam cruises as a fairly conventional attack carrier, with nary a S-2 Tracker or SH-3 Sea King in sight.
1966, Intrepid (CVS 11) off Vietnam with an A-1 on cat
Besides the 1966 stint mentioned above with CVW-10, she clocked in 11 May– 30 December 1967 and 4 June 1968–8 February 1969.
While the first used two squadrons of Skyraiders (VA-165 and VA-175), balanced by two of A-4B Skyhawks (VA-15 and VA-95), Intrepid’s 1967 tour saw CVW with three Skyhawk squadrons (including Sidewinder-carrying “fighter hawks” of VSF-3), one of Skyraiders, and a det of F-8C Crusaders from VF-111.
By 1968-69, the Spads had been left behind with just A-4C/E Skyhawks (three squadrons), F-8C/RF-8G Crusaders (two dets), and VAQ/VAW dets of EA-1Fs and E-1Bs.
CVW-10 was disestablished on 20 November 1969 when Intrepid went back to carrying Trackers and Sea Kings of CVSG-52 and 58 until she was decommissioned in 1974.
As for the young Lt Patton, he earned a Silver Star for the confirmed 1966 MiG shootdown and, after leaving the Navy, went into finance. He passed in 2014, aged 74, leaving two sons and a daughter behind. His family requested donations in lieu of flowers to the Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum.