Today, December 6, 2020, marks fifty years since the USS Lynde McCormick DDG-8 participated in the recovery of a helicopter that crashed just yards off the starboard beam. Of the four crewmen aboard the chopper, two were killed; one of them is still MIA.
Last year I made it my goal to learn what happened on that Sunday in Da Nang Harbor. With the help of deck logs, command history reports, the power of the Web, and a lot of detective work, I was able to gather enough information to satisfy my curiosity. With the help of about a dozen shipmates, men who are members of the USS Lynde McCormick DDG-8 Reunion Association, I was able to gather eye-witness accounts of the crash. The end result can be found here on the page “Chopper crash, the whole story updated.” (If you are viewing this on your phone, you may need to tap next to 'Home' above to reveal the page.)
I didn’t witness the crash; however, I did see the crewmen alive and well less than a minute before they died that day. Under other circumstances, it could have been me. I hope you will take the time to read about this incident, then take a moment to visit the webpages commemorating those men who died via the links included near the end of the page.
©2020 John Robin Swanson
