Winter 2022-2023 Liberty Life

Cover art: U-123 - Sinking of the SS Gulfamerica off the coast of Jacksonville by German submarine. April 11, 1942. (U-123 by Jackson Walker ©2003, TheJWStudio.Com)

Pro-Military

Media Matters. Thank you for picking up the winter edition of Liberty Life. We are happy for you to judge this edition by its cover, specifically Jackson Walker’s dramatic depiction of the German WWII era submarine, U123, attacking the S.S. Gulfamerica within sight of many people on Jacksonville Beach.

Walker’s perfected storyteller approach to painting takes the viewer into places, as it would have appeared in reality. Inside this edition, Scott Grant’s recount ing of WWII coming to the shores of The Liberty Coast with the U-Boat attack is just as vivid as Mr. Walker’s graciously provided artwork. I invite you to take in Mr. Walker’s many works that indeed give testimony to the many triumphs and tragedies that have become Florida’s history – TheJWStudio.Com.

Pro-military media offers a platform to experience our rich military history by those who lived it. In this edition, we share one of former Naval Flight Officer Philip Becton’s many sea stories, an accidental historic milestone while flying in the Navy’s nuclear-strike bomber. Retired Navy Captain Bob Buehn reminds us of the adage that everything old will be new again, or perhaps the one about history repeating itself as he shares Major General Gerry Maloney’s recollec tion of flying the F-86 Saberjet in armed missions in defense of Taiwan in the 1950’s.

In addition to the human experience, military history is also about the equip ment and evolving defense technology. Former Naval Aviator, Glen Cook con tributes a condensed, yet detailed overview of the Navy’s premier carrier-based Soviet-sub hunter, the S-3 Viking.

Also in this edition, we share the good news about the pro-military community of The Liberty Coast collaborating to reopen the Jacksonville International Airport’s Military Lounge.

As the implementation and claims processing of the Honor Our PACT Act continues to slowly roll out and evolve, we encourage all to read up on the plethora of information being shared by the VA and so many law firms. One of the unintended outcomes of the expansive Veteran-care law is the interest in the correct pronunciation of the Marine Corps’ base named after perhaps the “greatest leatherneck of them all,” Lieutenant General John Archer LeJeune. Or.., is it “Luh-Jern.”

Military history and personal recollections are on display all across The Liberty Coasts’ Military Heritage Trail. For example, as the Jacksonville Naval Museums’ USS Orleck museum ship in Downtown Jacksonville was welcoming aboard their 10,000th visitor and placing one of the Navy’s original anti-submarine drone’s from the 1950’s on display, the crew also hosted the Florida Association of Veteran-Owned Businesses’ (FAVOB). Christina Swan son shares the launch of the FAVOB’s Jacksonville chapter that assists regional Vetrepreneurs in growing their businesses.

We hope you enjoy the stories in these pages and the many other stories, news and informational tabs at LibertyLifeMedia.Com. We wish you and yours all the best in the new year. Be well.

Joe Snowberger U.S. Navy Mustang Veteran Publisher

Lighting up the Downtown Jacksonville riverfront skyline, USS Orleck is on display. (Facebook)

Vetrepreneur Resources

A New Tool for Veteran Business Owners on the Liberty Coast

by Christina Swanson

According to both the U.S. Census Bureau and the Small Business Administra tion, one in ten U.S. businesses are Veteran-owned. Florida is home to approxi mately 187,000 Veteran-owned businesses (VOBs) generating over $57 billion in annual revenue.

Already well suited to be business owners, Veterans wanting to start or grow a small business on The Liberty Coast have a new tool to help build a successful business.

FAVOB Jacksonville Chapter. Founded in 2014, the mission of The Florida Association of Veteran-Owned Businesses, or FAVOB, is to create opportunities for Veteran business owners to grow and thrive. FAVOB’s singular focus is on supporting VOBs to do business with each other, while creating opportunities to work with local government agencies and for-profit supplier diversity programs that can increase revenue and profits.

Currently the organization has 350 plus Veteran business owner members and supporters across Florida in four chapters – Orlando, Tampa, the Space Coast and the Panhandle and, now, in Jacksonville.

Additionally, FAVOB promotes and shares the “value of the Veteran-owned business” with other Veterans, the business community and legislators as well as providing professional development events so members can grow their business.

Trish Murphy, founder and CEO of Marketing Smarty Pants and FAVOB Florida Chair, emphasized all that FAVOB has done for her business stating, “In the last three years my company has garnered more than $120,000 in revenue from other VBOs or those met through a FAVOB event.”

Even more impressive, FAVOB has documented more than a million dollars in business from FAVOB companies and patriotic trustees over the last three years.

“And we can’t forget the importance of networking and connecting with likeminded VOBs and supporters because, everything comes from that…network ing, supporting, learning, growing,” said Douglas Cochrane, a retired Navy captain and the inaugural Jacksonville Chapter Chair.

“There’s a ton of Veteran organizations out there and this is the only one I know of that focuses on the entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to start, grow and scale a business,” said Cochrane. After a 28-year military career as a naval of ficer, helicopter pilot and commanding officer of Naval Station Mayport, Co chrane has worked in the financial services industry and has been looking to help a Veteran-based non-profit ever since.

Cochrane and Jacksonville Vice-Chair Jason Pryor’s (owner of Teal City Home Inspections) overall goal for the chapter is to meet in-person, once a month, with a speaker or topic of timely educational value. “Being a part of FAVOB can boost small business opportunities and create networking with some great people, and it’s a lot of fun,” said Cochran. Learn more about FAVOB at FAVOB.Net.

Federal Contract Eligibility. Another Vetrepreneur tool for business growth is the Veteran Small Business Certification (VSBC), required to compete for federal contracts. Beginning in 2023, the Small Business Association (SBA) will begin a VSBC certification program and accept new applications.

For more information, reach out to the SBA headquarters’ mailbox at CVETransfer@SBA.Gov.

TAIWAN CRISIS NOTHING NEW

by Bob Buehn, Retired Navy Captain

Major General Recalls Flying Armed Missions To Defend The Island

In 1956/57.

Talk to foreign policy experts and national security advisors and you will find agreement that Taiwan could be a tinderbox for the relationship between the US and China, one that has the potential to drag both sides into war. While to some this may seem like a new problem, old hands like retired USAF Major General (MGEN) Gerald Maloney, know tensions have existed there since before the Korean War.

After graduation from Stanford, MGEN Maloney was commis sioned in the U.S. Air Force in 1954, and flew the F-86 Sabrejet, eventually finding himself stationed with the 311th Fighter-Bomber Squadron in Korea. In the winter of 1956-57 his unit served a “mo bility” stint in Taiwan (then known as Formosa) flying with Chinese Nationals. There had been combat action in 1954-55 as the People’s Republic of China (PRC) bombed islands controlled by the Republic of China (ROC). Maloney and his squadron mates flew armed missions every day from Tainan,

Formosa. The base was designated by the Air Force as WS, which be came “Willy Sugar” to the pilots.

“Every morning a patrol plane (ROC) would fly along the coast of China to monitor their progress in ports, railroads and landing craft,” said Maloney. “We were briefed with large maps that showed this information.”

“The Chinese Nationalists told us that they thought it would be 1958 before the ports and airfields on mainland China would be ready to support an attack on Taiwan,” Ma loney remembered. Today, secu rity analysts are still speculating on China’s intentions and capabilities with regard to Taiwan.

“The reason we were there was to, first, show we were willing and able to fight (to defend Taiwan), and, second, to be ready when the Chinese did invade with experi ence in the area and familiarity with the airfields and geography,” he said, emphasizing the word “when”.

The military concept of a mobility exercise is “to get there first with the most,” as a news article about the 311th in Stars and Stripes points out. The orders were simple and to the point: “Pack up one squadron and ship it 1,200 miles to a new air strip. Keep it combat

ready, make it self-sufficient.”

Maloney said he and the other Air Force pilots flew day and night for three weeks without a break, then had a week off. On the off-week they were able to go to Hong Kong for liberty.

The venerable F-86 Sabres always flew fully armed, ready if needed. This afforded the squadron plenty of opportunity for air-to-air gun nery training. Taking off in flights of four, with a fifth jet towing a thin banner, the pilots would make strafing runs at the white target. Scoring consisted of counting the holes in the banner once back on the ground.

When not flying training missions the pilots of the 311th stood five minute alerts around the clock, two airplanes as primary and two as back up. In response to radar contact of Chinese aircraft coming out from the mainland, the alert birds would roar into the air in hot pursuit.

“When we got airborne we would take up a vector to an intercept point,” said Maloney. “When they saw us coming the Chinese turned and headed back to the mainland. All we saw were tiny black dots heading away from us.”

This cat-and-mouse game con tinued for the whole deployment, in fact, it has continued for years, right up to today.

With more than 60 years perspec tive on the Taiwan issue, MGEN Maloney thinks the island, which today is a key part of the global economy, would be a tough nut to crack for the Chinese.

“It’s 120 miles across the Taiwan Strait from China to Taiwan,” he

said. “It would take thousands of ships to invade the island.” He also drew parallels between Taiwan and Ukraine, where a population fight ing for its homeland is making an impressive stand against an invader. Raw combat power is one thing, but to invade and occupy a country, or an island, defended by strongwilled patriots, is another.

Maloney remembers clearly the Nationalists adamantly telling him that they “are not Chinese, we are Taiwanese.”

After 31 years in the Air Force and the Air Force Reserve, Maloney eventually retired as a colonel. Later he returned to military life, taking the position of commander of the Massachusetts State Guard where he was promoted to major general. He resides in Queens Harbor and is active in the com munity, serving as past chair of the UNF Student Affairs Community Council and chairman emeritus of the St. Augustine Lighthouse and

Museum.

Maritime

“This cat-and-mouse game continued for the whole deployment, in fact, it has continued for years, right up to today.”

The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet is best known as the USs’ first sweptwing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Soviet MiG-15 in high-speed dogfights in the skies of the Korean War. (USAF Foundation)

Then, Air Force 1st Lieutenant (Later Major General) Gerry Maloney stands in front of his F-86 Saberjet in Osan, Korea in 1957. Appropriately named “Vagabond,” the jet’s name reflected the 11 relocations he made to air bases in the U.S., Korea and Taiwan since 1954. (Major General Maloney, USAF (Retired)

Hardegen then proceeded toward Florida. On the night of April 8th, the U-123 sank two oil tankers off the coast of Brunswick, Georgia, in less than 45 minutes. The ships were the SS Esso Baton Rouge and the SS Oklahoma. Both tankers would be floated, hauled in for repairs and put back into service, and both would later be sunk by different German submarines. The night of those sinkings, a man named Ollie took out a yacht owned by Candler and rescued 51 mariners from the sea.

Banana Float. The next night, April 9th, the U-123 was off St Mary’s and sank a refrigerated banana boat owned by the United Fruit Company named the SS Esparta. Normally, such a small vessel would not have gotten the German’s’ atten tion, but her refrigeration made her a target. She went down resulting in 19 deaths.

NAZI’S SUBMARINES

ATTACKED

SHIPPING ALONG THE LIBERTY COAST

By Scott A. Grant

Kapitanleutnant

Reinhard Hardegen was already famous when he piloted his sub marine, the U-123, towards Florida in late March and early April of 1942. This was his second mission into US waters. In January, he had started the tonnage war off the east coast of the United States by sinking three ships off the coast of Long Island in four days. Later, he would sink four more in a single night off Virginia. Hardegen sank nine ships on that first mission.

Operation Drumbeat was the Nazi plan to destroy US shipping off our Eastern Coast. It was devastatingly effective. During the first seven months of 1942, the Germans sank 245 allied ships, killing more than 3000 merchant mariners and US Navy person nel. That is more than one ship per day. The Nazi Submariners called it “the Second Happy Time.” The first Happy Time was in 1940, when Nazi U-boats sank British merchant ships with impunity.

New York Tourist. Hardegen and the U-123 had been very successful during that first mission, but that was not what made them famous. Hardegen was famous back in Germany as the man who had seen New York. Armed only with a tourist map, the German commander had piloted his boat into the outskirts of New York harbor. They had taken a photograph of the city and its glowing lights from the bridge of their boat. Back in Germany, articles in newspapers and magazines lauded the daring submari ner’s feat.

Headed To The Liberty Coast. Now, Hardegen was headed to the US for a second time. He and his crew were eager. They were headed to Florida. Along the way, they encountered the USS Atik. The Atik was a Q-Ship, a converted merchant vessel armed with four 4-inch guns and eight machine guns. The Atik had begun life as the SS Carolyn. She had been converted to a Q-Ship and armed. Q-Ships were designed to look like a helpless merchant vessel. They would attract the attention of a subma rine and then fight back. Her guns were hidden behind panels that were designed to be dropped and she was loaded with pulp wood. Pulpwood may not have been the best choice.

The U-123 launched a torpedo and struck the Atik on the port side, under the bridge. Fires broke out in her hold and the ship listed slightly. Hardegen piloted his boat around the damaged ship’s stern. The Atik sent a distress signal and lowered a life boat, but she was not finished. She pulled parallel to the U-123, dropped her conceal ment and began to fire her 4-inch guns. Those shells missed, but the Atik was able to rake the decks of the sub with their .50-caliber machine guns. Hardegen cursed him self for falling into the trap like a “callow beginner.” The sub gained speed and pulled away from Atik and out of danger. Only one German had died in the hail of gunfire. “We had been incredibly lucky,” Hardegen noted in his log.

The Germans then submerged and put a second torpedo into the Atik’s machine spac es. They then stood off and watched as the Q-ship slowly caught fire and began to sink by the bow. Then there was a terrific explosion, presumably by the pulpwood catching fire, and the USS Atik went down with all 141 hands. Presumably the pulpwood in her hold had caught fire. The Germans lost one man; a midshipman named Holzer.

For weeks, bananas washed ashore in Jacksonville beach. So many bananas that the Associated Press ran an article about the floating fruit in newspa pers across the nation. The story warned people to wash their bananas before eating them. Phil May, a local high schooler recalled eating two of the bananas and said they “tasted oily.” Which begs the question, Why did you eat the second one?

Night at the Beach. Later that night, the Germans cruised up and down off the coast of Jacksonville Beach, hoping to encounter a target to sink. They marveled at all the people and lights. They watched the Ferris Wheel and roller coaster. No targets presented themselves and so they put down on the sandy bottom three miles off the coast of Ponte Vedra to hide during the day. No one knew that she was there.

Much later that day, the boat made an underwater advance on St. Augustine tracking the radio signal from WFOY. WFOY was the first radio station in St. Augustine and owned by a couple that also owned the Fountain Of Youth, hence the call letters. The Germans surfaced around 6 pm and admired the sights of America’s Oldest City like so many other tourists. As darkness fell, the sub began to cruise up and down hoping for a target to materialize. They stood out to sea at a distance of about ten miles and used the St. Augustine lighthouse as a landmark.

Shortly after darkness had fallen, the German

lookouts spotted a large ship headed

Submariners onboard German Navy U-Boat 123 exercise their surface gun. (Tolle 1942)

U-Boat 123 skipper Kapitanleutnant (Captain-Lieutenant) Reinhard Hardegen visited The Liberty Coast in the early 90’s and lived to be 105. (Released)

A telegram to General Albert H. Blanding suggesting the lights on a Jacksonville Beach park aided the enemy submarine in destroying the SS Gulfamerica.(Phil May)

SS Gulfamerica, attacked by U-123 on April 10th, 1942, slowly sinks off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida. (Released)

north, silhouetted by the lights of Vilano. The ship was the SS Gulfamerica, a tanker on her maiden voyage out of Port Arthur, Texas, laden with 90,000 barrels of heating oil, bound for New York. She was making about twelve knots, four miles off the coast. As she passed Ponte Vedra, she stopped zigzagging. The Germans pursued her up the coast for forty-five minutes until she drew even with the brightly lit resort.

Trailing by about a mile, Hardegen launched a torpedo at a radical angle of attack in an effort to lynch the tanker right there in front of the crowd. It was like shooting from the hip. At 9:25 local time, the torpedo found its mark and a huge explosion reverberated up and down the coast. A pillar of reddish orange flame lept 500 feet into the air.

On board the Gulfamerica they knew what had happened and they knew they were sinking. This was the radio operator’s second sinking in thirty days. He began to send out an SOS as the rest of the crew began an organized effort to abandon ship.

On shore, people were dancing on the pier and walking up and down the boardwalk. The explosion rattled windows and people rushed to the beach to see what had hap pened. At first, they thought it was some sort of accident, maybe two ships collid ing. The idea that a Nazi submarine was attacking one of our ships just off our coast was unimaginable.

Beachfront Fireworks. What happened next alleviated all doubt. For reasons that are still debated today, Hardegen piloted his sub around the stern of the Gulfamerica and placed his boat between the burning tanker and the shore. Now everyone could see the outline of Hardegen’s submarine as he shelled the Gulfamerica a dozen times with his deck gun and simultaneously opened up with his machine guns to take out Gulfa merica’ s radio antenna so that she could not send a distress signal. On shore, specta tors watched in horror as what had begun as an orderly effort to abandon ship devolved into utter chaos. Lifeboat number 2 capsized and terrified men jumped off the vessel into the burning ocean.

The question that persists is, Why did Hardegen risk his boat and pilot it to the land ward side of his victim? Shortly after the event, a Nazi propagandist ghost wrote an auto- biography for Hardegen that became one of the best-selling books in Nazi Germany. That book claimed that Hardegen had made the controversial maneuver in order to spare innocent lives on the beach, in case his guns overshot the tanker. That story remained and still persists to this day. When Hardegen came to Jackson ville in the early 90’s, the local paper labeled him a “humanitarian” for this act. It seems more likely that Hardegen was trying to put on a spectacular show. In his logbook he writes that they “put on quite a show for the (tourists).” Hitler bragged about the sinking. Hardegen became an even bigger hero. Reinhard Hard egen did not go back to sea again. He was too valuable. He spent the rest of the war giving speeches at war plants. Sinking the Gulfamerica likely saved his life. He lived to the age of 105.

Shortly after he died in 2018, we were able to install a memorial marker re membering the nineteen men that died off of our coast by an act of war. The memorial is located at Oceanfront Park in Jacksonville Beach.

Scott A. Grant, among many things, is a local historian and author. He is best known for his research on the sinking of the SS Gulfamerica. He expects that ship will be mentioned in his ultimate obituary. Scott welcomes your com ments at scottg@standfastic.com

In the News

THE CAMP “LUH-JERN” CORRECTION

By Joe Snowberger

Passage

of Honor Our PACT Act Re-Energizes The Correct Pronun ciation Campaign of Largest Marine Corps Base.

By now, most of us have seen or heard the commercials of fering guidance about contami nated water lawsuits and claims for former Marines and anyone who served, worked or lived on the largest Marine base in the world.

Located in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and established in 1941, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune’s namesake is Lieutenant General John Archer Lejeune. He fought in World War I and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Marines of all time.

“He’s responsible for really saving the Marine Corps and for establishing our identity as an amphibious force,” said Camp Lejeune’s Public Affairs Director, Nat Fahy, in an interview. “He was our 13th commandant for nine years. He saved the Virginia Military Institute. He established the Marine Corps Ball, the Marine Corps Association.”

Perhaps the “Greatest leatherneck of all time,” Lieutenant General John A. LeJerne(ph).

Since the 1960’s the pronunciation of the general’s name and the base has been accepted as it is spelled; “kamp Luh-zhoon or Le-Jeune).” Even Google says that’s the correct pronunciation. Oops, turns out that is not quite correct.

The “Camp Lejeune (Luh-jern) Movement” is underway to re-establish the proper pronunciation of Camp Lejeune. Numerous interviews with the Lejeune family, historic records and the Marines website make it pretty clear that since the 1960’s the common pronunciation has been incorrect.

Following the general’s death in 1942 and with the passing of those from that era, the spelling of his name - having no “r” - resulted in it morphing from “Lejerne”(ph) to the “Le-jeune” pronunciation.

Former Marine and Gunnery Sergeant George Barrows (pronounced “Bar ros”) is credited with launching one of the grass-roots efforts to correctly pro nounce the historic base and Marine legend’s name. He wears a hat while on the base with the phrase, “With respect, Lejerne,” to prompt a conversation.

Barrows shared in an interview, “They see my hat and they say, what’s that for? And then I tell them. And they say why? Say there’s no “r” in it. I say there is no “r” in colonel, either.”

Raised in the Cajun country of Louisiana, Lejeune graduated from the Naval Academy in 1890 and took a commission in the Marine Corps. Fighting in France in World War I with the Marines 2nd Division, he garnered much respect from his men for his fighting abilities and leadership. The French were also huge fans of Lejeune for his courage, strategic skills and ability to flu ently speak and read French.

Serving our nation as a Marine from 1890 to 1937, several writers of the time called him the “world’s greatest leatherneck.”

It is going to take a while to reinstate the correct pronunciation of this Ameri can hero across the culture. New Marines are being instructed in boot camp and Marine leadership is also using the correct pronunciation. “Ultimately it’s about respect. It’s about respect for the greatest leatherneck of all time, the 13th commandant of the Marine Corps, and it’s respect for his family and respect for our traditions and our history,” Fahy said.

A memorial marker remembering the nineteen men that died off of The Liberty Coast by an act of war is located at Oceanfront Park in Jacksonville Beach. (Released)

Sea Story from Philip Becton as told to Joe Snowberger.

Sea stories are a nautical oral histo ry of a Sailor’s experiences at sea, or at least their version of them. They can also be a form of naval urban leg end or fairy tale by seafarers; usually focusing on adventures and condi tions at sea or sexual exploits, fighting and drunkenness ashore. The Liberty Coast is home to many a Sailor and, therefore, many a sea story. Liberty Life hopes you enjoy this installment.

The Set-up. Taking off from an aircraft carrier is called a launch and the landing is called a recovery, an arrested landing or a trap. Landing requires the naval aviator to steer his aircraft, at speed, to a pitching and very short runway. Much skill is re quired to position his aircraft to allow their tailhook to catch a cable to stop the aircraft. It takes a lot of practice to make that happen - safely - and every time they return to the carrier.

Successfully mastering landing on an aircraft carrier is the last, and perhaps toughest challenge, of naval aviators seeking carrier-based aircraft careers. Mastering this skill is arguably the premier bragging right claim between carrier aviators and all the other mili tary pilots.

Counting the number of carrier traps is one of the basic statistics (along with sortees and flight hours) tracked by aircraft carrier-borne naval aviators and naval flight officers in their log books. Patches are earned in hundred

trap segments and documented in their professional biographies. The carrier arrested landing is such a quintessen tial carrier aviation milestone, the car rier aviation’s fraternal organization, the Tailhook Association, lists those who have achieved over 1,000 traps in “The Grand Club.” In more than 100 years of naval aviation, only some 360 naval aviators and 120 NFOs have achieved the milestone of 1,000 traps.

For an aircraft carrier, traps are count ed in the many thousands over its many decade operational lifespan. For example, in 2010 the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) recorded its 200,000th trap. That is a lot of safe, at-sea, aviation operations and teamwork.

The Sea Story. Navy Ensign Philip Becton earned his wings as a Naval Flight Officer and started his Navy ca reer as a bombardier/navigator, on the Navy’s A-3D Skywarrior, a nuclear strike bomber. Becton was assigned to the “Hoot Owls” of Heavy Attack Squadron Nine (VAH-9). He and his squadron of Skywarriors were one of the numerous aviation squadrons assigned to deploy with the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CVA/CV-60).

USS Saratoga is very familiar to longtime residents of The Liberty Coast as she was homeported at Naval Station Mayport for her entire career from 1957 to 1994.

As military aircraft do, they operate during the day and at night - called night ops. In this 1963 sea story from the Mediterranean Sea, Becton recalled he and his pilot, John Maloney were on a routine night ops mission and were lining up their A-3D to land back on the deck of the Saratoga. Becton begins, “Ahead of us was an A-4 Sky hawk, followed by an F-8 Crusader; we were third in line for recovery. The F-8 was being flown by the CAG.”

The Hint. The CAG, or Commander, Air Group is the informal name for the senior US Navy officer of a carrier air wing. The carrier’s commanding offi cer (CO) is the captain of the ship and the CAG is the leader of the aircraft squadrons on the carrier, called the air wing. While they don’t fly everyday, senior naval aviators routinely fly to keep qualifications current and for ceremonial purposes.

The Landing. “The A-4 landed and its tailhook got hung up in the arrest ing gear,” Becton continues. “With the deck “fouled” they couldn’t recover the next aircraft and they waved-off the CAG in the F-8” (signaled them to go around and get back in line).

“The A-4 got clear on deck and John greased 506 on in,” then Navy Lieu tenant Junior Grade Becton recalled.

Becton continued as he recalled the story, “We trapped and got out of the wire (that catches the plane’s tailhook to stop the jet), folded our wings and parked the A-3D, with no idea of what was about to happen. As we got out of the aircraft, people started gather ing around us and flashbulbs began to pop.”

With a genuine sea story enthusiasm in his voice, Becton continued, “We were blinded! Since we were night adapted we were totally blinded by the flashes and had to be led off the flight deck. I remember asking, “What the hell is goin’ on?” That’s when we heard, “You just made the 75,000th landing.”

“We got our picture taken again back at the ready room, which I still have, and John cut a big cake with a sword. At some point we realized the CAG was positioned to make the 75,000 milestone trap on USS Saratoga and we were the accidental and privileged crew. I don’t know for sure how CAG reacted to all this, but I don’t remem ber ever getting his congratulations.”

Philip Becton served our nation in the Navy between 1961 and 1965 and lives in Atlantic Beach, Florida on The Liberty Coast. Submit your sea story, regardless of historical accu racy as long as you start with, “This is a no-sh#ter”, to libertylifemedia.com/ submit-news-stories/.

From the left, A-3D Bombardier/Navigator Philip Becton, Pilot John Maloney, and Third Crew man Dale Meyers celebrate their accidental 75,000 arrested landing aboard USS Saratoga in 1963. Photo: Becton. (Released)

The A-3D Skywarrior was the Navy’s nuclear strike bomber flying from aircraft carriers. Photo: Steven Miller Collection. (Released)

Military Reflections

THE S-3 VIKING

A Ground-breaking Naval Aircraft

By Glenn Cook

During the Cold War, the U.S. Navy introduced the Lockheed S-3 Viking to counter the Soviet submarine threat. The plane was a carrier-based, all-weather, long-range, multi-mission jet designed for hunting and destroying subs. The aircraft played so many roles during its service that when it was phased out in 2009, it took four aircraft to replace its mission.

Soviet Submarine Threat. Submarines are covert, lethal, and sophisticated. They can be deployed anywhere under the sea to deliver deadly force. Sub marines attracted the attention of Soviet officials during the First World War; the Soviets copied and expanded the German model. The expansion during the 1960s allowed the Russian Navy to patrol the oceans with nuclear-powered bal listic missile subs.

This communist naval threat was considerable and continued to grow. As a result, a cat-and-mouse game developed between Russian subs and allied antisubmarine assets.

The prosecution of rival subs involves sophisticated combinations of sensors, technologies, and trained personnel. Anti-submarine Warfare (ASW) is a tech nologically heavy branch of underwater war that employs ships, planes, subs, and other methods to find, track, and annihilate enemy submarines.

Before WWII, the only offensive tactic was to wait for the submarine to surface and then attack; once below the sea, the sub was free to roam undetected to de liver its deadly punch. However, specific aircraft with unique aerial capabilities were developed during WWII to locate and destroy submarines.

Protecting the Fleet. In the 1940s, escort carriers brought sea-based airborne ASW into existence. The U.S. Navy adopted the hunter-killer concept us ing TBF and F4F torpedo bombers flying from the decks of escort ships. The planes used the Mark 24 “mine” (Fido) to destroy subs. Fido was an air-dropped weapon that used passive acoustic homing and torpedo integration. In addition, aircraft radars advanced to detect the periscope of submarines at the water level. As aircraft ASW capabilities developed, so did submarine technologies. Conse quently, the subs become quieter and more difficult to detect.

The Soviets continued to grow their submarine navy, which reached 480 boats by the end of the 1970s. The armada comprised, among others, the fast-attack Alfa class, the nuclear-powered ballistic missile carrying Typhoon, and the Os car class, the largest attack sub ever built. The subs threatened the U.S. aircraft carrier and battle groups with their nuclear and conventional weapons and hideand-seek capabilities.

The Modern Viking - Sub Hunter. It was necessary to counter the ability of the

submarine to strike anywhere and at any time. Carrier-based fighters and bomb er aircraft were ineffective against submarines. A new, agile, long-range ASW aircraft was required to combat the Soviet threat. The United States needed a high-performance plane to meet the ever-changing maritime strategies; speed, endurance, and flexibility were what S-3 Vikings contributed to the fight.

The S-3 replaced the piston-driven Grumman S-2 Tracker, the Navy’s first ASW aircraft for tracking and attacking submarines. A partnership between Lockheed and LTV (Ling-Temco-Vought) created the sophisticated Viking. In addition, Sperry Univac designed onboard computers that integrated aircraft sensors and sonobuoys. The complex S-3A entered service in 1974, with 187 aircraft manu factured before 1978.

The Viking seats four crew members, three officers, and one enlisted. Upfront is the pilot and copilot/tactical coordinator (COTAC), with the tactical coordinator (TACCO) and sensor operator (SENSO) in the back seats (all crew members sit on Douglas Escapac zero-zero, upward-firing ejection seats).

Right Tool for the Job. The S-3 Viking is a large, carrier-based plane with a wingspan of approximately 69 feet and a tail height of roughly 23 feet. The long-legged plane had a range of 2,700 miles and extended further with aerial refueling. Powered by two General Electric TF-34 turbofan, high-bypass en gines, the Viking can climb over 5,000 feet per minute and descend over 15,000 feet per minute. This impressive descent rate enabled the plane to loiter over an area, rapidly descend, and attack a target. Due to the twin-engines’ low-pitched sound, it was known as the “Hoover” after the vacuum cleaner.

The enormous technological advances in the Vikings allowed crew members to share information on their consoles. A general-purpose digital computer (GPDC) and multipurpose displays (MPD) allowed the four aviators aboard the Viking to perform workloads equivalent to the twelve-man P-3.

Besides sixty sonobuoys, the S-3 could carry general-purpose and cluster bombs, missiles, rockets, aerial torpedoes, mines, and special stores (B57 and B61 nuclear weapons). The sophisticated integration continued with a tailmounted retractable magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) boom and inflight re fueling capability. In addition, the aircraft had an infrared sensor (FLIR) and an ALR-47 ESM system to detect electronic signals. All tactical information could be data linked to other ASW assets.

In 1974, Antisubmarine Squadron Forty-One (VS-41), at NAS North Island, Coronado, CA, took delivery of the first S-3s; the squadron served as the Re placement Air Group (RAG) for both the east and west coast until VS-27 was established in Jacksonville in the 1980s as the Fleet Replacement Squadron.

In 1975, the VS-21 Fighting Redtails from NAS Cecil Field were deployed with the Viking aboard the USS John F. Kennedy; the squadron had a long history of flying ASW missions, beginning with the TBM torpedo bomber and the S2F. The last squadron to fly the Viking, VS-22 Checkmates, was decommissioned in 2009.

Always Evolving. As the Soviet surface navy expanded in the 1980s, the Vi king’s mission evolved to over-the-horizon targeting, reconnaissance, and antiship strike. Beginning in 1987, the Navy upgraded the Vikings to S-3Bs with enhanced sensors, avionics, weapons systems, and ISAR radar. The Maverick Plus System allowed the aircraft to engage laser- or infrared-guided air-to-sur face missiles; it also carried an AGM-84H/K “Harpoon” guided cruise missile.

Buddy stores (external fuel tanks) were also added to allow the enhanced Vi king to take on the additional role of refueling other fleet aircraft. The updated

An S-3B Viking flies by a Russian/Soviet Union Kilo Class submarine. (Released)

An S-3B Viking launched off the flight deck of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)in the Persian Gulf in 2005. (U.S. Navy photo by PH2 Michael D. Cole, Released)

S-3B was fitted with an ALE-39 countermea sure dispenser system and 90 pounds of chaff, flares, and jammers. In 1998, the MAD boom and SENSO position were eliminated from the S-3B. NAS Cecil Field’s VS-30 Diamond cutters accepted the first advanced Viking in its mission to adapt to an ever-changing enemy threat.

In 1991, 16 S-3s entered service as ES-3A. The aircraft performed surveillance and intelligence-gathering roles for fleet and re gional commanders. VQ-5 Sea Shadows were based in Guam. NAS Cecil Field was the home of the Atlantic Squadron, VQ-6 Black Ravens, until the facil ity closed in 2015 when they were moved to NAS Jacksonville. In 1999, both squadrons were decommissioned because of budget cuts. In addition, six Viking variants (‘Aladdin’ and ‘Beartrap’) were engaged in classified intelligence mis sions.

Thank You for your Service. The S-3 gave our nation unparalleled capabilities from its introduction until its disestablishment in 2009. During its operational era in the fleet, it was involved in just about every major international conflict. The S-3 was used over land during the 1991 Gulf War, attacking Iraqi Silkworm missile sites. It and its crews served during the Yugoslav wars and in Operation Enduring Freedom (2001) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003), where it neu tralized critical targets in Basra (including Saddam Hussein’s personal yacht, Al Mansur). In 2008, the Navy deployed four Vikings from the Al Asad Airbase in Iraq to gather intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data.

In 2009, all but seven Vikings retired to make way for strike fighters and multimission aircraft. Three Vikings were attached to the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron of VX-30, where they cleared the ocean range of the Pacific Missile Test Center before live firing. In addition, four S-3Bs were transferred to NA SA’s Glenn Research Center for testing. On July 13, 2021, NASA relinquished the last Viking to the San Diego Air and Space Museum. What’s Next? The Vikings provided the Navy and America with critical assets and adaptability during trying times for our nation. The plane was vital in pro tecting the carrier group from sub and surface threats.

Today, with the increasing development of both Soviet and Chinese submarines, there is no fixed-wing carrier-based ASW plane to carry out the Viking’s unique detection and defense capabilities. The void is there. Will we pay the price in the long term for shortsightedness in the near term? Only time will tell.

Six Degrees of Separation. One of those four last S-3’s transferred to NASA, is on its way to its forever home, right here on The Liberty Coast. Former naval flight officer and squadron commanding officer, Ed -call sign “Junior”- Turner shared with Liberty Life that one of those aircraft (Number 159746) has been acquired by the National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum.”

The memorial is under development and located at the historic former NAS Cecil Field on Jacksonville’s westside. Having been assigned to local squadrons during its operational days, the acquired Viking will join their fully renovated A-7E Corsair and newly painted F-18C Hornet as part of a display of four aircraft honoring the legacy of the former Master Jet Base. An A-4 Skyhawk is projected to be the fourth aircraft put on display.

When displayed, the S-3 will also carry four names of crew who will represent all fallen comrades and Cecil Fields legacy. For more about the National POW/ MIA Memorial and Museum, visit POWMIAMemorial.org.

Glenn Cook, a former lieutenant commander and naval aviator, served fly ing the S-3A with VS-31 and the VSSU. He then flew for Delta Air Lines for 34 years, retiring as a Captain on the Boeing 777. He and his wife, Wendy, live on Jekyll Island, Georgia. Their son, Sam, is in the Marine Corps, flying the F-35.

By Navy Chief Petty Officer Ashley Berumen, Commander, Submarine Group Ten

The Ohio-class, guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN 729) returned to its homeport of Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, recently, for the first time in 790 days.

Rear Adm. Thomas R. “TR” Buchanan, commander of Submarine Group Ten, recognized the hard work it took to keep the ship out for such an extended pe riod of time. “We ask a tremendous amount out of our submariners who forward deploy and operate for months away from home,” said Buchanan.

While forward deployed, the ship sailed more than 100,000 nautical miles, which is the equivalent to traveling more than four times around the world, with stops in Souda Bay, Greece, Gibraltar, Oman, Diego Garcia, Faslane, Scotland, and Bahrain.

The USS Georgia (SSGN 729) is one of four guided-missile submarines in the U.S. Navy’s fleet, homeported in Kings Bay. The lockout trunk on the hull is used as an escape hatch for Navy SEALs to deploy off the ship. (Released)

“Georgia has been doing the nation’s business for 790 days,” said Buchanan. “It is with great pride we welcome them back to their homeport after a job excep tionally well done.”

Although the ship itself hasn’t returned to its homeport in more than two years, Georgia has two assigned crews, Blue and Gold, that alternate manning the submarine. In the past nearly 800 days, the crews performed four exchanges of command. While one crew deploys with the ship for a four to six-month period, the other returns to Kings Bay and conducts training at Trident Training Facility. The training program includes various simulated missions and scenarios. This training regimen ensures the crew remains tactically and operationally ready. Georgia and all SSGNs provide the U.S. Navy with one of the most versatile and clandestine platforms in the fleet. They are equipped with superior com munications capabilities and can carry up to 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles. The platform can also be configured to host up to 66 Special Operation Force personnel.

Georgia was converted from a trident ballistic-missile submarine in December 2007. The SSGN conversion program produced transformational capability on a time-compressed schedule.

Georgia is one of four guided-missile submarines in the U.S. Navy’s fleet, and comprises half of the guided-missile submarine force in Kings Bay. The base is home to all East Coast Ohio-class submarines to include five ballistic-missile and two guided-missile submarines.

The Submarine Forces Pacific website shares that the SSGN Program Office refueled and converted four SSBNs into SSGNs in a little more than five years at a significantly lower cost and less time than building a new submarine. Along with Georgia’s conversion in 2007, other converted SSBNs include: the USS Ohio (SSGN 726) whose conversion was completed in December 2005 and de ployed for the first time in October 2007; USS Florida (SSGN 728) commenced its refueling and conversion in August 2003 and returned to the fleet in April 2006; and the USS Michigan (SSGN 727) whose conversion was completed in October 2004 and was delivered in November 2006. Florida homeported along with Georgia at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia. The Ohio and Michigan call Naval Base Kitsap in Bangor, Washington, home.

News & Gouge

JAX AIRPORT MILITARY LOUNGE REOPENS

PACT ACT IMPLEMENTATION AND PROCESSES BEGINNING TO EVOLVE

Volunteers May Register Through Web-based Portal.

“Next Up” is a sports and military term that refers to players or Servicemem bers being ready to seamlessly take over for another, ensuring the game or mission continues.

Recently, and among other realignments, the USO announced they must with draw the support and volunteer management for military lounges and welcome centers at airports across the country. Almost immediately the “Next Up” at Jacksonville International Airport’s (JAX) Active-Duty Military Lounge is a collaboration among the pro-military community of The Liberty Coast. The Jacksonville Airport Authority (JAA) has announced plans to reopen the military lounge for traveling active-duty service men and women at JAX on December 7th. In a press release, it was shared “The Authority will refurbish and update the space and work with North Jacksonville Rotary Club, United Way of Northeast Florida’s Mission United and the Veterans Council of Du val County to provide coordination and volunteers.”

“With Northeast Florida’s deep ties to the military community, having a desig nated lounge area for service men and women was incredibly important to us,” JAA CEO Mark VanLoh said. “So many members travel through our airport daily. We wanted to create a location to welcome them.”

Staffed by dedicated community volunteers, the lounge offers active-duty military Servicemembers and their families a very welcome respite during flight layovers and long delays. Units traveling together have a comfortable lay over or gathering place. Many times the center is the first place newly arriving Servicemembers and their families visit to meet their sponsors or make travel arrangements to their new duty station on The Liberty Coast.

Call to Action: Volunteers. Thanks to the JAA, the active-duty military lounge has been freshed up with new paint, new signage, a robust wifi and re-stocked with snacks and drinks. The lounge will re-open and expand hours as vol unteers continue to register and complete the TSA background and badging process, which can take between 15 - 21 days. While some of the USO’s volunteers will continue to staff the lounge in the typical four hour shift format, many more are needed to open the lounge regularly as well as extended holiday travel hours.

Interested adult volunteers can learn more and register to start the process by scanning the QRC, visiting https://tinyurl.com/jaxmilitarylounge, or contact ing Tom at TWMSFA88@GMail.Com.

VA Benefit Claims Surging

To 200K, Processing To Begin in 2023. VA Backlog at 650K Claims and 150K Appeals.

Complied from Veteran Service Organization reportings

By now you’ve probably seen Camp Lejeune contaminated water lawsuit com mercials. PACT Act eligible Veterans may have already filed a presumptive is sue claim with a Veteran Service Officer or completed the initial toxic exposure screening when visiting the VA.

While The Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson “Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics” (PACT) Act became law in August, full implementation by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) continues to evolve - and it will for a while to come.

The PACT Act (VA.Gov/PACT) is proposed to:

• Empower the VA to deliver benefits to Veterans living with more than 20 toxic exposure-related conditions and to their survivors;

• Make generations of Veterans eligible for VA health care, while increasing care for many more;

• Ensure that every enrolled Veteran receives an initial toxic exposure screen ing at VA and follow-up screening at least every five years;

• Significantly increase VA research on toxic exposure;

• Give VA tools to hire and retain employees and modernize over 30 facili ties; and

• Solidify VA’s new, expedited process for establishing presumptions of ser vice connection for toxic exposure-related conditions.

An Already Huge Backlog with an Expected Surge. The VA is like a Navy aircraft carrier when it turns into the wind to launch aircraft. When something that big changes course, especially a large turn, it doesn’t happen fast and is not noticeable at first. While the rudder is over in the VA’s health and benefits sys tem pivot to address the PACT Act, many are realizing the actualization of the proposed care and outcomes are still emerging and will take a while.

Some of the course change includes:

• By the end of 2022, the VA expects to receive over 200,000 PACT Actrelated claims with plans to begin processing them in 2023.

• Expecting more than 20,000 by year’s end, the VA says they will prioritize and expedite the processing of claims for Veterans with cancers associated with the PACT Act. That’s in addition to continuing to prioritize the pro cessing of claims for Veterans with terminal illnesses and who are homeless.

• According to the VA there were already 623,060 pending VA claims at the end of August, just before the PACT Act became law.

• JOBS: In anticipation of the surge and in reaction to the backlog, the VA is hiring at 95 regional offices, special processing and call centers.

The implementation of the PACT Act, the resolution of post-Covid VA claims backlog and the hiring and training of the needed personnel will be a long process. In addition to the many resources of support and information in your com munity, get more information about the PACT Act and how to file a claim by visiting VA.Gov/PACT. If Veterans, their families, caregivers or survivors have questions and wish to speak with someone about the PACT Act, they may call 1-800-MyVA411 at any time. To find a Veteran Service Officer near you, read LibertyLifeMedia.Com/Articles/Got-A-VSO.

Volunteers can register to serve active-duty military families at reopened JAX military lounge. (JAA Instagram)

The PACT Act namesake: SFC Heath Robinson with wife Danielle and daughter Brielle. (Image: Facebook)