1975 — May 14, mission to rescue US freighter Mayaguez crew from Khmer Rouge, Koh Tang Isl., Cambodia–41

–41 Blanchard tally from sources cited below.
–23 CH-53 crash on the way to U-Tapao, May 13. (Aviation-safety.net, Flight Safety Fndn.)
— 5 Flight crew. (all)
–18 USAF Security Police (all)
— 1 CH-53 Knife 21 crash. Wikipedia. “Mayaguez incident.” 11-23-2021 edit.
–13 CH-53 Knife 31 crash, East Beach. Wetterhahn. The Last Battle. 2002, p. 195-197.
–8 in the crash
–1 copilot
–5 Marines
–2 Navy corpsmen
–1 Marine drowned swimming from the wreck
–3 Marines killed by gunfire trying to reach the beach
–1 Marine died from wounds while clinging to the burning wreckage
— 1 Lance corporal Ashton Loney in combat with Khmer Rouge. Wetterhahn, p. 176-178.
— 3 Captured Marines executed (1 shot and two beaten to death). Wetterhahn, 286-289.
–41 History.com. “…American freighter ship Mayaguez seized by Cambodian navy.” 5-11-2021.
–41 Wikipedia. “Mayaguez incident.” 11-23-2021 edit.
–13 Knife 31 crash
–10 Marines
— 2 Navy corpsmen
— 1 Air Force crewman
— 1 Knife 21 crash (US Air Force crewman Elwood Eugene Rumbaugh).
Cites The Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Wall-USA.
— 1 Marine killed in action on West Beach
— 3 Marines missing an action and presumed dead
–23 Crash on CH-63 on way to U-Tapai.
— 5 Flight crew
–18 USAF Security Police.
–16 Naval Historical Center. “FAQs…Casualties: U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Personnel…”
— 2 Navy
–14 Marines

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation on USAF Sikorsky CH-53C crash:

“13 May 1975, callsign “Knife 13”: CH-53 68-10933 departed from Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base with a crew of five and 18 USAF Security Police onboard to assist in the recovery operation of the SS Mayaguez.

“On May 13, 1975 at 2030 local time, 16 Sikorsky CH-53Cs took off from RTAFB Nakhon Phanom. Shortly after take-off, one of the helicopters, Serial Number 68-10933 from the 21st SOS, 56th SPS, fell out of formation, crashed and exploded on impact. All 23 aboard, including four crew, 18 USAF security police and one crew chief, were killed in the crash. Other CH-53s landed nearby, but exploding ammunition and burning fuel hindered all rescue attempts.

“One main rotor blade had separated from rotor head.

“The CH-53 crashed in the Phannanikhom District, 35 miles west of Nakhon Phanom. Officially, the CH-53C was on a routine training mission, but all 23 killed in the crash were awarded the Bronze Star posthumously.”

History.com: “May 12, 1975… The American freighter Mayaguez is captured by communist government forces in Cambodia, setting off an international incident. The U.S. response to the affair indicated that the wounds of the Vietnam War still ran deep.

“On May 12, 1975, the U.S. freighter Mayaguez and its 39-man crew was captured by gunboats of the Cambodian navy. Cambodia had fallen to communist insurgents, the Khmer Rouge, n April 1975. The Cambodian authorities imprisoned the American crew, pending an investigation of the ship and why it had sailed into waters claimed by Cambodia. The response of the United States government was quick. President Gerald Ford called the Cambodian seizure of the Mayaguez an ‘act of piracy’ and promised swift action to rescue the captured Americans.

“In part, Ford’s aggressive attitude to the incident was a by-product of the American failure in Vietnam. In January 1973, U.S. forces had withdrawn from South Vietnam, ending years of a bloody and inconclusive attempt to forestall communist rule of that nation. In the time since the U.S. withdrawal, a number of conservative politicians and intellectuals in the United States had begun to question America’s ‘credibility’ in the international field, suggesting that the country’s loss of will in Vietnam now encouraged enemies around the world to challenge America with seeming impunity. The Cambodian seizure of the Mayaguez appeared to be just such a challenge.

“On May 14, President Ford ordered the bombing of the Cambodian port where the gunboats had come from and sent Marines to attack the island of Koh Tang, where the prisoners were being held. Unfortunately, the military action was probably unnecessary. The Cambodian government was already in the process of releasing the crew of the Mayaguez and the ship. Forty-one Americans died, most of them in an accidental explosion during the attack. Most Americans, however, cheered the action as evidence that the United States was once again willing to use military might to slap down potential enemies.” (“This Day in History. May 12, 1975. American freighter ship Mayaguez seized by Cambodian navy.” 11-13-2009, updated 5-11-2021.)

Naval Historical Center: “ ‘Mayaguez Incident,’ battle with Khmer Rouge forces, Koh Tang Island, Cambodia, 14 May 1975…2 [Navy killed in action]…14 [Marine Corps killed in action] …” (Casualties: U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Personnel Killed and Wounded in Wars, Conflicts, Terrorist Acts, and Other Hostile Incidents.”)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. ASN Wikibase Occurrence #56217. Accessed 12-3-2021 at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/56217

History.com. “This Day in History. May 12, 1975. American freighter ship Mayaguez seized by Cambodian navy.” 11-13-2009, updated 5-11-2021. Accessed 12-3-2021 at: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/american-ship-mayaguez-seized

Naval Historical Center. “Frequently Asked Questions, Casualties: U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Personnel Killed and Wounded in Wars, Conflicts, Terrorist Acts, and Other Hostile Incidents.” Washington DC: Dept. of the Navy. Accessed 12-3-2021 at: http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq56-1.htm
Also at: http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AMH/AMH-USNchron.htm

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Wall-USA. “Elwood Eugene Rumbaugh.” Accessed 12-3-2021 at: http://thewall-usa.com/info.asp?recid=44849

Wetterhahn, Ralph. The Last Battle: The Mayaguez Incident and the end of the Vietnam War. Plumb, 2002. Cited in Wikipedia. “Mayaguez incident.” 11-23-2021 edit. Accessed 12-3-2021 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayaguez_incident#cite_note-39

Wikipedia. “Mayaguez incident.” 11-23-2021 edit. Accessed 12-3-2021 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayaguez_incident#cite_note-39