Vietnam War

Hancock reached Japan on 19 November and soon was on patrol at Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin. She remained active in Vietnamese waters until heading for home early in the spring of 1965.

Flight deck operations off Vietnam, 1969

November found the carrier steaming back to the war zone. She was on patrol off Vietnam on 16 December; and, but for brief respites at Hong Kong, the Philippines, or Japan, Hancock remained on station launching her planes for strikes at enemy positions ashore until returning to Alameda on 1 August 1966. Her outstanding record during this combat tour won her the Navy Unit Commendation.

Following operations off the West Coast, Hancock returned to Vietnam early in 1967 and resumed her strikes against Communist positions. After fighting during most of the first half of 1967, she returned to Alameda on 22 July and promptly began preparations for returning to battle.

In the summer of 1969 she was back in Alameda preparing for yet another deployment to southeast Asia. In July, while in pre-deployment night landing exercises, an F-8 came in too low and crashed into the round-down splitting the aircraft into two pieces which hurtled down the deck and erupted in a massive fuel fed fire. While no lives were lost, damage to the flight deck was extensive, resulting in a frenetic 24 × 7 repair effort to be ready by the deployment date.[citation needed]

Aircraft from Hancock, along with those from USS Ranger and USS Oriskany, joined with other planes for air strikes against North Vietnamese missile and antiaircraft sites south of the 19th parallel in response to attacks on unarmed U.S. reconnaissance aircraft on 21–22 November 1970 (Operation Freedom Bait). Hancock alternated with Ranger and Kitty Hawk on Yankee Station until 10 May 1971, when she was relieved by Midway.

Hancock as an ad hoc helicopter carrier off Vietnam, April 1975.

Hancock, along with USS Coral Sea, was back on Yankee Station by 30 March 1972 when North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam. In response to the invasion, Naval aircraft from Hancock and other carriers flew tactical sorties during Operation Freedom Train against military and logistics targets in the southern part of North Vietnam. By the end of April, the strikes covered more areas in North Vietnam throughout the area below 20°25′ N. From 25 to 30 April 1972, aircraft from Hancock's VA-55, VA-164, VF-211 and VA-212 struck enemy-held territory around Kontum and Pleiku.

Hancock arrives in San Francisco having completed her final cruise

On 17 March 1975 Hancock was ordered to offload its air wing. On arrival at Pearl Harbor off loaded half of CAG 21. On 26 March, Marine Heavy Lift Helicopter Squadron HMH-463 comprising 25 CH-53, CH-46, AH-1J and UH-1E helicopters embarked on the Hancock and it proceeded to Subic Bay to offload the other half of CAG 21. After taking on more helicopters at Subic Bay, Hancock was temporarily assigned to Amphibious Ready Group Bravo, standing by off Vung Tau, South Vietnam, but on 11 April she joined Amphibious Ready Group Alpha in the Gulf of Thailand. Hancock then took part in Operation Eagle Pull, the evacuation of Phnom Penh on 12 April 1975 and Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon on 29–30 April 1975. From 12 to 14 May, she was alerted, although not utilized, for the recovery of SS Mayagüez, a US merchantman with 39 crew, seized in international waters on 12 May by the Communist Khmer Rouge.


DEPLOYMENT

USS HANCOCK (CVA-19)

Deployment Dates: 21 Oct 1964 – 29 May 1965

Source: Hancock Command History for Oct 1964-Mar 1965.  No report submitted for Apr-Sep 1965.

Inport, Pearl Harbor                                                     31 Oct-1 Nov 1964

Inport, Yokosuka                                                         19-25 Nov 1964

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         3-6 Dec 1964

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         16-18 Dec 1964

Inport, Hong Kong                                                       21-25 Dec 1964

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         19-26 Jan 1965

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         24 Feb-2 Mar 1965

 Deployment Dates: 10 Nov 1965 – 1 Aug 1966

Source: Hancock History Report for 1 Oct 1965-30 Sep 1966 and Hancock Cruise Report for above dates.

Operating out of Pearl Harbor                                       17-29 Nov 1965

In-port, Subic Bay                                                        14 – 15 Nov 1965

In-port, Yokosuka, Japan                                             28 Jan – 5 Feb 1966

In-port, Subic Bay                                                        7 – 11 Mar 1966

In-port, Hong Kong                                                      14 – 19 Mar 1966

In-port, Sasebo, Japan                                                 14 – 23 Apr 1966

In-port, Hong Kong                                                      31 May – 5 Jun 1966

Inport, Cubi Point                                                         10-11 Jul 1966

In-port, Yokosuka, Japan                                             16 – 21 Jul 1966

Deployment Dates: 5 Jan 1967 – 22 Jul 1967

Source: Hancock Cruise Report for above dates.

In-port, Yokosuka, Japan                                             22 Jan 1967 – 25 Jan 1967

In-port, Subic Bay                                                        1 Feb 1967 – 2 Feb 1967

In-port, Sasebo, Japan                                                 2 Mar 1967 – 11 Mar 1967

In-port, Sasebo, Japan                                                 15 Apr 1967 – 21 Apr 1967

In-port, Subic Bay                                                        25 Apr 1967

In-port, Subic Bay                                                        6 Jun 1967 – 9 Jun 1967

In-port, Subic Bay                                                        29 Jun 1967 – 30 Jun 1967

In-port, Hong Kong                                                      3 Jul 1967 – 6 Jul 1967

In-port, Yokosuka, Japan                                             10 Jul 1967 – 12 Jul 1967

Deployment Dates: 18 Jul 1968 – 3 Mar 1969 (CVW-21)

Source: Hancock Command History Report for 1968 and 1969.

Inport, Pearl Harbor                                                     24 Jul 1968

Inport, Pearl Harbor                                                     27-31 Jul 1968

Inport, Yokosuka                                                         8 – 11 Aug 1968

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         15 –17 Aug 1968

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         6 – 11 Sep 1968

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         17 – 22 Oct 1968

Inport, Singapore                                                          25-31 Oct 1968

Inport, Sasebo                                                              5-11 Dec 1968

Inport, Hong Kong                                                       14 – 20 Dec 1968

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         16-27 Jan 1969

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         circa 10 Feb – 12 Feb 1969

At anchor Yokosuka                                                    16 – 17 Feb 1969

Inport, Yokosuka                                                         17-21 Feb 1969

Deployment Dates: 2 Aug 1969 – 15 Apr 1970

Source:  Hancock Command History Report for 1969 and 1970

Inport, Pearl Harbor                                                     11 Aug 1969

Inport, Pearl Harbor                                                     15 Aug 1969

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         27 to circa 28 Aug 1969

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         circa 26 Sep – 2 Oct 1969

Inport, Sasebo                                                              circa 29 Oct – early Nov 1969

Inport, Sasebo                                                              early Nov – 20 Nov 1969

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         circa 19 Dec 1969

Inport, Sasebo                                                              circa 21 Dec 1969-2 Jan 1970

Inport, Hong Kong                                                       11 – 17 Jan 1970

Inport, Sasebo                                                              15 – 22 Feb 1970

Inport, Sasebo                                                              26 Feb –3 Mar 1970

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         28-30 Mar 1970

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         31 Mar – 1 Apr 1970

Deployment Dates: 22 Oct 1970 – 3 Jun 1971

Source: Hancock Command History Reports for 1970 and 1971.

Inport, Pearl Harbor                                                     30 Oct – 2 Nov 1970

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         12 – 15 Nov 1970

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         10-11 Dec 1970

Inport, Yokosuka                                                         16 – 26 Dec 1970

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         16 Jan – 22 Jan 1971

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         22 Feb – 1 Mar 1971

Inport, Hong Kong                                                       3-8 Mar 1971

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         11 – 16 Apr 1971

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         5 – 7 May 1971

Inport, Sydney                                                              16 – 20 May 1971

Inport, Pearl Harbor                                                     28 May 1971

Deployment Dates: 7 Jan 1972 – 3 Oct 1972

Source:  Hancock Command History Report for 1972.

Inport, Pearl Harbor                                                     12 Jan 1972

Inport, Pearl Harbor                                                     18-22 Jan 1972

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         3-6 Feb 1972

Inport, Yokosuka                                                         13-22 Mar 1972

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         4-10 May 1972

Inport Subic Bay                                                          1-3 Jun 1972

Inport, Hong Kong                                                       5-13 Jun 1972

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         16-22 Jul 1972

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         19-25 Aug 1972

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         16-18 Sep 1972

Inport, Yokosuka                                                         21-23 Sep 1972

Deployment Dates: 8 May 1973 – 8 Jan 1974 (CVW-21)

Source: Hancock Command History Reports for 1973 and 1974.

Inport, Pearl Harbor                                                     12-14 May 1973

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         26-29 May 1973

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         2 Jun 1973

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         10-20 Jun 1973

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         7-20 Jul 1973

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         24-26 Jul 1973

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         9 Aug 1973

Inport, Yokosuka                                                         14-24 Aug 1973

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         17-23 Sep 1973

Inport, Hong Kong                                                       12-20 Oct 1973

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         17-22 Dec 1973

Inport, Pearl Harbor                                                     2 Jan 1974

Deployment Dates: 18 Mar - 20 Oct 1975

Source: Hancock Command History Report for 1975.

Inport, Pearl Harbor                                                     23-26 Mar 1975

Inport, Subic Bay/Cubi Point                                        6-9 Apr 1975

Inport, Singapore                                                          16-18 Apr 1975

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         3-14 May 1975

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         17-20 May 1975

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         5-13 Jun 1975

Inport Subic Bay                                                          30 Jun – 9 Jul 1975

Inport, Hong Kong                                                       26 Jul – 2 Aug 1975

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         7- 20 Aug 1975

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         4 Sep 1975

Inport, Manila Bay                                                        5 – 9 Sep 1975

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         9 Sep 1975

Inport, Subic Bay                                                         22 Sep – 1 Oct 1975

Inport, Pearl Harbor                                                     13-14 Oct 1975