Truman was at flight quarters and the 4.5-acre flight deck was humming with activity. The day was dawning under dark skies and numerous rain showers. The combination of leaked oil, jet fuel, and hydraulic fluid made the wet flight deck extremely slippery.
The red-shirted ordnance technicians were loading the last of the general-purpose, free-fall Mark-84 2,ooo-pound bombs on four F/A-18 Hornets from VFA-105, the navy fighter/attack squadron known as the "Gunslingers." The F/A-18 Hornets, the same plane flown by the navy's famous Blue Angels flight demonstration team, are twin-engine, all-weather fighter/attack aircraft.
Four marine F/A-18s from the "Checkerboards" of VMFA-312 were also receiving 2,ooo-pound bombs. Like the navy aircraft, the marines were allotted four bombs to a plane. Two additional "Gun-slingers" Hornets were being readied and would be spares for the primary strike force.
Soaked from a heavy rain shower, purple-shirts were fueling aircraft at the same time yellow-shirts were directing airplanes around the treacherous flight deck. The plane-guard rescue helicopter, an SH-60 Seahawk from the "Big Dippers" of HS-7, lifted off and took up station on the starboard side of Truman s island.
An E-2C Hawkeye twin-turboprop all-weather command and control aircraft taxied to the port bow catapult. The mission this morning was critical for the VAW-126 flight crew: Find the runaway QM2 and provide guidance and communications relay for the fighter planes. The pilot of the Hawkeye brought the power up and made her final checks while the straining airplane shook violently Satisfied that everything was in order, she flicked the master switch for the external lights. The Hawkeye was instantly bathed in a surreal layer of red and green lights.
Seconds later, after completing his final safety checks, the catapult officer knelt down and touched the flight deck. A young petty officer pushed the launch button, and the E-2C accelerated down the flight deck and disappeared in the gloom.
Two KC-130 Hercules from Marine Aerial Refueler/Transport Squadron VMGR-252 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, were en route to provide "gas" for the thirsty fighters.
Cautiously, the navy F/A-I8S began taxiing forward to the bow catapults. The flight leader, Salty Dog 406, was directed to the starboard cat while his wingman taxied to the port catapult.
The number three and four Hornets were in trail as they taxied up the wet, greasy deck aft of the island. Without warning, Hornet number three lost his left brake. The pilot immediately dropped his tailhook to indicate to the deck crew and plane handlers that he had a problem; then he shoved on the brakes and reached for the ejection seat handle between his thighs. The right tire slid a few feet and then seized, turning the jet almost 90 degrees.
Lieutenant Commander Mark Seaborn in Hornet number four couldnt stop in time. With the brakes locked, he slid into the right side of his flight leader. The collision knocked a 2,ooo-pound bomb loose from the number three aircraft and ruptured a fuel tank, spewing highly flammable jet fuel onto the armored flight deck. The fuel ignited and rapidly spread flames under the two aircraft.
In the blink of an eye, the ensuing conflagration enveloped the fighter planes. In desperation, both pilots ejected moments before one of their bombs exploded, setting off yet another bomb. The two explosions sent shrapnel flying in every direction, wounding several deckhands.
Carried in their parachutes by the strong wind over the deck, the aviators landed safely in the churning wake of the carrier. Reacting instantly, the pilot of the plane-guard helicopter was hovering over them in a matter of seconds, and they were rescued with minor injuries.
Truman s skipper, keeping an eye toward the chaos on the flight deck, slowed the carrier to a crawl to lessen the force of the wind.
The powerful explosions turned a section of the flight deck into a blazing inferno and ripped two holes in the decking. Two crewmen were blown over the side of the ship and were quickly recovered by the plane-guard helicopter.
Working spaces immediately below the flight deck became death traps when the volatile fuel vapors ignited. Although sprinkler systems cut in automatically in the affected compartments, three men died and another seven were injured in the firestorm.
The deck was littered with debris from the two fighters and other damaged aircraft. Firefighters had the blaze under control in less than seventeen minutes, and the wreckage was quickly shoved overboard.
In the meantime, the two Hornets on the bow catapults were launched before Truman began slowing. The two spares were waiting behind the marine fighters positioned aft of the accident site. One of the marine F/A-18s was slightly damaged from flying pieces of shrapnel, but it was safe to fly and the pilot was eager to launch.
The tragic accident delayed the remaining strike aircraft from getting airborne in a timely manner. But the first two Hornets were in the air, and the commander of the air wing hoped they were carrying enough ordnance to sink the ship.
After Truman regained speed, the rest of the F/A-18s, including the two spare Hornets, were launched. The stragglers were now joining their flight leaders in preparation to rendezvous with the two marine corps KC-130 tankers.
Lieutenant Commander Bergman was stabilizing the HH-65A Dolphin over the ships landing platform when the starboard engine flamed out from fuel exhaustion. The other engine quit a few seconds after the helicopter plopped onto the cutter. The Dolphin was quickly secured to the slippery deck.
Bergman and his shaken copilot were speechless for a few moments. They felt a deep remorse over the loss of Petty Officer Stu Clements. Bergman also felt guilty about jeopardizing the lives of the rest of his crew. Another twenty seconds and they would have gone for a cold swim or crashed into the cutter.
But there wasnt time for soul-searching. While the deck crew hurried to refuel the Dolphin, Bergman was notified that the helicopter from the Coast Guard Air Station at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, had turned back because of mechanical problems. Bergmans helicopter was the closest to the Queen Mary 2.
With sufficient fuel in the tanks and a senior PJ on board, Bergman lifted the Dolphin off the deck and headed in the direction of the QM2. Less than a minute later, he and his crew were informed about the two fighters en route to sink the ocean liner. It would be a close race to rescue the couple stranded on the ship's bow before the fighters arrived.
SALTY DOC 406
Commander Ben Rosenbaum, the commanding officer of VFA-105, unplugged his F/A-18 Hornet from the marine corps tanker when his wingmarfs plane was topped with fuel. Lieutenant Jon Worthington II joined on his CO s fighter while they turned away from the KC-130's refueling track. Worthington, an African-American, was the first in his family's history to graduate from college. He also was one of the best fighter pilots in the fleet.
Rosenbaum keyed his radio to check with the E-2C for vectors to Queen Mary 2. "Ringleader, Salty Dog Four-oh-six is up."
"Salty Dog Four-oh-six, Ringleader, roger," said the senior Hawkeye mission systems operator. "Come port to three-four-five… target is at your one o'clock for one-sixty."
"Three-forty-five for one-sixty, Salty Dog Four-oh-six."
The intercept was going to be close. A native of White Plains, New York, Rosenbaum knew the QM2 was going to be south of Fire Island before his flight arrived overhead.
"Salty Two, comin up on the power," Rosenbaum radioed, as he inched his throttles forward.
"Copy."
Cold and shivering, Dr. Pace Woodbury and his wife, Robin, were holding each other closely They were soaked from the drenching they were taking every time the ship's bow plunged into the heavy seas. Although the sky was overcast and dark, the visibility was increasing as the sun rose higher.