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Evacuating Saigon
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| H&N photo by Andrew Mariman Chuck Warnock was a master-at-arms on the USS Midway during the U.S.-led evacuation of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War. |
Chuck Warnock helped soldiers, civilians flee the Vietnam War
By RYAN PFEIL
H&N Staff Writer
The mission of Chuck Warnock and his shipmates was to evacuate more than 3,000 Vietnamese men, women and children from Saigon.
“The war was pretty well at end,” Warnock said. “We were the head ship scheduled to go in and do it.”
It was April 29, 1975, and Warnock was master-at-arms aboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway. His responsibilities included giving evacuees clothing and making sure no weapons or drugs were smuggled on board. Sometimes his searches and seizures turned up more than he thought they would.
“One of the honchos had dual .45 chrome-plated pistols,” he said. “He couldn’t keep them. We had to throw them over the side.”
Warnock, who now lives in Klamath Falls with his wife, joined the Navy in 1955, shortly after the Korean War.
The evacuation at the end of the Vietnam War was a highlight of his career.
Over a nearly 24-hour period, H-53, UH-1, and CH-47 helicopters flew back and forth between Vietnam and the carriers, depositing Vietnamese evacuees and American soldiers. Many of the UH-1s, also known as Hueys, were gutted to make more room for passengers. One of the small craft picked up 50 evacuees in one run.
Problems arose after all evacuees had been accounted for, Warnock said, due to limited room on the ships because of how many helicopters and other various aircraft were parked on deck.
“We didn’t want the enemy to have the planes, and we didn’t have room for them aboard the aircraft carriers,” he said.
The only solution was to push some of the helicopters into the ocean.
It took dozens of men to help discard the aircraft.
The Midway also was approached by a small, single-engine Cessna 0-1 Bird Dog plane. Piloted by a Vietnamese Air Force major trying to evacuate his wife and five children, the plane did not have reverse engines or brakes. The Vietnamese major dropped a note to the ship, asking for permission to land.
“Can you move those helicopters to the other side?” the note read. “I can land on your runway. I can fly one more hour. We have enough time to move. Please rescue me.”
After moving the helicopters and dumping one more Huey in the ocean, the Bird Dog was cleared for landing. It landed successfully on a rain-soaked deck.
Once the evacuees had all boarded, the fleet of aircraft carriers departed for the Gulf of Siam and Guam. Evacuees were cared for by sailors. They were given blankets, clothes and food, and had a roped-off area for privacy. They also received showers and medical attention. Luckily, most evacuees only had minor injuries and medical conditions. Evacuees slept on the floors of the ship’s hangar bays.
During the journey to Guam, Warnock wandered among the evacuees, still confiscating drugs, guns and other illegal items.
“It’s just like a city,” he said. “You’re constantly looking for people who are on drugs or gambling from the time you’re up to the time you hit your rack.”
While in international waters, the Midway ran into another group of evacuees. They were aboard a small boat, sinking because of weight. Warnock’s ship picked them up, too.
“They just had to grab what they could get in their hand and come aboard,” Warnock said.
The ships pulled into port at the Gulf of Siam on May 3, picking up 52 Vietnamese aircraft that had escaped the country before Saigon’s fall. On May 11, the fleet reached Guam, unloading the evacuees and all aircraft.
Warnock retired four years later in 1979. He said the most difficult part of the operation was keeping calm during overwhelming circumstances. He also recalls being in a unique spot as an observer during so many helicopter landings and takeoffs.
“I felt like I was in the bleachers,” Warnock said. “We’re back in there shelling them for support or sending aircraft in. We’re not in the thick of it.”
“The war was pretty well at end,” Warnock said. “We were the head ship scheduled to go in and do it.”
It was April 29, 1975, and Warnock was master-at-arms aboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway. His responsibilities included giving evacuees clothing and making sure no weapons or drugs were smuggled on board. Sometimes his searches and seizures turned up more than he thought they would.
“One of the honchos had dual .45 chrome-plated pistols,” he said. “He couldn’t keep them. We had to throw them over the side.”
Warnock, who now lives in Klamath Falls with his wife, joined the Navy in 1955, shortly after the Korean War.
The evacuation at the end of the Vietnam War was a highlight of his career.
Over a nearly 24-hour period, H-53, UH-1, and CH-47 helicopters flew back and forth between Vietnam and the carriers, depositing Vietnamese evacuees and American soldiers. Many of the UH-1s, also known as Hueys, were gutted to make more room for passengers. One of the small craft picked up 50 evacuees in one run.
Problems arose after all evacuees had been accounted for, Warnock said, due to limited room on the ships because of how many helicopters and other various aircraft were parked on deck.
“We didn’t want the enemy to have the planes, and we didn’t have room for them aboard the aircraft carriers,” he said.
The only solution was to push some of the helicopters into the ocean.
It took dozens of men to help discard the aircraft.
The Midway also was approached by a small, single-engine Cessna 0-1 Bird Dog plane. Piloted by a Vietnamese Air Force major trying to evacuate his wife and five children, the plane did not have reverse engines or brakes. The Vietnamese major dropped a note to the ship, asking for permission to land.
“Can you move those helicopters to the other side?” the note read. “I can land on your runway. I can fly one more hour. We have enough time to move. Please rescue me.”
After moving the helicopters and dumping one more Huey in the ocean, the Bird Dog was cleared for landing. It landed successfully on a rain-soaked deck.
Leaving
Once the evacuees had all boarded, the fleet of aircraft carriers departed for the Gulf of Siam and Guam. Evacuees were cared for by sailors. They were given blankets, clothes and food, and had a roped-off area for privacy. They also received showers and medical attention. Luckily, most evacuees only had minor injuries and medical conditions. Evacuees slept on the floors of the ship’s hangar bays.
During the journey to Guam, Warnock wandered among the evacuees, still confiscating drugs, guns and other illegal items.
A small city
“It’s just like a city,” he said. “You’re constantly looking for people who are on drugs or gambling from the time you’re up to the time you hit your rack.”
While in international waters, the Midway ran into another group of evacuees. They were aboard a small boat, sinking because of weight. Warnock’s ship picked them up, too.
“They just had to grab what they could get in their hand and come aboard,” Warnock said.
The ships pulled into port at the Gulf of Siam on May 3, picking up 52 Vietnamese aircraft that had escaped the country before Saigon’s fall. On May 11, the fleet reached Guam, unloading the evacuees and all aircraft.
Keeping calm
Warnock retired four years later in 1979. He said the most difficult part of the operation was keeping calm during overwhelming circumstances. He also recalls being in a unique spot as an observer during so many helicopter landings and takeoffs.
“I felt like I was in the bleachers,” Warnock said. “We’re back in there shelling them for support or sending aircraft in. We’re not in the thick of it.”
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