Operation Frequent Wind Fall of Saigon VMCJ-1 Participation aboard the USS Midway, 1975 Special thanks to Justin Fremin, for suppling all of the Midway photos Operation Frequent Wind Slideshow 13 Photographs - The Vietnam War came to an end on April 30, 1975, when the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to North Vietnamese forces. The TV showing scenes of ARVN choppers crashing into the sea in an attempt to be rescued by U.S. carriers off the coast and scenes of those choppers who were fortunate enough to have actually landed on the decks, without permission, those helicopters being pushed over the side to clear the decks for others inbound, showed just how desperate the situation had become. Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Vietnam in April 1975, moved over 50,000 people. The initial decision to depart Saigon was made to evacuate the Defense Attache's office by fixed-wing aircraft. This fixed-wing evacuation was determined impossible when hostile artillery and rocket fire closed the air base at Tan Son Nhut. The decision to evacuate the entire US presence by helicopter under Operation Frequent Wind was made late morning, 29 April 1975. Due to the delayed timing of the order, the capability for rapid response to such an order was imperative. The deteriorating situation at the Defense Attache location required the Embassy to become a major site. USS Midway departed Yokosuka on March 31 to conduct air operations and visit the Philippines and Hong Kong. On April 18, the third day of a scheduled 10 day port-call in Subic Bay, Philippines, Midway was ordered to get underway and proceed to the coast of Vietnam at maximum speed. Ten U.S. Air Force H-53 helicopters from the 56th Special Operations Wing flew aboard Midway April 20 to take part in the evacuation. On April 29, the evacuation commenced. The first H-53s departed Midway at 2:45 p.m. local time bound for landing zones in Saigon. Returning at 4:53 p.m., each helo carried about 60 passengers. During the first day, 2,074 refugees were brought aboard Midway. While Air Force H-53s were bringing more evacuees aboard Midway, Navy and Marine Corps helicopters began transferring the early arrivals to other ships in the Seventh Fleet armada off Vietnam. Over 1,000 of the evacuees spent the first night aboard the carrier. Over 1,000 of the evacuees spent the first night aboard the carrier. In two days of operations, a total of 3,073 evacu-ees were picked up by Midway. In addition, three Vietnamese CH-47 “Chinook” helicopters, 40 Vietnamese and five Air America “Hueys” found refuge aboard Midway. April 30 1975, a small Cessna 0-1 “Bird Dog” light observation plane began to circle Midway. At first it was thought the pilot would try to ditch alongside the carrier. But then the tiny, single-engine aircraft flew over the ship and the pilot dropped a note saying that he had his wife and five children aboard and wanted to land aboard Midway. On orders from USS Midway’s Commanding Officer, Captain L. C. Chambers, flight deck crewmen quickly cleared the carrier’s angle deck and prepared to re-cover the aircraft. Despite a rain-soaked deck, the Bird Dog’s pilot, a South Vietnamese Air Force major, made his first carrier landing a successful one. The Bird Dog came to a stop well short of the end of the angle deck without benefit of a tailhook or barracade. The major and his family were met with wild applause from the crewmen as they exited the tiny plane. The carrier’s medical team treated nearly 300 evacuees for minor illnesses and injuries. Most ‘evacuees were found to be in good health. Over 6,000 meals were served to the refugees aboard the ship during the course of Operation Frequent Wind. The major and his family were met with wild applause from the crewmen as they exited the tiny plane. The carrier’s medical team treated nearly 300 evacuees for minor illnesses and injuries. Most ‘evacuees were found to be in good health. Over 6,000 meals were served to the refugees aboard the ship during the course of Operation Frequent Wind. Recommended Screen Resolution 1024 x 768 Enable pop-ups to fully enjoy this site. This website is not affiliated with the U.S. Government or the United States Marine Corps in any way. This website is a copyright and the property of the Phabulous Phantom Productions and the information and photos gathered for this website are intended for the purpose of providing un-official information and entertainment for those interested in the history of Marine Corps RF-4B Squadrons and the RF-4B Phantom II aircraft.