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
