Recollections

The Boys of Fightin’ Thirty-Three

The Boys of Fightin’ Thirty-Three
Dave “Fireball” Hayes

I drink to you, a toast from me

To the boys of Fightin’ Thirty-Three

Those memories refuse to fade

Most OK, some fair, few no-grade

Let whiskey flow, give tales their due

I’m sure there are, some No Shit True

Hard Sayings never truer be

Then those from Fightin’ Thirty-Three

Were I to start to name a few

I’d leave dear friends without their due

Exploits of color, brave and bold

Still some remain yet best untold

Young we were, now old we be

Times were best in Thirty-Three

We flew the best planes of our day

Led all others in harm’s way

In Tiger, Tomcat, Crusader too

And that ol’ steed the Phantom II

We served to keep the Free World free

We flew in Fightin’ Thirty-Three

From this one Ready Room so great

Came leaders true who spat at fates

Some earned stars, some toil for wages

Others shine on different stages

But we learned how better men to be

From those in Fightin’ Thirty Three

We’ve all been stationed other places

Other friends and some just faces

But yet it seems none compare

With the Astronaut and the Tarsier

History records us – an OK 3

The best was Fightin’ Thirty-Three

I’d rather be there pullin’ pig

Then doin’ this old airline gig

Light-‘em-up till dawn, with my best wishes

Till Mona clears the breakfast dishes

Let’s plan again, Reunion III

Dear friends from VF-33

I drink to you, a toast from me

To the boys of Fightin’ Thirty-Three

Hard Sayings Log

1979 - 1981

These "Hard Sayings" were recorded during the reigns of John "Frog" Allen and Fred "Bear Vogt". They were stated in various locations such as the Ready Room, the "Admin", the Wardroom, in the air or just about anywhere. For most of you, the list is of "had to be there" one liners, but every generation of Tarsiers have your own philosophical statememts worthy of recording for posterity's sake.

We of the "Last Phantom" version of the Fightin' 33rd had a great time saying and recording these, so we hope you enjoy reading them.

Note: I did edit these to avoid activation of every parental Internet censoring devise.

Commanding Officers

GRUMMAN F6F "HELLCAT"

CDR H. M. Russell	September 1943
Squadron Disestablished	July 1946

GRUMMAN F8F "BEARCAT"

LCDR H. H. Epes, Jr.

October 1948

CHANCE-VOUGHT F4U "CORSAIR"

CDR. W. A. Fabrick	March 1951
CDR E. W. Krebsback	January 1952
CDR W. J. Schub	March 1953

GRUMMAN F9F "COUGAR"

CDR. K. H. Stefan

March 1955

Squadron History

VF-33 Tarsiers

Fighter Squadron THIRTY-THREE was originally established in September1943 to support the World War It Pacific Theater campaign. Flying the Grumman F6F "Hellcat", Fighting-33 deployed to the Solomon Islands providing much needed fighter air protection for U. S. Army and U. S. Navy heavy bombers, in addition to launching strike attacks on enemy territory. The squadron was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for excellence in combat operations. VF-33 was subsequently disestablished in July 1946 during the massive demobilization effort following hostilities.

VF-33 was re-established on 11 October 1948 at Naval Air Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island. Calling themselves "Tarsiers" after a small ferocious jungle animal, the squadron’s first carrier arrested landing was aboard the USS LEYTE (CVA 32) flying the Grumman F8F-lB "Bearcat". VF-33 was involved in intensive Naval training exercises over the next year only to transition to the Chance-Vought F4U "Corsair" on 17 December 1949.

Final Flight

During our Reunion, it is our obligation to honor the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice as members of VF-33. Please let us know via the contact form those members who made their final flight during your own tenure in the Squadron. I'll add the names of the honorees as I receive them (see below). But also, try to recall some of details of our friends so we can properly honor them.

Additionally, if any of you are in contact with family members of our fallen comrades, make sure you invite them to the reunion.

Finally, I received a note from a former Marine Crusader and Phantom pilot, Don Macaulay, inquiring about a VF-33 aviator who died in 1954. This note illustrates the ongoing desire of family members seeking information about their loved ones from those who knew them at the end of their lives.

VF-33 Roll of Honor

January 1954 Updated info of July 2009 provided by H. B. Pratt
LtJG Alfred Foster	USS Midway. Killed the first week of January 1954 just a couple of days out of Norfolk at the beginning of the cruise. The accident was a ramp strike during landing.
LT R.J.O. "RoJo" Smith	USS Midway. Killed in a shipboard landing accident while in the Med. In this instance "RoJo" had reported some aircraft system difficulties however all looked good as he was turning final. Then, when very close in, executed a "wave off". Whether this was self initiated or in a response to "paddles" I cannot say, but for reasons unknown he pulled up turning slightly right and struck the uppermost part of the Midway's superstructure, crashing inverted into the sea off the ship's starboard side.
ENS John DeValk	USS Midway. Killed when his aircraft crashed into the sea from a relatively low altitude while in the process of joining up with the rest of his division shortly after launch. Cause unknown, but speculation was that the aircraft stalled and spun out during a steep tight turn in the course of the join up.
July 1962
Edward Sullivan	Today we have an interesting update on the loss of one of our number, Edward "Sully" Sullivan of VF-33, by his nephew, Gregory Sullivan. Gregory would very much like to hear from his uncles' squadron mates. Gregory Sullivan sends: My uncle Edward Frances Sullivan, aka "Sully, was flying Crusaders with VF-33 in 1962. He was a 25 year-old lieutenant when he was killed on July 1, 1962. He was from Cambridge, Mass. He was assigned to VF-33 aboard the USS Enterprise and flew the F8U-2NE (F8E). His qualifications were initially performed aboard the USS Intrepid. A low-speed cat launch (due to a catapult failure) forced him to eject at low altitude and at an unfavorable aircraft attitude. The aircraft was lost. He was seen in the water swimming as the Enterprise eased by, but he was never recovered. Not until 1994, that is, when his remains were found - not far from the accident site - in bottom-dragging nets by local fisherman. I appreciate any assistance you could offer in getting his name out; I would be thrilled to contact an old squadron-mate or two. I never knew Uncle Edward, but I grew up admiring his photographs! in newspaper clippings and the bits & pieces my mother would tell me about him. He was something of a myth to me until he re-appeared in 1994. He was found, in terms of the Gulf of Maine, a stone's throw from where he went down. It had been 32 years. His remains consisted of his orange MkV exposure suit, his red life-vest, his olive-drab g-suit and socks. He had scrawled "SULLIVAN" in marker along the front of the g-suit. I have autopsy photos; the condition of the lettering, fabrics and colors is like new. His vertebrae, pelvic bone, leg bones and foot bones were all retained within the suit. Of course, it took some time for investigators to figure out who all this belonged to, but they put it together well. Even more amazing, Uncle Edward's helmet, white with yellow lightning bolts, yellow stars, "VF-33," and "SULLY" adorning it, was recovered about one year earlier in the same area by another fisherman. The origin of the helmet was not then determined, but it was held in high esteem by the finder. Gladly, he reunited it with Edward's remains and Edward's family was honored to finally bury him at Arlington National Cemetery, complete with caisson and honor guard. It was quite an event. A memorial stone had always existed for Uncle Edward there, and it is under that stone that he now rests. My mother always said Edward knew he would die flying fighters. It was the way a number of friends had gone before him; he, too, was resigned to a death at sea. It was a burial at sea that he got for 32 years. Now, he has it bothways. He is survived by his wife, Polly, who never remarried, and four sisters. I have always wanted to learn a much as possible about Uncle Edward, and what life for him flying F-8's was like. I hear the aircraft is thought well of by those who flew it. I know that life was everything to him. I have an Air Medal Award citation he received in 1957 (as a backseating Aviation Naval Cadet when his instructor died up front at the stick at 44,000 feet in a T-2 - that is another story!), some newspaper clippings, an accident report. But these things are a bit antiseptic. I have been aboard the Intrepid and will make for a visit aboard the Enterprise shortly. But mostly, it would be his squadron-mates memories I would relish. Thanks again for forwarding this to whomever you can. You are welcome to distribute my number and e-mail address as you see fit. Sincerely, Gregory This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 202 528-2219

October or November 1962
Stephen Sutro	Killed off Cuba in Oct or Nov 1962 when a hot cat shot from Enterprise during a Condition CAP launch put him into the drink. He's still sitting in the cockpit.

March 1967
George Jones	From Joe Duffy, George's RIO in this mishap: "I thought I would supplement the entry about George Jones that is on the "Final Flight" page. We were on the #4 cat around 12:30, just underway from a port call in Valencia. The post-mortem on the accident was that the port tow hook pulled out just as the holdback broke. The shuttle took off like gang busters and sheared off the nose gear. In the span if micro-seconds the centerline ruptured as we were careening down the deck with a plume of fireball behind us. Both of us yelled "Eject!" We had no command ejection at the time. I pulled the lower handle and got out just before the F-4 went off the forward of the angle. I caught a glimpse of it going troward the sea, nose down, banked to the left. George's canopy was still intact when it hit the water. My chute candled, but cushioned me enough so that water entry (just off the port bow). A final irony (which I also saw in a deck crash in Vietnam) is that they recovered the helmet and mask. Again, my best to you all. Hoist a couple for me."

May 1965
Pete Koch Donny Wiseman	From Gene "Rocky Top" Tucker: "Lt. Pete Koch (pilot), and Ltjg Don Wiseman (RIO) were killed in the Med in a night IFR approach to America. They were on CCA final about 2-4 miles behind the ship when a RVAH-5 Vigge which had "gone-around" was turned in front of them. The RA-5C was belly-up to them in a left hand turn and the top of the F-4 was hit by the bottom of the Vigge. The Vigge crew survived. RVAH-5 went through 6 acft during that 10 month cruise, if you count the one they lost at Cecil a week before the cruise (the mid-air; a Ramp stk; a bolter which lost all hydraulics in the bolter pattern and the engines at the 45; one unintentional ejection on the flight deck by an enlisted friend of the plane captain (the ejectee was just sitting in the cockpit - he didn't survive and the airplane was struck due to rocket seat damage to both cockpits; and another loss which I don't remember the specifics."

June 1968
Eric Brice	From Gene "Rocky Top" Tucker: "Lt Eric Brice (pilot) was killed in the fall of '68 when his F-4 took a AAA hit in door 23. His RIO, Ltjg Bill Simmons, got out but sustained serious windblast injuries. The loss of Eric was attributed to the failure of the pilot's canopy to jettison during the ejection sequence, which occurred at high speed. The incident was one of several in which the pilot's canopy was held on the acft by the negative pressure caused by the RIO's canopy being gone with the acft at high speed. The canopy bow thrusters which were installed on the canopy rails in the late '60's resulted from these incidents.

November 1979
John "Butch" Franklin	Night, bad weather, pitching-deck ramp strike aboardUSS Independence in Western Medeterranean.
Don "Buck" Buchanon

June 1987
"Hawk Eye" Davidson	Flew into the ground during air show practice at Dare County Range.
Matt Columbo