A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Kitty Hawk battle group led rescue work after collision - By Wayne Specht, Misawa bureau chief - Pacific edition, Saturday, November 18, 2000 - Stars and Strips..." http://www.stripes.osd.mil/article.asp?section=104&article=5180&archive=true [07APR2003]

Kitty Hawk battle group led rescue work after collision
By Wayne Specht, Misawa bureau chief
Pacific edition, Saturday, November 18, 2000

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — The Yokusuka-based USS Kitty Hawk battle group coordinated rescue efforts following Monday's midair collision between two Misawa F-16 fighters.

Capt. Warren Sneed, assigned to Misawa's 14th Fighter Squadron, died following a collision with pilot Col. Michael Lepper, 35th Operations Group commander. Sneed is still missing and is presumed dead; Lepper survived the accident.

First on the crash scene near Hokkaido were S-3B Viking anti-submarine warfare aircraft from the Kitty Hawk battle group.

The F-16s were taking part in Operation Keen Sword, a bilateral exercise involving American and Japanese military units.

Searchers scoured more than 6,000 square miles of ocean for more than 48 hours before calling off the search for Sneed.

The S-3B aviators with sea control squadron VS-21, assigned to Carrier Air Wing-5 aboard the carrier, took control of the search effort until they were relieved by other Navy aircraft, said Lt. Christopher Roby, a spokesman with Helicopter Squadron-14 aboard the USS Kitty Hawk.

Roby said a E-2C Hawkeye with airborne early warning squadron VAW-115 assumed control of the search and rescue effort, directing helicopters operating from the carrier, which sailed within 30 miles of the crash site.

Helicopters from the USS Kitty Hawk flew 24 sorties, totaling nearly 83 hours.

Roby said additional fixed-wing aircraft assisted with the search for Sneed over the next 48 hours.

"This search was difficult, and often frustrating, because our efforts went without rewards," Roby said. "The loss of a fellow aviator is a great loss to the military."

An EP-3 Aries aircraft from Misawa's VP-1, and a P-3C anti-submarine warfare aircraft with VP-4, on deployment to Misawa from Hawaii, also searched for Sneed.

Over the next two days, six sorties flown by VP-4 aircraft from Misawa flew a total of 43 hours searching for Sneed, said Capt. Richard High, commanding officer of Misawa's Naval Air Facility.

First Lt. Katsuhiro Yanaguida, a 3rd Air Wing spokesman at Misawa, said Japanese Air Self-Defense Forces, and Maritime Self-Defense Force ships taking part in the exercise, also joined in the search.

JASDF helicopters from Chitose Air Base on Hokkaido and from Akita Air Base on Honshu also lent a hand.

Circa 1982

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...History - Change-Of-Command - Page 5, 44 and 45 - Naval Aviation News - December 1982..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1980s/1982/dec82.pdf [16OCT2004]

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Circa 1979

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...E-2 (VAW-115) pictures were taken aboard the USS Midway (CV-41) from 1979 to 1980..." Contributed by Paul Jarvis vaq134@cox.net [07OCT2007]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Awards - Rescues - Change-Of-Command - Page 5, 33 and 35 - Naval Aviation News - July 1979..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1970s/1979/jul79.pdf [10OCT2004]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...History - Awards - Page 3, 23, 26 to 27 - Naval Aviation News - May 1979..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1970s/1979/may79.pdf [10OCT2004]

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Circa 1978

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...History - Awards - Page 4, 5 and 31 - Naval Aviation News - July 1978..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1970s/1978/jul78.pdf [09OCT2004]

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Circa 1975

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...CNO Awards - Page 3 - Naval Aviation News - November 1975..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1970s/1975/nov75.pdf [04OCT2004]

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Circa 1974

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Aviation Awards - Page 3 - Naval Aviation News - December 1974..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1970s/1974/dec74.pdf [01OCT2004]

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"VAW-115 Summary Page"

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