Another idiotically-written article by some dimwit bonehead at CBS, and an article editor who’s likely just as ignorant.
“Spy mission”. Really? An armed-Reconnaissance mission is a normal daily military combat mission, thousands of which were flown during the war, where an armed aircraft doesn’t have a specific target, and is cleared to an enemy area to go look for targets. It’s not a “spy mission”, ala some Gary Powers U-2 mission over the Soviet Union.
And “aircraft carriers moored in waters off of north Vietnam”. Do these idiots even know what the term “moored” means? Aircraft carriers and their supporting ships don’t just come to a stop, drop anchor in the middle of the Tonkin Gulf, and become some floating airport. They are underway at all times, launching and recovering aircraft. There’s no “mooring” to be had.
U.S. Navy Reserve Lt. Cmdr. Larry R. Kilpatrick was conducting a "night armed reconnaissance mission" when he lost radio contact.
www.cbsnews.com