NICKERSON, WILLIAM BREWSTER

Name: William Brewster Nickerson
Rank/Branch: O2/US Navy Reserves
Unit: Attack Squadron 85, USS KITTY HAWK (CVA 63)
Date of Birth: 17 March 1942 (Boston MA)
Home City of Record: Stamford CT (or Fairfield CT)
Date of Loss: 22 April 1966
Country of Loss: North Vietnam/Over Water
Loss Coordinates: 183258N 1055959E (XF055511)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: A6A
Refno: 0311

Other Personnel in Incident: Robert F. Weimorts (missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 May 1990 from one or more of
the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence
with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W.
NETWORK 1998.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: The USS KITTY HAWK was on duty in Vietnam as early as 1964 and had
131 combat sorties to its credit by the end of 1965, and many more through
the remaining years of the Vietnam war. The KITTY HAWK was one of the
Forrestal-class "super" carriers, and could operate up to ninety aircraft
from her angled deck.

One of the aircraft launched from the decks of the KITTY HAWK was the
Grumman A6 Intruder. The Intruder is a two-man all weather, low-altitude,
carrier-based attack plane, with versions adapted as aerial tanker and
electronic warfare platform. The A6A primarily flew close-air-support,
all-weather and night attacks on enemy troop concentrations, and night
interdiction missions. Its advanced navigation and attack system, known as
DIANE (Digital Integrated Attack navigation Equipment) allowed small
precision targets, such as bridges, barracks and fuel depots to be located
and attacked in all weather conditions, day or night. The planes were
credited with some of the most difficult single-plane strikes in the war,
including the destruction of the Hai Duong bridge between Hanoi and Haiphong
by a single A6. Their missions were tough, but their crews among the most
talented and most courageous to serve the United States.

LTCDR Robert F. Weimorts and LTJG William B. Nickerson were pilots assigned
to Attack Squadron 85 onboard the USS KITTY HAWK. On April 22, 1966, the two
were assigned a combat air reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam.
Weimorts was the pilot of their A6A while Nickerson served as the
Bombardier/Navigator.

Immediately following roll-out from the bombing run on a target near the
city of Vinh in Ha Tinh Province, the wingman observed Weimorts' aircraft
impact into the water, about 5 miles offshore. The cause of the crash was
unknown. Neither Weimorts nor Nickerson was seen to eject. No survivors or
remains were recovered.

Weimorts and Nickerson are listed with honor among the Americans still
prisoner, missing or unaccounted for in Southeast Asia because his body was
never recovered. Others who are missing do not have such clear cut cases.
Some were known captives; some were photographed as they were led by their
guards. Some were in radio contact with search teams, while others simply
disappeared.

Since the war ended, over 250,000 interviews have been conducted with those
who claim to know about Americans still alive in Southeast Asia, and several
million documents have been studied. U.S. Government experts cannot seem to
agree whether Americans are there alive or not. Distractors say it would be
far too politically difficult to bring the men they believe to be alive
home, and the U.S. is content to negotiate for remains.

Over 1000 eye-witness reports of living American prisoners were received by
1989. Most of them are still classified. If, as the U.S. seems to believe,
the men are all dead, why the secrecy after so many years? If the men are
alive, why are they not home?

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