bureau number 157018

Mossman, Harry Seeber
Navy Lieutenant commander

Harry Seeber Mossman, age 29, from Manhasset, New York, Nassau county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: August 20, 1972
Death details: On May 4, 2004, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Lieutenant Commander Harry Seeber Mossman, missing from the Vietnam War.

Lieutenant Commander Mossman, who joined the U.S. Navy from New York, was a member of Attack Squadron 52, Carrier Air Wing 11, embarked aboard the USS Kitty Hawk (CVA 63). On August 20, 1972, he served as the bombardier and navigator on board an A-6A Intruder (bureau number 157018)  on a nighttime armed reconnaissance mission in the vicinity of Cam Pha, Quang Ninh Province, North Vietnam. During the mission, radio contact was lost with the crew of the Intruder just prior to enemy fire being observed in the area of the aircraft. The Intruder crashed and LCDR Mossman was killed, though the exact circumstances of his loss remain unknown. Inclement weather and hostile presence in the area inhibited recovery efforts after the crash. In 2000, a joint U.S./Vietnamese recovery team located the crash site of the Intruder and recovered remains which were later identified as those of LCDR Mossman.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Lester, Roderick Barnum
Navy Lieutenant commander

Roderick Barnum Lester, age 26, from Morton, Washington, Lewis county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Sunday, August 20, 1972
Death details:  On August 20, 1972, an A-6A Intruder (bureau number: 157018, call sign: “Vice Roy 502”) carrying two crew members launched from the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CVA 63) on a nighttime armed reconnaissance mission along Route 183 near Cam Pha, Quang Ninh Province, North Vietnam. During the mission, the aircraft was intermittently tracked along its flight path by friendly radar. After the last radar contact, a radio transmission from the Intruder’s crew stated, “Let’s get the hell out of here.” Other pilots on the mission felt the transmission indicated the aircraft was aborting from its planned flight path because of enemy fire in the area. At the same time, another flight crew observed a flash of light coming from the Intruder’s direction; however, inclement weather made it difficult to determine the light source. Enemy fire was also noticed in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q YJ 859 242, which is considered the aircraft’s loss location. Searches were conducted and discovered an oil slick in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q YJ 975 335, but were unable to locate the aircraft and its two crew members.

Lieutenant (LT) Roderick Barnum Lester entered the U.S. Navy from Washington and was a member of Attack Squadron 52, embarked aboard the Kitty Hawk. He was the pilot of this Intruder when it went missing and was lost with the aircraft. He remains unaccounted for. Subsequent to the incident, and while carried in the status of missing in action (MIA), the U.S. Navy promoted Lt Lester to the rank Lieutenant Commander (LCDR). Today, LCDR Lester is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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