174th Assault
Helicopter Company


DOLPHINS & SHARKS


Photos of a Hooker:

Dave Mason

Chinook Crewchief and Flight Engineer
196th Assault Support Helicopter Company
1966-1968

(All photos property of Dave Mason)


NOTE: All photos below are "thumbnails." Click on the thumbnail to see an enlargement of the photo. Then click on the "Back" button to return to this page.

In a series of e-mail notes from Dave, after finding our 174th home page, he sent me the following photos. I've included some of his e-mail excerpts with the photos:


"I remember and have slides of sling loading a 174th Shark aircraft so many years ago! Who could forget the Sharks teeth! While laying on the floor of a CH-47, monitoring the load, what else could one do? :-)
(Webmaster note: See the close-up for the hole in the left windshield... Also not the position of the main rotor blade. Anyone know the details on this Shark? Probably in 1967.)




"...After more surfing of the 174th site, I think I may have more than a photo of the Shark being sling loaded. I do recall more now of Duc Pho. I will look more closely of slides I have and email any that may be interest to you.




"I recall Duc Pho as being a bad place to be. I remember picking up supplies on the beach and carrying them into Duc Pho camp. I know I have photos of the beach. I also observed a convoy on the ground moving slow with ground troops at point, moving to the same camp. We were nearly safe flying over it all! We heard many rumors of night time at Duc Pho and were glad to be at Camp Lane.




"It has been some years, but I recall the 174th leaving Lane as we came in. I think the 196th ASHC aided in this move? I do have a few memories of the early days at Duc Pho also. One of the photos on the website showed a few Chinooks on the flight line at Lane. This may have been our aircraft as we were just arriving. It sure is a very fine photo!

"You may be interested in learning that Camp Lane is still an active military base. The Vietnamese occupy it now.