Lt. Charles James "Chuck" Morrow
1953~1980

Charles James "Chuck" Morrow was born in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio on 12 September 1953, the son of Emil Edwin and Josephine A. Morrow.

He attended St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio, graduating in June
of 1971. He went on to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis,
Maryland with his First Appointment, as a Midshipman, beginning on
30 June 1971. Chuck graduated from the Naval Academy in June of 1975,
and began his Active Duty on 04 June 1975, assigned to Duty Station:
Attack Squadron (VA-75) on board the USS Saratoga.

Duty Station: Attack Squadron (VA-75) on board the USS Saratoga.

Attack Squadron 75 (VA-75 or ATKRON 75) was an attack squadron of the
United States Navy that was active from World War II through the 1990s.
Nicknamed the "Sunday Punchers," they were based out of Naval Air Station
Oceana, Virginia. The squadron flew combat missions during World War II,
the Korean and Vietnam Wars and saw its last action during the Gulf War
in 1991. They were the first fleet squadron to get the A-6 Intruder and
the last unit to fly it in operational service. VA-75 was deactivated
as part of the post-Cold War drawdown of forces on February 28, 1997.

The Squadron was established as a Bombing Squadron EIGHTEEN (VB-18) on July 20, 1943. Redesignated Attack Squadron VA-7A on 15 November 1946. Redesignated Attack Squadron VA-74 on 27 July 1948. Redesignated Attack Squadron VA-75 on 15 February 1950. They were the second squadron to
be assigned the VA-75 designation.

The USS Saratoga CV-60, formerly CVB-60 and CVA-60, was a Forrestal class
supercarrier. She was the last aircraft carrier in the US Navy to be laid
down as an axial-deck ship, and was converted while under construction to
an angled deck ship.

The CV-60 is the SIXTH (6th) ship of the United States Navy to be named for
the Battle of Saratoga in the American Revolutionary War.

Name: USS Saratoga
Namesake: Battle of Saratoga
Ordered: 23 July 1952
Builder: New York Naval Shipyard, New York City
Cost: $209.7 million[1]
Laid down: 16 December 1952
Launched: 8 October 1955
Acquired: 14 April 1956
Commissioned: 14 April 1956
Decommissioned: 20 August 1994
Reclassified: CV-60
Struck: 20 August 1994
Fate: Stricken, available for donation as a museum and memorial, 2000
General characteristics
Class and type: Forrestal-class aircraft carrier
Displacement: 81,101 tons full, 61,235 tons light, 19,866 tons dead
Length: 1,063 feet (324 m)
Beam: 130 feet (39.6 m) waterline, 252 feet (76.8 m) extreme
Draft: 37 feet (11.3 m)
Propulsion: 4 geared turbines, 4 shafts, 280,000 shp (210,000 kW)
8 Babcock and Wilcox boilers
Speed: 35 knots
Complement: 552 officers, 4988 men
Sensors and
processing systems: AN/SPS-48 3D air search radar
AN/SPS-48 2D air search radar
AN/SPS-10 surface search radar
Electronic warfare
and decoys: Mark 36 SRBOC
Armament: 8x 5"/54 caliber Mark 42 guns (127 mm) (removed)
NATO Sea Sparrow
Phalanx CIWS
Aircraft carried: 70-90
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DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN NAVAL AVIATION SQUADRONS—Volume I~~Page 133~~
8 Jan 1980: The squadron’s commanding officer, Commander A. J. Lynch, and
Lieutenant Charles J. Morrow were lost when their aircraft struck several
parked planes during a night landing and careened into the sea.
++
Anthony J. Lynch, CMDR, USS Saratoga From 12 Jan 1979 to 08 Jan 1980

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
14 Nov 1963: VA-75 was the first operational fleet squadron to be
assigned the A-6A Intruder.

May–Dec 1965: VA-75 was the first squadron to deploy with the A-6A
Intruder and operate the aircraft in a combat environment.

The A-6 Intruder jet fighters came in two major versions, the A-6A,
a two seater used for both bombing and as a tanker, and the EA-6B,
a four seat electronics countermeasures version called the Prowler.
The A-6 Intruder jet fighters were manufactured by Grumman Aircraft
Company. The A6 Intruder is 59' 10" long, 16' 3" high and has a
wingspan of 53' 0". The A6 has an empty weight of 32,160 lbs and
a max weight of 65,000 lbs. The A6 Intruder jet fighter uses two
J52-P-8A engines each producing 9,300 lbs of thrust each for a total
of 18,600 lbs of thrust.

The Intruder had a cruise speed of 482 kts and a max speed of 658 kts
and a maximum range of 1628 miles. The military A-6 Intruder is one
of the first all weather light attack bombers using special electronics
and a navigational device called the "Highway in the Sky."
Just one more note: The A-6 was one of the loudest aircraft ever built.

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From The Cleveland Plain Dealer (Newspaper)
January 11, 1980

EX-Seven Hills Man Lost in Navy Crash

The crash of an airplane at sea during routine naval operations off
the coast of Florida Tuesday (January 08, 1980) is believed to have
killed two men, including a former Seven Hills (Ohio) resident.

The Victims who are missing and presumed dead by the Navy are
the pilot, Lt. Charles J. Morrow, 26, formerly of Seven Hills (Ohio)
and a 1971 graduate of St. Edward High School in Lakewood (Ohio)
and Cmdr. Anthony J. Lynch, navigator and bombardier. Both men
lived in Virginia Beach, VA.

According to a Navy spokesman, Lt. Morrow was landing the plane,
an A-6 Intruder jet on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier, USS Saratoga,
about 100 miles east of Jacksonville, Florida at about 7 p.m. A ground
wire on the deck of the carrier, grabbed the plane, but malfunctioned,
and did not stop the plane's forward momentum.

The plane rolled off the deck and into the ocean, the spokesman said.

A search failed to find the plane or the men. The Navy ended its search

last night and listed the men as missing and presumed dead.
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Lt. Morrow was preceded in death by his Mother, Josephine A. Morrow,
on 29 October 1975. He was Survived by his Father, Emil Edwin Morrow,
One Brother, Four Sisters, Nieces and Nephews, Numerous Aunts, Uncles,
and Cousins.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Cleveland Plain Dealer
29 January 1980
LT. Charles J. Morrow (U.S.N.), beloved
son of Emil, and Josephine (deceased)
Morrow (nee Skrovan), brother of Emil
(Lt. Comm) U.S.N.; Karen Durica; Geraldine
Graham; Nancy Willimon; and Bonnie
Kavanaugh. Died January 08, 1980.
Memorial Mass at St. Columbkille Church,
6740 Broadview Rd. on Wednesday,
January 30, 1980 at 7 p.m.

About 5 weeks after Lt. Morrow's Death, his Father,
Emil Edwin Morrow passed away on 18 February 1980.
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After 38 years in Service, from the Cuban Missile Crisis to Gulf War 1,
The USS Saratoga was sent to the scrap heap in May of 1995.

Charles J Morrow