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Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 30 April 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
SYNOPSIS: The USS HANCOCK first saw action in Vietnam when aircraft from her decks flew strikes against enemy vessels in Saigon Harbor in late 1944. The Essex class carrier, extensively modernized, returned to Vietnam during the early years of the Vietnam war. The attack carriers USS CORAL SEA, USS HANCOCK and USS RANGER formed Task Force 77, the carrier striking force of the U.S. Seventh Fleet in the Western Pacific. The HANCOCK was the smallest type of flattop to operate in the Vietnam theater, but pilots from her fighter and attack squadrons distinguished themselves throughout the duration of the war. On June 12, 1966, Commander Hal Marr, the CO of VF-211 gained the first F8 Russian MiG kill.
LT Dennis P. Cook was a pilot assigned to Attack Squadron 212 onboard the aircraft carrier USS HANCOCK, then stationed off Dixie Station in the South China Sea. On April 6, 1966, he was preparing to launch in his A4E Skyhawk light attack aircraft. due to a catapult malfunction his aircraft did not have sufficient acceleration on launch and the aircraft settled into the water with no apparent ejection attempted. An extensive search was conducted throughout the crash site area, but no remains of LT Cook were located.
(NOTE: Although all government data states that the country of loss for LT Cook was South Vietnam/Over Water, the loss coordinates given above, obtained from government data, are located in the Gulf of Tonkin, offshore from North Vietnam approximately 100 miles east of the city of Ron. The grid coordinates [AK850 900] indicate a loss in the South China Sea. No explanation can be found for this apparent discrepancy, but the weight of data indicates that the loss did occur offshore from South Vietnam in spite of the discrepancy.)
LT Cook was placed in a Dead/Non-battle casualty status. Because his remains were never recovered he is listed among the unaccounted for U.S. servicemen from the Vietnam War.
During the period of July-September 1973 an overwater/at sea casualty resolution operation was conducted to determine the feasibility of pursuing recovery on incidents such as that of LT Dennis Cook. Because of the lack of any positive results whatsoever, the at-sea operations were terminated. It was decided that LT Cook and others lost at sea would never be recovered.