This is probably the best photo from that cruise book, that shows the danger the BR crew endured in the evacuation of Saigon, in 1975. I don't know if the PH was just lucky when taking this photo or had a great reaction to this incident. As I understand it (from a Bruce Dickerson post: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/04/25/national/main188476.shtml ), this event happened when the pilot was attempting to ditch his chopper going to the port side of the fantail, and as he jumped out, the chopper pitched back to the starboard side and rammed the ship's hull at the sponson level of starboard aft, showering it's rotors pieces over the ship and into the active rotor of another chopper on the flight deck. It apparently happened so fast, that the crew on the starboard side's 50 cal. machine gun couldn't react, despite orders to try to shoot it down.

The unexpected: "Complicating all of this activity was a sky filled with South Vietnamese Air Force helicopters, looking for a place to land and disgorge their panic-stricken passengers.' " [89] From a Bruce Dickerson post: [90] "I was a petty officer on board the USS Blue Ridge during the evacuation. Our participation began Easter Sunday 1975 and lasted for over a month. We started up north where we assisted ARVN and Viet Marines with their retreat to the south. During this time we were witness to, and participated in, fights all the way down the coast. Our part in the evacuation of Saigon began on April 28 when Vietnamese pilots began flying out and landing on us. By mid morning on the 30th the ship seemed to be under siege by helicopters."

Dickerson continues: "To the best of my recollection we had five choppers crash on us that day - not to mention the ones that ditched or were shoved overboard. One crash in particular comes to mind. I still have a piece of the offending chopper. The pilot wanted to ditch on the starboard side but chickened out. As he flew around to the port side he regained his courage and bailed out on the high side; the chopper turned back toward the starboard side and bore down on us. At our position, just above a 50cal mount, we were yelling at the gunner to open fire in hopes of stopping the chopper. But before he could commence fire the chopper hit us full force in the starboard quarter showering the main decks and helo pad with debris hitting an offloading chopper and causing its' rotors to shatter and shower us with more debris. ... "