This Day In History: The USS Kitty Hawk Mutiny Occurs - American Military News

This Day In History: The USS Kitty Hawk Mutiny Occurs

This day in history, October 12, 1972, the USS Kittyhawk riot, also known as the Kitty Hawk mutiny occured.

The Kitty Hawk mutiny was a race riot that took place on the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk while it was stationed off the coast of Vietnam during Operation Linebacker of the Vietnam War.



The carrier’s commander, Captain Marland Townsend, and executive officer, Commander Benjamin Cloud (who was black), dissuaded the rioters from further violence and prevented white sailors from retaliating. This allowed the carrier to launch her Linebacker air missions as scheduled on the morning of October 12.

Nineteen of the rioters were later found guilty by the Navy of at least one charge connected to the riot.