AWARDED DFC: 1
CONFLICT/SPACE FLIGHT/EVENT:  -
MODEL:  HH-52A

Citation:  1.) The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant Commander Billy E. Murphy for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight on the morning of 12 November 1968 as Aircraft Commander of a Coast Guard HH-52A helicopter engaged in the evacuation of nine crewmen from the foundering trawler Napeaque, located two miles southeast of Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina. Despite 40 to 50 knot winds, 25-foot seas and blowing sea spray which hampered visibility, Lieutenant Commander Murphy skillfully maneuvered the helicopter into position for hoisting and hovered over the stern of the sinking vessel. Flying backwards and simultaneously changing heading to maintain his relative position over the ship which was rolling and pitching violently with her wildly gyrating mast topped by a whip antenna reaching a height of 40 feet, Lieutenant Murphy had but five seconds on each hoist to get the basket in position as the ship drifted downwind and wallowed in the trough. Operating under the same hazardous conditions for each subsequent hoist, further complicated by the crew of the Napeaque, as they crowded into the rescue basket each time it came aboard, Lieutenant Commander Murphy quickly moved the helicopter in and out of position over the ship until nine men were removed from peril. Lieutenant Commander Murphy displayed expert airmanship and dauntless valor throughout this perilous mission. His aeronautical skill, courage, sound judgment and unwavering devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard.