1945th Anniversary of Mount Vesuvius Eruption

Today’s little history lesson doesn’t really have much to do with aviation history except for the bit of personal aviation experience I had with Naples and Mount Vesuvius.  More on Mount Vesuvius in a moment.

We’ve all got many stories to tell and I dislike making these historical vignettes about me, especially when there are so many aviators out there with experiences and skills and stories that far exceed any I lived or can tell.  And also because, in this case, thousands of people died horrible deaths in the Vesuvius eruption and I don’t want to come off as if I’m dishonoring them.  If it seems that way, that is not my intent.

But since I’m one of the providers of these historical vignettes for our airport website, I thought I’d make an exception about writing about my experiences and touch on my personal involvement to something that happened almost two thousand years ago, and could happen again. 

Forty-five years ago in 1979, I was deployed to the Mediterranean region aboard the USS Iwo Jima, a small aircraft carrier called an LPH or “landing platform-helicopter”.  I was assigned to the “Raging Bulls” of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron-261 (HMM-261) out of Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, NC. 

While HMM-261 was designated a “Medium” helicopter squadron (the aircraft I flew, the CH-46F “Sea Knight”, was the Marine Corps’ “medium-lift” helicopter at the time and there were 12 of them in our squadron), we had four “heavy-lift” helicopters (CH-53D “Sea Stallions”) assigned to our permanently “composited” squadron.  For this “Med Float” our composite squadron was reinforced with “Cobra” attack and “Huey” utility helicopters, and air command and control and air defense detachments.

When deployed to Europe, we ported in Naples, Italy where I had the chance to visit Pompeii while on shore liberty.  We were also permitted to conduct flight operations off the moored USS Iwo Jima while the ship was docked in Naples, so I also had the chance to fly around Naples and Mount Vesuvius and fly “into the caldron” of the boiling volcano.

I’d guess there must be some kind prohibition to doing this today as our society (including our military) has added more rules and have become more risk averse, sort of like the recently enacted rule that aviators can’t dip low level into the Grand Canyon any more like we used to be able to do.

But 45 years ago, during the 1900^th anniversary of the Vesuvius eruption, no one told us we couldn’t do this, so we did.  As I look back, it wasn’t a smart thing to do because if we had an engine failure while in a hover, we might have settled into the simmering, active crater of a volcano and blown up as the lava ignited our fuel.  And I was in command of the aircraft, so I unnecessarily put the lives of my crew in some danger, regardless of their encouragement to do exactly what we did. 

But nothing was going to happen to us.  We were young.  And Marines.   

Ah, the confidence of youth.  Or is it stupidity?  Of course, if we didn’t have the confidence and sense of invulnerability of youth, we’d fight fewer wars.  We’d have no Alec Fetzer’s amongst us, my nephew who may not hover over Mount Vesuvius but as a USAF special operator, he does HALO (high altitude-low opening) jumps with oxygen tanks and night vision goggles and calls in danger-close air support as a JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller) assigned to a Ranger Regiment.  He rappels from V-22 Osprey’s and helicopters.  He’s learned to operate all-terrain motorcycles over rough terrain.  He’s the “real deal”, more “real” than I could have ever hoped to be. 

He loves his job and the risks he takes.  And he’s young.  Thank God for him and the young men with whom he serves.

Anyway, reading the below “This Day in History” history lesson on History.com this morning reminded me of my time “inside” Mount Vesuvius and I thought I’d share the experience of dipping into the crater—at least how I remember it.  I hope I’ve shared the experience without too much embellishment.

Now, back to Vesuvius erupting.  According to History.com, “One thousand, nine hundred and forty-five years ago today on August 24^th, 79 AD, after centuries of dormancy, Mount Vesuvius erupted in southern Italy, devastating the prosperous Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and killing thousands. The cities, buried under a thick layer of volcanic material and mud, were never rebuilt and largely forgotten in the course of history. In the 18th century, Pompeii and Herculaneum were rediscovered and excavated, providing an unprecedented archaeological record of the everyday life of an ancient civilization, startlingly preserved in sudden death.

“The ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum thrived near the base of Mount Vesuvius at the Bay of Naples. In the time of the early Roman Empire, 20,000 people lived in Pompeii, including merchants, manufacturers, and farmers who exploited the rich soil of the region with numerous vineyards and orchards. None suspected that the black fertile earth was the legacy of earlier eruptions of Mount Vesuvius. Herculaneum was a city of 5,000 and a favorite summer destination for rich Romans. Named for the mythic hero Hercules, Herculaneum housed opulent villas and grand Roman baths. Gambling artifacts found in Herculaneum and a brothel unearthed in Pompeii attest to the decadent nature of the cities. There were smaller resort communities in the area as well, such as the quiet little town of Stabiae.

The Bay of Naples with Mount Vesuvius in the background from the deck of the USS Iwo Jima, circa 1979. 

Photo by Barry Fetzer.

“At noon on August 24, 79 A.D., this pleasure and prosperity came to an end when the peak of Mount Vesuvius exploded, propelling a 10-mile mushroom cloud of ash and pumice into the stratosphere. For the next 12 hours, volcanic ash and a hail of pumice stones up to 3 inches in diameter showered Pompeii, forcing the city’s occupants to flee in terror. Some 2,000 people stayed in Pompeii, holed up in cellars or stone structures, hoping to wait out the eruption.

On the approach to the crater of Mount Vesuvius in a CH-46F helicopter, circa 1979.  Photo by Barry Fetzer.

“A westerly wind protected Herculaneum from the initial stage of the eruption, but then a giant cloud of hot ash and gas surged down the western flank of Vesuvius, engulfing the city and burning or asphyxiating all who remained. This lethal cloud was followed by a flood of volcanic mud and rock, burying the city.

“The people who remained in Pompeii were killed on the morning of August 25 when a cloud of toxic gas poured into the city, suffocating all that remained. A flow of rock and ash followed, collapsing roofs and walls and burying the dead.

Hovering inside and below the rim of the steaming crater of Mount Vesuvius in a CH-46F helicopter, circa 1979. 

Photo by Barry Fetzer.

“Much of what we know about the eruption comes from an account by Pliny the Younger, who was staying west along the Bay of Naples when Vesuvius exploded. In two letters to the historian Tacitus, he told of how ‘people covered their heads with pillows, the only defense against a shower of stones,’ and of how ‘a dark and horrible cloud charged with combustible matter suddenly broke and set forth. Some bewailed their own fate. Others prayed to die.’ Pliny, only 17 at the time, escaped the catastrophe and later became a noted Roman writer and administrator. His uncle, Pliny the Elder, was less lucky. Pliny the Elder, a celebrated naturalist, at the time of the eruption was the commander of the Roman fleet in the Bay of Naples. After Vesuvius exploded, he took his boats across the bay to Stabiae, to investigate the eruption and reassure terrified citizens. After going ashore, he was overcome by toxic gas and died.

“According to Pliny the Younger’s account, the eruption lasted 18 hours. Pompeii was buried under 14 to 17 feet of ash and pumice, and the nearby seacoast was drastically changed. Herculaneum was buried under more than 60 feet of mud and volcanic material. Some residents of Pompeii later returned to dig out their destroyed homes and salvage their valuables, but many treasures were left and then forgotten.

“Archaeologists have long debated whether the mountain actually erupted on August 24. Some have pointed to autumnal fruits discovered in the ruins as a sign that the date is too early. An inscription uncovered in 2018 also suggests the eruption could have taken place two months later in mid-October.

“In the 18th century, a well digger unearthed a marble statue on the site of Herculaneum. The local government excavated some other valuable art objects, but the project was abandoned. In 1748, a farmer found traces of Pompeii beneath his vineyard. Since then, excavations have gone on nearly without interruption until the present. In 1927, the Italian government resumed the excavation of Herculaneum, retrieving numerous art treasures, including bronze and marble statues and paintings.

“The remains of 2,000 men, women, and children were found at Pompeii. After perishing from asphyxiation, their bodies were covered with ash that hardened and preserved the outline of their bodies. Later, their bodies decomposed to skeletal remains, leaving a kind of plaster mold behind. Archaeologists who found these molds filled the hollows with plaster, revealing in grim detail the death pose of the victims of Vesuvius. The rest of the city is likewise frozen in time, and ordinary objects that tell the story of everyday life in Pompeii are as valuable to archaeologists as the great unearthed statues and frescoes. It was not until 1982 that the first human remains were found at Herculaneum, and these hundreds of skeletons bear ghastly burn marks that testifies to horrifying deaths.

Cast of a Pompeii victim in his death throw.  1979 photo by Barry Fetzer.

“Today, Mount Vesuvius is the only active volcano on the European mainland. Its last eruption was in 1944 and its last major eruption was in 1631. Another eruption is expected in the near future, which could be devastating for the 700,000 people who live in the ‘death zones’ around Vesuvius.”  (Preceding from History.com)

With the wisdom hopefully gained in 72 years, I doubt I’d intentionally hover over an active volcano again (even if it was allowed) just for the “thrill” of doing so.  If assigned to a mission to rescue someone requiring that I hover over the crater, unlike 45 years ago, I’d have volunteer crewmates aboard with me and we’d all prepare to meet our Maker as a part of our preflight briefing. 

Onward and upward!

Sources:  History.com and family photos of Barry R. Fetzer