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Catalinas
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Mariners
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Orions
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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND VP squadrons began with the scouting duties of WWI and rapidly progressed to additional missions as aircraft capabilities improved, as new electronic systems were developed, and as the need arose for a more diverse airborne weapons system. As early as WWI, the need for airborne anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities was recognized, but the technology to keep up with the German submarine threat was lacking. During WWI, airborne patrol squadron forces were credited with diminishing the submarine threat, but not because our patrol planes were able to destroy many German submarines. The presence of our planes, especially those involved in convoy escort duties, kept many submarines from attacking their intended targets. At the outset of World War II, the Navy began searching the Pacific Northwest for a suitable location from which to launch land and seaplane patrol aircraft to provide surveillance and reconnaissance of the Puget Sound and the Pacific coastal waters of Washington, Oregon and Vancouver Island, B.C. In 1942, the first Navy seaplanes flew from the sea lanes adjacent to Oak Harbor, Washington. Within months, Ault Field was completed in Oak Harbor allowing operation by patrol land planes. Soon, both land and seaplane squadrons home-based at NAS Whidbey Island were deploying to the Aleutian Islands to participate in operations against Japanese naval forces and the Japanese homeland. Patrol squadrons operating from the NAS Whidbey Island sea lanes and runways since 1942 have contributed valiantly to the nation’s defense. Aircraft such as the PBY Catalina, PBM Mariner, PV-1 Ventura, PV-2 Harpoon, PB4Y-2 Privateer, P2V Neptune, P5M Marlin, P3A, P3B and the current P3C Orion have been used in the patrol squadron mission virtually around the world while home-ported at NAS Whidbey Island. As aircraft, weapons and electronics improved, patrol squadrons took on a wider array of tasks, including bombing, reconnaissance, surveillance, mining and electronic warfare, in addition to their continuing role in ASW. After World War II and continuing through the 1950’s, the Navy’s air ASW forces lost ground to the rapidly advancing capabilities of submarines. The advent of the German-developed submarine snorkel, which allowed submarines to charge their batteries without surfacing, further eroded the ability of air ASW forces to find submarines with radar and the human eye. The introduction of quiet nuclear power into modern submarines created all new problems for our ASW forces. In the early 1960’s, a new electronics package began to be installed in land-based VP aircraft initially, and later in carrier ASW aircraft, that finally turned the tide in bringing airborne ASW capability up to the level of the existing submarine threat. For the first time, Navy ASW aircraft were able to detect, track and, if need be, attack submerged submarines with far greater assurances of success than ever before. Even the relatively quiet nuclear submarines began to be detected and tracked with greater frequency. This new electronic system, especially the portion devoted to long range detection of submarines, which became known as JEZEBEL, was highly classified. The equipment and the techniques employed to detect and localize submarines could not be discussed outside of the heavily cloaked “need-to-know” circles within the Navy. Many in the Navy and in the other armed services, who didn’t have the need to know, were uninformed about this profound development in ASW. Even crewmembers’ wives and families were unaware of the details of this unique and sophisticated new ASW capability. As a result, few people knew of the great successes that VP flight crews were having in locating and tracking the growing Soviet submarine threat of the 1960’s and 1970’s. What the wives did know at the time was that their husbands were flying around the clock, in all parts of the world, often in some of the most severe flying conditions imaginable, and their morale had never been higher. The lack of widespread knowledge of this newfound ASW capability fostered a lack of recognition for the success of the VP squadrons in carrying out what had become their primary mission… keeping track of the immense Soviet submarine fleet. As submarine technology and quieting measures have improved since the 1970’s, so has the ASW equipment employed by air ASW forces. First the P3A, then the follow-on models of the P3B and P3C, have been equipped with greatly expanded search and detection capabilities as the result of multiple updates of their electronics suites. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and with most remaining Russian submarines tied up to piers in port, the Navy’s VP force has taken on new and different roles commensurate with the capabilities of their aircraft. For more than a decade, Whidbey-based VP crews have been used in Latin America and South America to detect seaborne and airborne drug-running activities. These same crews were used in the first Gulf War to support ground troops with their electronic warfare equipment and to protect allied naval forces in the immediate ocean areas. These crews are being used around the clock today to support the ground war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
We are indebted to the Naval Historical Center and, in particular, to
Captain Michael D. Roberts, MSC, USNR (Ret.), who, with the NHC staff,
authored the “Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, Volume 2
– The History of VP, VPB, VP(H), and VP(AM) Squadrons.” The
Naval Historical Center has made this publication available for viewing
on its website at www.history.naval.mil. Those who wish to learn
more about the history of VP squadrons would do well to look up this
valuable compendium of information. Below is a chronological
sample of events of Whidbey Island-based VP squadrons, many of which
were taken from Captain Roberts’ publication. These entries are
not a complete tabulation of the important events of these squadrons,
but are provided to show the scope and diversity of activities of these
squadrons while home-ported at NAS Whidbey Island: VPB-131VPB-131 4
Nov 1944: Lieutenant Robert A. Ellingboe and five crewmen were reported
missing in action during a daylight attack on Toroshimo Retto, the
squadron’s first combat mission. Eight VPB-131 Venturas were serving as
fighter escort for the Army 28th Bombardment Group’s B-24 Liberators
when attacked by ten enemy fighters. Lieutenant Ellingboe’s Ventura was
hit and crashed in flames into the sea.VPB-131 Nov–Dec
1944: During a patrol in late November one of the VPB-131 (PV-1
Ventura) aircraft spotted what appeared to be a weather balloon. Upon
reporting the sighting to base, the pilot was ordered to destroy the
balloon. When fired upon, the device detonated with an enormous
explosion. It was the first contact with the new Japanese balloon-bomb
released at high altitude where the prevailing wind would carry them
across the Pacific to Alaska, Canada and the United States. The
intention was to create fires in the heavily wooded areas of the
northwest, disrupting the local economies and spreading fear from these
random weapons of terror. In reality, very few of the bizarre weapons
ever reached their intended targets and the majority either went down
at sea or were shot down before reaching Canada or the U.S.VPB-131 24
Jan 1945: The squadron conducted its first rocket attacks against enemy
positions at Kokutan Zaki, Shimushu, Kuriles. Further attacks were
conducted against military targets and fisheries at Kurabu Zaki,
Paramushiro; Kokutan Zaki and Minami Zaki, Shimushi; Masugawa,
Paramushiro; Hayake Gawa, Paramushiro; and Torishima Retto, through the
end of March 1945.VPB-131 7
Apr 1945: Lieutenant (jg) Patton and his entire crew were killed when
their aircraft crashed into Casco Cove (Attu). He had been
attempting to make a landing against wind gusts of up to 60 knots (the
infamous Aleutian Willi-Waw) when his PV-1 Ventura stalled while making
a 180-degree turn on his approach leg to the runway.VPB-139 6
Apr–Jun 1945: Four VPB-139 PV-2 Harpoons attacked Kokutan Zaki,
Kuriles, with rockets and machine guns. On 6 May, attacks against
ground targets were stopped on the order of BuAer. Problems with the
strength of the wings and stabilizers on high-G pullouts over the
targets confined Harpoon squadrons thereafter to patrols and occasional
attacks on surface vessels until repairs could be made. Throughout the
month of May, searches and photographic runs were made over Minami Zaki
and the Okhotsk areas in the Kuriles. Little enemy fighter
opposition was ever encountered on these missions. AA fire, however,
was always present. On 10 May, a group of eight aircraft attacked radar
installations at Minami Zaki, Shimushu, and five of the eight were hit
by AA fire. All returned to base with no casualties. On 22 April,
Lieutenant William D. See and his crew of five failed to return from a
patrol and were listed as missing in action. In June, the squadron made
several strikes on Shimushu and numerous ships in the harbors.
Although fighter opposition was often present, few attacks were ever
pressed home.VPB-62 Sep
1945: A PBY-5A piloted by VPB-62’s commanding officer Commander George
R. Smith, which took off from Cold Bay, Alaska, carrying a full crew
and nine passengers, crashed at the foot of Old Woman’s Mountain (NS
Kodiak). Eight of the 15 people aboard were killed.VP-130 29
Sep 1946: The “Truculent Turtle,” the squadron’s first P2V-1 Neptune
land-based patrol bomber, flew from Perth, Australia, to Columbus,
Ohio, a distance of 11,236 miles in 55 hours and 18 minutes. The
aircraft was manned by Commanders Thomas D. Davies, Eugene P. Rankin,
Walter S. Reid and Lieutenant Commander Roy H. Tabeling. The flight was
nonstop, without refueling, establishing a world record for nonstop
flight. When the aircraft was taken out of service years later, it was
placed on display at NAS Norfolk, Va. This historic aircraft is now on
display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Fla.VP-ML-4 21
Jun 1948: A squadron P2V-2 departed on a routine flight and lost an
engine due to fire within the cowling. The engine fell from the wing,
necessitating a wheels-up crash landing. All squadron aircraft were
subsequently grounded until engine replacements could be completed. The
squadron was back on operational status by 31 August 1948.VP-20 3
Nov 1948: LT Paul R. Parker and his crew of eleven were lost when their
PB4Y-2 crashed ten miles off Port Moller in Kodiak, Alaska.VP-1 4 Nov 1948: LCDR Albert Hall and his crew of eight were lost when their P2V-2 crashed on Vancouver Island, B.C.VP-1 7
Aug 1950: On 25 June 1950, the North Koreans invaded South Korea. On 30
June President Truman authorized U.S. military forces to deploy to
repel the aggressors. VP-1 deployed to WestPac under the
operational control of FAW-1 (TG 70.6), beginning combat operations
from Naha AFB, Okinawa, on 19 August 1950 with their P2V-2 aircraft.
The squadron’s primary duty was patrolling the sea lanes of the Formosa
Straits for enemy resupply vessels.VP-772 1
Sep 1950: VP-772 was called to active duty by the President for service
during the Korean War. Aircrews were given transition training
for conversion to the Consolidated P4Y-2/2S (a redesignated PB4Y-2)
Privateer. The 2S version of this aircraft featured surface search
radar. A brief lull occurred in the intensive training cycle when the
squadron paid a visit to the fighting French in Saigon. The squadron
left several Privateers for use by the French in the Indochina war.VP-4 27
Nov 1950: VP-4 suffered its first fatal accident since its reactivation
in 1947. The accident, which occurred during a routine P2V-2 rocket
training flight off Oahu, Hawaii, took the lives of five personnel.VP-931 18
Dec 1950: LT Lalonde M. Pinne and his crew of ten crashed into a
mountain peak on Vancouver Island, B.C. The cause of the P2V accident
was never determined.VP-772 1–31
Jan 1951: VP-772 deployed to Iwakuni, Japan, where it became the first
activated naval reserve squadron to participate in the Korean conflict.
On 31 January 1951, the squadron began combat operations from NAS
Atsugi, Japan, flying missions over Korea, the Sea of Japan, the Yellow
Sea and the Tsushima Straits.VP-2 4
Jan 1954: LT Jesse Beasley and his crew of nine were lost in a crash in
the Yellow Sea on a mission from NAS Iwakuni, Japan to patrol the coast
of North Korea/China. The P2V crew reported an engine failure and
their intention to return to base, but were lost on radar as the plane
descended. After a final transmission indicating their lone
remaining engine was running rough, nothing further was heard from the
crew.VP-2 9 Apr 1954: A
P2V Neptune from VP-2 was attacked by a Chinese MiG-15 while on patrol
over the Yellow Sea. The MiG made three firing passes and the
crew of the Neptune returned fire. There was no apparent damage to
either aircraft resulting from the encounter.VP-1 5
May 1955: VP-1 returned to NAS Whidbey Island, Wash., the first patrol
squadron to complete an around-the-world flight. The squadron had
departed the continental U.S. on 21 April 1955. The event
demonstrated the Navy’s ability to deploy quickly with an entire
land-based P2V-5 Neptune-equipped squadron to virtually any spot on the
globe.VP-4 10 Nov 1955:
VP-4 departed NAS Whidbey Island, Wash., with the squadron’s 10 P2V-5
aircraft to complete a 17,000-mile goodwill tour, including stops at
Iwakuni, Japan; Manila, R.P.; Singapore; Honolulu, Hawaii; and San
Francisco, Calif. The squadron returned to NAS Whidbey Island within
three weeks.VP-1 1956:
The squadron was deployed to the island of Kwajalein for a period of
three months to monitor the radiation in the aftermath of nuclear
testing in a project called Operation Redwing.VP-50 11
Feb 1960: LCDR R. F. Clement and his crew of eight were lost in the
Puget Sound off NAS Whidbey Island during rocket firing practice when a
rocket exploded under the wing of their P5M aircraft.VP-2 Summer
1961: VP-2 was one of the first VP squadrons to deploy with the
newly installed Jezebel equipment and with all crews trained in its
use. During the six-month deployment to Alaska, flying P2V-7
aircraft from NS Kodiak, NS Adak and Shemya AFS, the squadron detected,
localized and tracked more Soviet submarines in the Bering Sea and
North Pacific than had ever been found in the cumulative history of ASW
operations in that area.VP-17 10
Jan 1963: The squadron incurred its first aircraft accident in
over eight years. A squadron SP-2H (P2V-7) crashed into a mountainside
while attempting a wave-off at Naval Station Kodiak. Five of the
crew survived but seven lives were lost.VP-47 17
Aug 1964: VP-47 deployed to WestPac, based at NS Sangley Point,
Philippines, participating in wartime patrols off the coast of Vietnam.
It was the first complete patrol squadron to deploy to war-torn Vietnam
subsequent to the 2 August 1964 Tonkin Gulf incident. The detachment of
P5M seaplanes, based off the coast of Vietnam, was provided tender
service by USS Salisbury Sound (AV 13).VP-1 7
Oct 1964: VP-1 deployed its SP-2H (P2V-7) aircraft to MCAS Iwakuni,
Japan, for ASW and shipping reconnaissance off the coast of Vietnam and
in the Gulf of Tonkin. A detachment was maintained at NAF Tan Son Nhut
and Da Nang. The squadron returned to NAS Whidbey Island on 1 April
1965.VP-2 27 Nov 1964: LT
Dennis Wilson and his crew of eleven were killed on a patrol in the
Bering Sea when their SP-2H (P2V-7) aircraft impacted a mountain near
Cape Newenham.VP-1 13 Feb
1966: VP-1 relieved VP-22 at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, with a seven SP-2H
(P2V-7) aircraft detachment at NAF Tan Son Nhut Air Base in the
Republic of Vietnam in support of Operation Market Time. The primary
objective of the Market Time coastal patrol was to prevent seaborne
delivery of supplies and munitions to the enemy. VP-1 became the
first patrol squadron to suffer casualties in the Vietnam conflict when
the Tan Son Nhut Air Base was attacked on 13 April 1966. During this
attack one squadron member was killed and five others wounded, and five
of the detachment aircraft were damaged.VP-17 9
Nov 1967: VP-17 deployed its SP-2H (P2V-7) aircraft to NS Sangley
Point, R.P., with a detachment in Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam.
Following the seizure of the intelligence ship Pueblo (AGER 2) by the
North Koreans, VP-17 participated in missions from 14 January to 11
February 1968 to provide an ASW patrol net for elements of the Seventh
Fleet in the Sea of Japan. On 4 March 1968, a Vietcong unit mortared
the detachment at Cam Ranh Bay Air Base. One squadron aircraft was
heavily damaged, but no VP-17 personnel were injured.VP-42 14
Dec 1967: A VP-42 SP-2H (P2V-7) disappeared enroute from NS Kodiak,
Alaska, to NAS Whidbey Island, Wash. No trace of the aircraft was found
until it was spotted near Sea Otter Glacier, Mt. Fairweather, Alaska,
in the fall of 1982. Remains of three of the fourteen crew
members were identified and returned for burial.VP-1 February
1969: LT Al Hegblom and his crew, in YB-5, returning to Whidbey
Island after completing a deployment to Sangley Pt., R.P. and Cam Ranh
Bay, Vietnam, experienced a double engine failure 475 miles west of
Guam and crash landed into the sea. Two accompanying squadron
aircraft notified Air-Sea Rescue out of Guam and diverted the ocean
liner SS President Cleveland to the scene. All hands, including
two USAF paramedics who parachuted in with survival equipment, were
rescued seven hours after the accident.
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