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VA-172 was an Attack Squadron of the
VA-172 was an Attack Squadron of the U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
. It was established as Bomber Fighter Squadron VBF-82 on 20 August 1945, redesignated as Fighter Squadron VF-18A on 15 November 1946, as VF-172 on 11 August 1948, and as VA-172 on 1 November 1955. The squadron was disestablished on 15 January 1971. Its nickname was the ''Checkmates'' from 1946-1950, and the ''Blue Bolts'' thereafter.
Operational history
*28 Jan 1949: Squadron aircraft, while secured to the flight deck and engines running, were used to assist in berthing in Augusta, Sicily. This procedure is known as Operation Pinwheel. *23 Aug 1951: The squadron participated in its first combat sortie over Korea. This also marked the first use of the F2H-2 in combat. *25 Aug 1951: The squadron’s F2H-2 aircraft, along with F9Fs fromVF-51
VF-51, Fighter Squadron 51 was an aviation unit of the United States Navy known as the "Screaming Eagles". It was originally established as VF-1 on February 1, 1943, redesignated as VF-5 on July 15, 1943, redesignated as VF-5A on November 15, 1946, ...
, provided escort for 30 U.S. Air Force B-29 bombers raiding the marshalling yards at Rashin, North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
.
*Nov–Dec 1956: , with VA-172 embarked, was ordered to deploy and operate off the coast of Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
as a result of the Suez crisis.
*Sep–Oct 1957: A detachment of squadron’s F2H-2 aircraft were embarked on to provide fighter support for the antisubmarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are ty ...
(ASW) carrier during a NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
exercise in the North Atlantic.
*Nov 1961: VA-172, embarked on ''Roosevelt'', operated off the coast of the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
to support the newly established democratic government.
*May 1963: ''Roosevelt'', with VA-172 embarked, deployed to the Caribbean and operated off the coast of Haiti in response to a rebel attempt to overthrow the Haitian government.
*Jul–Sep 1963: A detachment from the squadron was deployed aboard to provide fighter coverage for the ASW Task Group during operations in the Caribbean Sea.
*8–29 Aug 1964: ''Roosevelt'', with VA-172 embarked, was ordered to operate in the vicinity of Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
after fighting escalated between Turkish and Greek forces on the island.
*Aug 1966: The squadron commenced combat operations in Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. These were its first combat sorties since the Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
in 1952.
*2 Dec 1966: The squadron’s commanding officer, Commander Bruce A. Nystrom, was lost in a night reconnaissance mission over the Red River delta
The Red River Delta or Hong River Delta ( vi, Châu thổ sông Hồng) is the flat low-lying plain formed by the Red River and its distributaries merging with the Thái Bình River in northern Vietnam. ''Hồng'' (紅) is a Sino-Vietnamese word ...
area in North Vietnam
North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
.
Home port assignments
The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown: *NAS Alameda
Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, on San Francisco Bay.
NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and 07-25 measuring . Two helicopter pads and a control tower were ...
– 20 Aug 1945
* NAS Quonset Point
Quonset Point Air National Guard Station is the home base of the Rhode Island Air National Guard 143d Airlift Wing. Naval Air Station (NAS) Quonset Point was a United States Naval Base in Quonset Point, Rhode Island that was deactivated in 1974. ...
– 15 Jan 1946
* NAAS Cecil Field – 04 Mar 1949
* NAS Jacksonville
Naval Air Station Jacksonville (NAS Jacksonville) is a large naval air station located approximately eight miles (13 km) south of the central business district of Jacksonville, Florida, United States., effective 2007-10-25
Location
NAS Jack ...
– 24 Mar 1950
* NAS Cecil Field
Naval Air Station Cecil Field or NAS Cecil Field was a United States Navy air base, located in Duval County, Florida. Prior to October 1999, NAS Cecil Field was the largest military base in terms of acreage in the Jacksonville, Florida area.
NA ...
– 22 Feb 1958
Aircraft assignment
The squadron first received the following aircraft on the dates shown: * F6F-5 ''Hellcat'' – Aug 1945 * F4U ''Corsair'' – 06 Sep 1945 * F8F ''Bearcat'' – 1946 * FH-1 ''Phantom'' – Mar 1949 * F2H-1 ''Banshee'' – May 1949 * F2H-2 ''Banshee'' – 21 Jun 1950 * F2H-4 ''Banshee'' – 13 Jan 1956 * F2H-2B ''Banshee'' – Sep 1956 * A4D-1 ''Skyhawk'' – 16 Dec 1957 * A4D-2 ''Skyhawk'' – May 1958 * A4C ''Skyhawk'' – 06 Sep 1961See also
*List of squadrons in the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons
The tables below cover every one of the 280 squadrons listed in the U.S. Navy's two-volume ''Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons'' (''DANAS''). Volume 1 covers every squadron in the Attack (VA) and Strike Fighter (VFA) communities fro ...
* Attack aircraft
* List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons
There are hundreds of US Navy aircraft squadrons which are not currently active dating back to before World War II (the U.S. Navy operated aircraft prior to World War I, but it did not organize them in squadrons until after that war). To be mo ...
* History of the United States Navy
The history of the United States Navy divides into two major periods: the "Old Navy", a small but respected force of sailing ships that was notable for innovation in the use of ironclads during the American Civil War, and the "New Navy" the ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Va-172 Attack squadrons of the United States Navy Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons