VA-174 was an Attack Squadron of the
U.S. Navy. It was established as Bomber Squadron VB-82 on 1 April 1944, redesignated as VA-17A on 15 November 1946, and finally as VA-174 on 11 August 1948. The squadron was disestablished on 25 January 1950. Its nickname throughout its life was the ''Battering Rams''.
A
second, unrelated, squadron was assigned the VA-174 designation in 1966.
Operational history
*15 December 1944: The squadron embarked on , along with other units of Carrier Air Group 82 (CVG-8200, and departed for
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
, arriving there on 7 January 1945, following a stopover at
NAS San Diego.
*16 February 1945: VB-82 participated in the first carrierbased air strikes on Tokyo, flying sorties against installations at Mitsune and Mikatagahara Airfields on
Hachijō-jima, Nanpo Shoto.
*20–22 February 1945: Squadron aircraft provided air support for the
invasion of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA ...
.
*19 March 1945: Japanese naval vessels in the
Inland Sea
An inland sea (also known as an epeiric sea or an epicontinental sea) is a continental body of water which is very large and is either completely surrounded by dry land or connected to an ocean by a river, strait, or "arm of the sea". An inland se ...
were attacked by VB-82 aircraft and other aircraft assigned to Task Group 58.1.
*7 April 1945: Squadron aircraft participated in Task Force 58’s attacks on the
Japanese battleship Yamato
was the lead ship of her class of battleships built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) shortly before World War II. She and her sister ship, , were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing nearly a ...
and her escorts in the East China Sea. The attacks resulted in the sinking of the ''Yamato'', one cruiser and four destroyers.
*March–May 1945: The squadron participated in preinvasion strikes on
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
and provided air support during the
invasion of the island.
*17 June–9 July 1945: The squadron was embarked on for transit back to the US.
Home port assignments
The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown:
*
NAS Wildwood
Naval Air Station Wildwood was a United States Navy airport located in Lower Township, Cape May County, New Jersey, United States, - The zoning map shows the airport in the township boundaries. about northwest of the central business district o ...
– 01 Apr 1944*
*
NAAS Oceana
Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana or NAS Oceana is a United States Navy Naval Air Station located in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Nowadays, the station is located on 23.9 km2. It has total of 250 aircraft deployed and buildings valued at $800 mil ...
– 15 Jun 1944*
*
NAS Norfolk, East Field – 17 Sep 1944*
*
NAS Quonset Point – 13 Nov 1944*
*
NAS Kahului
Kahului Airport is the main airport of Maui in the State of Hawaii, United States, located east of Kahului. It has offered full airport operations since 1952. Most flights into Kahului Airport originate from Daniel K. Inouye International Air ...
– 08 Jan 1945*
*
NAS Alameda – 09 Jul 1945
*
NAS Quonset Point – 01 Feb 1946
*
NAAS Cecil Field – 01 Feb 1949
* Temporary shore assignment while the squadron conducted training in preparation for combat deployment.
Aircraft assignment
The squadron first received the following aircraft on the dates shown:
*
SB2C-1C ''Helldiver'' – 01 Apr 1944
*
SB2C-3 ''Helldiver'' – 22 May 1944
*
SB2C-4E ''Helldiver'' – 17 Nov 1944
*
SBW-4E ''Helldiver'' – Feb 1946
*
SB2C-5 ''Helldiver'' – 01 Jul 1946
*
SBW-5 ''Helldiver'' – Jul 1946
*
AM-1 ''Mauler'' – 01 Mar 1948
*
AD-3 ''Skyraider'' – Apr 1949
See also
*
*
Attack aircraft
An attack aircraft, strike aircraft, or attack bomber is a tactical military aircraft that has a primary role of carrying out airstrikes with greater precision than bombers, and is prepared to encounter strong low-level air defenses while pre ...
*
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-174
Attack squadrons of the United States Navy
Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons