VA-54 was an early and long-lived 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 of ...

, operating under many designations during its 20-year life. It was established as Scouting Squadron VS-2B on 3 July 1928, and redesignated as VS-3 on 1 July 1937, and as Bombing Squadron VB-4 on 1 March 1943. It was redesignated as VB-5 on 15 July of that same year, and as Attack Squadron VA-5A on 15 November 1946. Finally, it was redesignated as VA-54 on 15 November 1946. VA-54 was disestablished on 1 December 1949. The squadron's insignia varied over its lifetime, depicting in turn a bird dog, a devil, and finally a bomb and five playing cards. Its nickname is unknown. It was the first squadron to be designated VA-54, a second VA-54 was redesignated from VF-54 on 15 June 1956 and disestablished on 1 April 1958.

Notable personnel

The squadron's acting commanding officer when it was established in 1928, and again for three months in 1929, was LT Forrest Sherman, who became the nation's youngest

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...

in 1949.

Operational history

* January–February 1929:

Fleet Problem The Fleet Problems are a series of naval exercises of the United States Navy conducted in the interwar period, and later resurrected by Pacific Fleet around 2014. The first twenty-one Fleet Problems — labeled with roman numerals as Fleet Proble ...

IX was the first time the Navy's two large carriers, (with VS-2B embarked) and , participated in a major fleet exercise. * March–April 1930: In March, Fleet Problem X was conducted in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

, followed by Fleet Problem XI in April. * May 1930: VS-2B's aircraft joined with the planes from nine other squadrons, which included ''Saratoga'', ''Lexington'' and Air Groups, for a three-day tour of east coast cities from

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

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. The flight was commanded by Captain

Kenneth Whiting Kenneth Whiting (July 22, 1881 – April 24, 1943) was a United States Navy officer who was a pioneer in submarines and is best known for his lengthy career as a pioneering naval aviator. During World War I, he commanded the first America ...

and consisted of 36 torpedo and bombing planes, 57 fighting planes, 24 scouting planes, 3 amphibian utility planes, 3 Ford tri-motor transports and 2 staff planes. It was the largest air parade that had ever been assembled on the East Coast. * 5 November 1931: The squadron's commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Oscar W. Erickson, was killed in an airplane crash at sea. * 1931–1934: The squadron participated in Fleet Problems XII through XV * 31 May 1934: A

Naval Review A fleet review or naval review is an event where a gathering of ships from a particular navy is paraded and reviewed by an incumbent head of state and/or other official civilian and military dignitaries. A number of national navies continue to ...

for

President Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

was held in

New York Harbor New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in t ...

. * 1935–1938: The squadron participated in Fleet Problems XVI through XIX. * April–May 1940: The squadron participated in Fleet Problem XXI. This was the last major fleet problem conducted before the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

and America's involvement in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. * August 1942: VS-3 and the other squadrons in ''Saratoga's'' Air Group provided air support for the

battle of Guadalcanal The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the ...

. * 24–25 August 1942: VS-3 participated in the

Battle of the Eastern Solomons The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons (also known as the Battle of the Stewart Islands and, in Japanese sources, as the Second Battle of the Solomon Sea) took place on 24–25 August 1942, and was the third carrier battle of the Pacific ca ...

and, along with other squadrons in the ''Saratoga'' Air Group, attacked and sunk the Japanese carrier Ryujo. En route back to ''Saratoga'' after their attack on the ''Ryujo'', Lieutenant Commander Kirn, and ten of his SBDs attacked a Japanese flight of four

Vals Vals is the word for waltz in many European languages. Vals or VALS may also refer to: * Peruvian waltz * Venezuelan waltz * Vals (dance), a dance related to Argentine tango * VALS, "Values And Lifestyles," a psychographic segmentation tool Places ...

, downing three and damaging the fourth. * September–November 1942: VS-3 operated from

Espiritu Santo Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census. Geography The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region o ...

New Hebrides New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (french: link=no, Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, "Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named after the Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the island group ...

until its return to

CONUS ''Conus'' is a genus of predatory sea snails, or cone snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Conidae.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2015). Conus Linnaeus, 1758. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at ...

in December. * 6–24 July 1943: VB-5 departed Norfolk embarked on en route to the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

via the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

. * 31 August 1943: VB-5, embarked on ''Yorktown'', participated in a raid on

Marcus Island , also known as Marcus Island, is an isolated Japanese coral atoll in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, located some southeast of Tokyo and east of the closest Japanese island, South Iwo Jima of the Ogasawara Islands, and nearly on a straight line ...

. * 5–6 October 1943: The squadron participated in a raid on

Wake Island Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, southeast of To ...

. * November–December 1943: VB-5 participated in the

Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign The Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign were a series of battles fought from August 1942 through February 1944, in the Pacific theatre of World War II between the United States and Japan. They were the first steps of the drive across the cent ...

in support of the landings on Makin and

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...

and provided air support for the invasion of the Marshalls. * 16–17 February 1944: VB-5, along with other squadrons in Air Group 5, flew strikes against the Japanese stronghold of Truk. * 22 February 1944: CVG-5's aircraft, including VB-5, raided the

Marianas The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...

striking targets on

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

. * 30 March–1 April 1944: VB-5's SBDs struck ships and facilities at

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...

in the

Caroline Islands The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically, they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the centra ...

. * 21–23 April 1944: Strikes were flown by VB-5 against targets on Wade Island and Hollandia in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

. These operations were in support of Operations Reckless and

Persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these term ...

. * 29–30 April 1944: VB-5 conducted another strike operation against Truk. * 14 May 1944: Following a ten-month combat tour, which began in August 1943, Air Group 5 was relieved aboard ''Yorktown'' by Air Group 1 and the Air Group, including VB-5, returned to

. * 7 February 1945: CVG-5, with VB-5, embarked on and departed

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 ...

for Hawaii, arriving there on 13 February. This was the beginning of the squadron's third major combat tour in the Pacific. * 19 March 1945: Following the launch of CVG-5 aircraft, including

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver is a dive bomber developed by Curtiss-Wright during World War II. As a carrier-based bomber with the United States Navy (USN), in Pacific theaters, it supplemented and replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless. A few survi ...

s from VB-5, for an attack against the city of

Kobe, Japan Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, which ...

, ''Franklin'' was hit by two enemy bombs from a Japanese aircraft. Fires were ignited on the second and third decks from the first bomb and the second triggered munitions on the carrier. All CVG-5's aircraft still on the carrier were destroyed. The damage was one of the most extensive experienced by an during

. A total of 724 were killed and 265 wounded. However, the crew's heroic efforts saved the ship. CVG-5 personnel were transferred to . CVG-5 aircraft in the air landed on other carriers, primarily . Personnel in the water were picked up by

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

s. * May 1949: VA-54 was the last fleet squadron to operate the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver aircraft. The squadron completed its Operational Readiness Inspection on 19 May and the last operational flight of the SB2C Helldiver.

Home port assignments

The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown: *

Naval Air Station San Diego Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado (NBC ...

– 3 July 1928 *

– September 1942* *Naval Air Station San Diego – December 1942 *

Marine Corps Air Station El Centro Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

– January 1943 *Naval Air Station San Diego – March 1943 *

Naval Air Station Norfolk A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...

– April 1943 *

Naval Station Pearl Harbor Naval Station Pearl Harbor is a United States naval base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. In 2010, along with the United States Air Force's Hickam Air Force Base, the facility was merged to form Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam. Pearl Harbor is ...

– July 1943* *

Naval Air Station Barbers Point Naval Air Station Barbers Point , on O'ahu, also called John Rodgers Field (the original name of Honolulu International Airport), is a former United States Navy airfield closed in 1999, and renamed Kalaeloa Airport. Parts of the former air station ...

– September 1943* * Naval Air Station Puʻunene – October 1943* * Naval Air Station Hilo – December 1943* *

Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay or MCAS Kaneohe Bay is a United States Marine Corps (USMC) airfield located within the Marine Corps Base Hawaii complex, formerly known as Marine Corps Air Facility (MCAF) Kaneohe Bay or Naval Air Station (NAS) ...

– December 1943* *

Naval Air Station 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 ...

– 25 June 1944 * Naval Auxiliary Air Station Fallon – 25 July 1944 *

Naval Auxiliary Air Station Vernalis Naval Auxiliary Air Station Vernalis was a United States Navy facility located in the small town of Vernalis, California during World War II. It opened on June 8, 1943, and closed on October 15, 1945. History It served as an auxiliary station ...

– 29 October 1944 * Naval Auxiliary Air Station Santa Rosa – 10 November 1944 *

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

- February 1945* * Naval Air Station Klamath Falls – 8 May 1945 * Naval Air Station Pasco – 28 Sep 1945 *

Naval Auxiliary Air Station Brown Field In urban planning, brownfield land is land previously used for industrial purposes or some commercial uses. Brownfield or Brown Field may also refer to: Places * Brownfield, Maine * Brownfield, Missouri * Brownfield, Texas ** Brownfield Indepen ...

– 3 December 1945 *Naval Air Station Barbers Point – 25 March 1946 *Naval Air Station San Diego – 20 May 1946 *

Naval Air Station Seattle Naval Station Puget Sound is a former United States Navy, United States Naval station located on Sand Point (peninsula), Sand Point in Seattle, Washington. Today, the land is occupied by Magnuson Park. History After World War I, a movement was b ...

– 13 January 1947 *Naval Air Station San Diego – 20 March 1947 : Temporary shore assignment during World War II.

Aircraft assignment

The squadron first received the following aircraft in the months shown: *

Vought UO Vought was the name of several related American aerospace firms. These have included, in the past, Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought-Sikorsky, LTV Aerospace (part of Ling-Temco-Vought), Vought Aircraft Companies, and Vought Air ...

– July 1928 * Vought FU-1 – 27 August 1928 * Vought O2U-1 & -2 Corsair – December 1928 * Vought O3U-2 Corsair – December 1931 * Vought SU-1 Corsair – May 1932 * Vought SU-3 Corsair – November 1932 * Vought SU-2 Corsair – December 1932 * Vought SBU-1 Corsair (scout bomber) – January 1936 * Curtiss SBC-3 Helldiver (biplane) – August 1937 * Curtiss SBC-4 Helldiver – March 1941 *

Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/d ...

– August 1941 * Douglas SBD-4 Dauntless – January 1943 *

(monoplane) – April 1943 * Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless – June 1943 * Curtiss SB2C-3 Helldiver – 25 June 1944 * Curtiss SBW-3 Helldiver – 25 June 1944 * Curtiss SB2C-4 Helldiver – September 1944 * Curtiss SB2C-4E Helldiver – December 1944 * Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver – March 1946 *

Vought F4U-4 Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts ...

(fighter) – 19 April 1948 * Douglas AD-1 Skyraider – May 1949 * Douglas AD-4 Skyraider – October 1949

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Va-54 Attack squadrons of the United States Navy Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons

Notable personnel

Operational history

Home port assignments

Aircraft assignment

See also

References