VA-75, nicknamed the ''Carrier Clowns'', 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 of ...
. It was established as Torpedo Squadron VT-18 on 20 July 1943. The squadron was redesignated as VA-8A on 15 November 1946, and finally as VA-75 on 27 July 1948. It was disestablished on 30 November 1949. A
second squadron also bore the VA-75 designation.
Operational history
*24–26 October 1944: The squadron participated in the
Battle for Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fou ...
. On 24 October VT-18’s TBMs flew sorties against a powerful Japanese surface force in the
Sibuyan Sea
The Sibuyan Sea is a small sea in the Philippines that separates the Visayas from the northern Philippine island of Luzon.
It is bounded by the island of Panay to the south, Mindoro to the west, Masbate to the east, and to the north Marinduque a ...
. These attacks contributed to the sinking of the
Japanese battleship Musashi
, named after the former Japanese province, was one of four planned s built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), beginning in the late 1930s. The ''Yamato''-class ships were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed ...
, one of the two largest battleships in the world. On 25 October, the squadron’s planes were part of a Fast Carrier Task Force that attacked a Japanese carrier force in the
Battle off Cape Engaño
The Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fou ...
. Four Japanese carriers were sunk during that engagement. On the 26th, squadron planes participated in an attack on the Japanese surface force which was retiring from the
Battle off Samar
The Battle off Samar was the centermost action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the largest naval battles in history, which took place in the Philippine Sea off Samar Island, in the Philippines on October 25, 1944. It was the only major ...
.
*September–December 1946: The squadron participated in
shakedown cruise
Shakedown cruise is a nautical term in which the performance of a ship is tested. Generally, shakedown cruises are performed before a ship enters service or after major changes such as a crew change, repair or overhaul. The shakedown cruise s ...
in the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
and a goodwill cruise to
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
for the inauguration of Chile’s President
Gabriel González Videla
Gabriel Enrique González Videla (; November 22, 1898 – August 22, 1980) was a Chilean politician and lawyer who served as the 24th president of Chile from 1946 to 1952. He had previously been a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 193 ...
.
Home port assignments
The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown:
*
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 ...
– 20 Jul 1943
*
Naval Auxiliary Air Station Monterey
Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under both ...
– 28 Oct 1943*
*
Naval Auxiliary Air Station Hollister – Nov 1943*
*
Naval Air Station Hilo – Feb 1944*
*
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) ...
– Jun 1944*
*
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 ...
– 20 Dec 1944
*
Naval Air Station Astoria
Astoria Regional Airport is a joint civil-military public airport in Warrenton, three miles southwest of Astoria, in Clatsop County, Oregon. The airport is owned by the Port of Astoria and is the home of Coast Guard Air Station Astoria.
The ai ...
– 25 Jan 1945
*
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 ...
– 22 Apr 1945
*
Naval Air Station Quonset Point
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 includ ...
– 14 Nov 1945
* Temporary shore assignments while the squadron conducted training
in preparation for combat deployment.
Aircraft assignment
The squadron first received the following aircraft on the dates shown:
*
TBF-1 ''Avenger'' – Jul 1943
*
TBM-1 ''Avenger'' – Sep 1943
*
TBM-1C ''Avenger'' – Nov 1943
*
TBM-3 ''Avenger'' – Feb 1945
*
TBM-3E ''Avenger'' – 22 Apr 1945
*
TBM-3Q ''Avenger'' – 6 May 1946
*
AD-3 ''Skyraider'' – 18 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
{{DEFAULTSORT:Va-75
Attack squadrons of the United States Navy
Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons