![A-4B VA-93 intercepts Be-6 off Japan 1964](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/A-4B_VA-93_intercepts_Be-6_off_Japan_1964.jpg)
VA-93 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 Fighter Squadron VF-93 on 26 March 1952, and redesignated as VA-93 on 15 September 1956. It was disestablished 30 years later on 31 August 1986. The squadron's nickname was the ''Blue Blazers'' from 1954 to 1976 and the ''Ravens'' thereafter.
History
* May 1963: Following the military losses of the Lao neutralist to the
Pathet Lao
The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The gro ...
in the
Plaine de Jarres, Laos, transited to the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...
to support possible operations in Laos.
* 15 Oct 1963: The squadron established a Detachment Q for deployment aboard the anti-submarine carrier to provide daylight fighter protection for the ASW aircraft. The detachment flew
A-4B Skyhawks.
* 7 Feb 1965: Following a
Viet Cong
,
, war = the Vietnam War
, image = FNL Flag.svg
, caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green.
, active ...
attack against the American advisors compound at Pleiku, South Vietnam, a reprisal strike, named
Operation Flaming Dart
Operation Flaming Dart was a U.S. and South Vietnamese military operation, conducted in two parts, during the Vietnam War.
Background
United States President Lyndon B. Johnson in February 1965 ordered a series of reprisal air strikes after seve ...
, was ordered by President Johnson. VA-93 participated in this strike, but upon reaching the target, the military barracks at Vit Thu Lu, the mission was aborted due to the weather.
* 11 Feb 1965: Participated in Operation Flaming Dart II, retaliatory strikes against the military barracks at Chanh Hoa, North Vietnam.
* 15 Mar 1965: Participated in
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder was a gradual and sustained aerial bombardment campaign conducted by the United States (U.S.) 2nd Air Division (later Seventh Air Force), U.S. Navy, and Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) against the Democratic Repub ...
strikes against ammunition storage area in Phu Qui, North Vietnam.
* May–Oct 1972: Participated in
Operation Linebacker
Operation Linebacker was the codename of a U.S. Seventh Air Force and U.S. Navy Task Force 77 air interdiction campaign conducted against North Vietnam from 9 May to 23 October 1972, during the Vietnam War.
Its purpose was to halt or slow the ...
, heavy air strikes against targets in North Vietnam to reduce that country’s ability to continue the war effort in South Vietnam.
* Apr 1975: Participated in
Operation Frequent Wind
Operation Frequent Wind was the final phase in the evacuation of American civilians and "at-risk" Vietnamese from Saigon, South Vietnam, before the takeover of the city by the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) in the Fall of Saig ...
, the evacuation of American personnel from Saigon, South Vietnam as the country fell to the communists.
* Aug–Sep 1976: Operated near the Korea Peninsula following the
Axe murder incident
The Korean axe murder incident (, ) was the killing of two US Army officers, Captain Arthur Bonifas and First Lieutenant Mark Barrett, by North Korean soldiers on August 18, 1976, in the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the Korean Demilitarized Zone ...
.
* Nov–Dec 1979: In response to the
seizure of the American Embassy and its staff, and the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, operated in the Arabian Sea.
* May–Jun 1980: Following the
Kwangju Massacre in South Korea, ''Midway'' operated off the coast of South Korea until the crisis had subsided.
* Dec 1981: Following unrest in Korea, ''Midway'' operated off the coast of South Korea for several days.
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 ...
– 26 Mar 1952
*
NAS Lemoore
Naval Air Station Lemoore or NAS Lemoore is a United States Navy base, located in Kings County and Fresno County, California, United States. Lemoore Station, a census-designated place, is located inside the base's borders.
NAS Lemoore is the Na ...
– 08 Mar 1962
*
NS Yokosuka (
NAF Atsugi
is a joint Japan-US naval air base located in the cities of Yamato and Ayase in Kanagawa, Japan. It is the largest United States Navy (USN) air base in the Pacific Ocean and once housed the squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5), which d ...
&
NAF Misawa) 05 Oct 1973*
*
NAS Lemoore
Naval Air Station Lemoore or NAS Lemoore is a United States Navy base, located in Kings County and Fresno County, California, United States. Lemoore Station, a census-designated place, is located inside the base's borders.
NAS Lemoore is the Na ...
16 Apr 1986
* VA-93, along with CVW-5 and USS ''Midway'' (CVA-41), were part of a program to permanently assign a carrier and air wing to an overseas home port. ''Midway''s new home port was NS Yokosuka, Japan, and the squadron would normally operate out of NAF Atsugi or NAF Misawa when the carrier was at NS Yokosuka. The assignment was effective 30 June 1973. However, the squadron did not arrive until 5 October 1973.
Aircraft assignment
The squadron first received the following aircraft on the dates shown:
*
FG-1D ''Corsair'' – May 1952
*
F9F-2 ''Panther'' – May 1952
*
F9F-5 ''Panther'' – Sep 1953
*
F9F-8 ''Cougar'' – Jan 1955
*
A4D-1 ''Skyhawk'' – 26 Nov 1956
*
A4D-2 ''Skyhawk'' – 25 May 1958
*
A4D-2N ''Skyhawk'' – 01 Sep 1960
*
A-4B ''Skyhawk'' – 15 Oct 1963
*
A-4E ''Skyhawk'' – Sep 1966
*
A-4F ''Skyhawk'' – Sep 1967
*
A-7B ''Corsair II'' – 20 Apr 1969
*
A-7A ''Corsair II'' – Mar 1973
*
A-7E ''Corsair II'' – Apr 1977
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-93
Attack squadrons of the United States Navy
Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons