Patrol Squadron 9 (VP-9) is a

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 ...

patrol squadron This is a list of active United States Navy aircraft squadrons. ''Deactivated'' or ''disestablished'' squadrons are listed in the List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons. Navy aircraft squadrons are composed of several aircraft (fr ...

with its homeport located at

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NASWI) is a naval air station of the United States Navy located on two pieces of land near Oak Harbor, on Whidbey Island, in Island County, Washington. The main portion of the base, Ault Field, is about ...

. As of 2018, VP-9 is part of Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Ten, Commander, Naval Air Forces, Pacific. The squadron was established on 15 March 1951. It is the second squadron to be designated VP-9, the first VP-9 was redesignated VP-12 on 1 July 1939.

Operational history

VP-9 (FEB 69) WITH BULLPUP'S (4832426662)

*15 March 1951: VP-9 was established at NAS Seattle, Washington, flying the P4Y-2 Privateer. Fleet Aircraft Service Squadron 895 undertook training of the squadron's new crews. *July 1951: Went to Barber's Point, Hawaii for six months training exercises and was relieved by VP 772. *February 1952: VP-9 was given a permanent change of station to

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 ...

, California, under operational control of FAW-4. The squadron flew the P4Y-2/2S with improved radar. *27 June 1952: VP-9 deployed to NAF Iwakuni, Japan. During this deployment a detachment was sent to Korea to aid in UN operations. VP-9 aircraft operated in conjunction with

USMC The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

F7F night-fighter aircraft, dropping parachute flares to light North Korean roads, bridges, supply dumps and convoys to aid the attacking F7Fs. *January 1953: VP-9 turned in its PB4Y-2s for new

P2V-2 Neptune The Lockheed P-2 Neptune (designated P2V by the United States Navy prior to September 1962) is a maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. It was developed for the US Navy by Lockheed to replace the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura and P ...

aircraft. Conversion training was completed by September 1953. *September 1953: VP-9 was deployed to NAS Atsugi, Japan, minus 12 of its newly trained pilots who had just been released from active duty due to the cessation of hostilities with North Korea on 27 July 1953. *22 June 1955: While patrolling in the

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a chain of 14 large v ...

area, a P2V-5 (BuNo 131515) of VP-9 based at NAS Kodiak, Alaska, was attacked by two Soviet MiG-15s. The Neptune's starboard engine was hit and caught fire, forcing the crew to crash on St. Lawrence Island near Gambell in the

Bering Sea The Bering Sea (, ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasses on Earth: Eurasia and The Am ...

. There were no fatalities to the crew of 11, but four were injured by MiG gunfire and six others were hurt in the crash landing. *15 May 1958: VP-9 deployed to the Aleutians, based at NAS Kodiak, with detachments at NAF Adak and

Fairbanks Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the p ...

. The squadron made a series of exploratory flights over the Polar ice cap to aid the submarine in her historic polar penetration. *21 April 1960: The squadron assisted the

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

in locating a

B-58 Hustler The Convair B-58 Hustler, designed and produced by American aircraft manufacturer Convair, was the first operational bomber capable of Mach 2 flight. The B-58 was developed during the 1950s for the United States Air Force (USAF) Strategic Air ...

bomber that crashed into the

Great Salt Lake The Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and the eighth-largest terminal lake in the world. It lies in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah and has a substantial impact upon the local climate, particu ...

. A VP-9 P2V-7 located the sunken wreckage using its

Magnetic anomaly detector A magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) is an instrument used to detect minute variations in the Earth's magnetic field. The term refers specifically to magnetometers used by military forces to detect submarines (a mass of ferromagnetic material c ...

(MAD) equipment. *February 1962: VP-9 aircraft began receiving the AN/ASA-16 integrated display system, an upgrade of existing

Anti-submarine 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 typ ...

(ASW) detection equipment. *13 July 1962: Six aircraft of VP-9 participated with the Royal Canadian Air Force Squadron 407 in an ASW exercise off the coast of British Columbia. *1 December 1963: VP-9 was given a change of permanent duty station from NAS Alameda to NAS Moffett Field, California. During December the squadron began the transition to the P-3A Orion. *12 November 1964: VP-9 deployed to WestPac, based at NAF Naha, Okinawa, patrolling the

Formosa Strait The Taiwan Strait is a -wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide. The Taiwan Strait is itself a ...

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 Ph ...

Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. It is one of four seas named after common colour ter ...

and

Philippine Sea The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean east of the Philippine archipelago (hence the name), the largest in the world, occupying an estimated surface area of . The Philippine Sea Plate forms the floor of the sea. I ...

. The deployment marked the first operational use of the P-3A in WestPac. *4 December 1964: A squadron P-3A, BuNo. 150508, and crew were lost over the South China Sea after a flare ignited a fire inside the aircraft. *17 January 1966: The squadron received its first P-3B Orion, the first assigned to a West Coast operational squadron. The ninth and final P-3B was received on 11 May 1967. *25 July – 4 December 1966: VP-9 deployed to NAF Naha, Okinawa, under the operational control of Commander Task Force 72. The deployment marked the first operational use of the P-3B Orion in the Western Pacific. A detachment was sent to

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" for its over 200 years of his ...

, Taiwan, for one week commencing 4 December 1966 to participate in Operation Yankee Team. The joint USAF and U.S. Navy operation inaugurated on 21 May 1963, provided low-level aerial reconnaissance of suspected Communist infiltration routes in eastern and southern Laos. *13 December 1967: VP-9 was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for service performed during the period 19 March through 1 April 1967 during its deployment in Southeast Asia. *9 September – 1 October 1968: A detachment of three squadron aircraft was maintained at NAS Agana, Guam, in support of the Acoustic Survey of the Philippine Sea. The survey was completed on 1 October 1968 and the aircraft and crews returned to NAS Moffet Field. *February 1969: VP-9 aircraft were retrofitted to make them

Bullpup A bullpup firearm is one with its firing grip located in front of the breech of the weapon, instead of behind it. This creates a weapon with a shorter overall length for a given barrel length, and one that is often lighter, more compact, conce ...

missile-capable. *1 April – 10 August 1969: VP-9 relieved VP-47 at NS Sangley Point, Philippines, and at

Cam Ranh Bay Air Base Cam Ranh Air Force Base is located on Cam Ranh Bay in Khánh Hòa Province, Vietnam. It was one of several air bases built and used by the United States Air Force (USAF) during the Vietnam War. Cam Ranh Air Force Base was part of the large Ca ...

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

. Operational control was under FAW-8 until 4 August 1969, when relieved by FAW-10. On 5 August the squadron relocated to Cam Ranh Bay for watch duties. During the deployment the squadron conducted

Operation Market Time Operation Market Time was the United States Navy, Republic of Vietnam Navy and Royal Australian Navy operation begun in 1965 to stop the flow of troops, war material, and supplies by sea, coast, and rivers, from North Vietnam into parts of Sout ...

patrols of the

Gulf of Tonkin The Gulf of Tonkin is a gulf at the northwestern portion of the South China Sea, located off the coasts of Tonkin (northern Vietnam) and South China. It has a total surface area of . It is defined in the west and northwest by the northern ...

and coastal waters of South Vietnam. On 7 August the detachment at Cam Rahn Bay came under

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 ...

rocket attack with no damage resulting to squadron aircraft or personnel. The aircraft were immediately dispersed to NS Sangley Point and

U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield U-Tapao–Rayong–Pattaya International Airport ( th, ท่าอากาศยานอู่ตะเภา ระยอง–พัทยา; ) also spelled ''Utapao'' and ''U-Taphao'', is a joint civil–military public airport serving ...

, Thailand, until 10 August. *31 May 1969: VP-9 participated in

SEATO The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was an international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, or Manila Pact, signed in September 1954 in Manila, the Philipp ...

exercise Sea Spirit, which was abruptly terminated on 2 June 1969 with the collision of the and . *25 May 1970 to November 28 1970: VP-9 split deployment to NAS Adak and Nas Agana Gurm, air and maintenance crews rotated from one site to another. *29 July 1971: VP-9 deployed to MCAS Iwakuni, with a detachment at RTNB U-Tapao. *5 May 1972: The squadron deployed a six-aircraft detachment to

NAS Cubi Point U.S. Naval Air Station Cubi Point was a United States Navy aerial facility located at the edge of Naval Base Subic Bay and abutting the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines. When the base closed, the air station became the Subic Bay Internationa ...

, Philippines, marking the last patrols for VP-9 in the combat zone during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. The detachment augmented the VP units tasked with ocean surveillance air patrols in relationship to the mining of North Vietnamese harbors and the corresponding movement of Communist bloc ships. *1 July – October 1976: VP-9 began the transition to the new P-3C UI aircraft. The transition training was provided by

VP-31 (This article is about the 1960s-90s training squadron not the 1940s VPB-31 anti-submarine patrol squadron which operated from Key West) VP-31, Patrol Squadron 31 was a maritime patrol squadron of the United States Navy. It was established on 30 ...

and continued through early September. The squadron's inventory of P-3B aircraft was turned over to

VP-8 Patrol Squadron Eight (VP-8) is a U.S. Navy land-based patrol squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida (USA). VP-8 is tasked to undertake maritime patrol, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and intelligence, surveillance and recon ...

. The squadron's full complement of nine new aircraft was reached in October. *10 May 1978: VP-9 deployed to NAS Adak, Alaska. During the six-month deployment the squadron flew reconnaissance patrols, ASW missions and surveillance coverage for over 10-million square miles of ocean. *26 October 1978: While on a routine patrol mission Crew 6, in a P-3C, BuNo. 159892, ditched in heavy seas off the Aleutians due to an engine fire. Four of the 14 crew aboard perished before being rescued by the Soviet Vessel Mys ''Senyavina''. The survivors were taken to Petropavlosk and returned to U.S. custody on 5 November 1978. *27 June – Nemberov 1979: VP-9 deployed to NAF Misawa, Japan. During the next month the squadron flew 125 sorties in support of exercise Multiplex 6-79. In August the squadron was called upon to support CTG 72.3 in the humanitarian effort to locate and rescue

Vietnamese boat people Vietnamese boat people ( vi, Thuyền nhân Việt Nam), also known simply as boat people, refers to the refugees who fled Vietnam by boat and ship following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. This migration and humanitarian crisis was at its h ...

. During the month of November the squadron participated in joint exercises with the

Japan Self-Defense Forces The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...

and

Republic of Korea Armed Forces The Republic of Korea Armed Forces (), also known as the ROK Armed Forces, are the armed forces of South Korea. The ROK Armed Forces is one of the largest and most powerful standing armed forces in the world with a reported personnel strength of ...

. *10 October 1981: A squadron detachment of three aircraft deployed to NAS Adak and another three-aircraft detachment deployed to

Kadena Air Base (IATA: DNA, ICAO: RODN) is a highly strategic United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is often referred to as the "Keystone of the Pacific" because of its highl ...

, Okinawa, on the same day. The latter detachment returned in late December 1981 and the former in February 1982, after months of diverse missions in very different climates. *10 January 1984: VP-9 deployed to

Diego Garcia Diego Garcia is an island of the British Indian Ocean Territory, a disputed overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is a militarised atoll just south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean, and the largest of the 60 small islands o ...

and maintained a detachment in Kadena. The squadron established a new precedent on the deployment by becoming the first patrol squadron to operate detachments out of

Berbera Berbera (; so, Barbara, ar, بربرة) is the capital of the Sahil region of Somaliland and is the main sea port of the country. Berbera is a coastal city and was the former capital of the British Somaliland protectorate before Hargeisa. It ...

, Somalia, and Al Masirah, Oman. *1 June 1985: VP-9 was the first “full” squadron to deploy to NAS Adak in over 13 years. Adak was reestablished as a

Third Fleet The United States Third Fleet is one of the numbered fleets in the United States Navy. Third Fleet's area of responsibility includes approximately fifty million square miles of the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean areas including the Bering ...

forward-deployed site and VP-9 played a key role in the build-up of the Adak facilities to support a full patrol squadron. During the deployment the squadron participated in Bering Sea mammal surveys and flights over the polar ice cap to ensure safe navigational passage to Alaska's North Slope. *2 November 1986 – January 1987: VP-9 deployed for six months to WestPac, based at Misawa, Japan. The squadron was the first to deploy with the AN/APS-137 Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR), which reduced the size of the electronics package through microminiaturization and presented a greatly improved operator interface. In January 1987 the squadron was based at NAS Cubi Point, during the Sea Siam 87-1 and Team Spirit 2-87 exercises. Remote sites at Guam, Midway, Korea and Okinawa were visited during this period. *20 September 1989: VP-9, while deployed to

Eielson Air Force Base Eielson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska. It was established in 1943 as Mile 26 Satellite Field and redes ...

, Alaska, received a modified P-3C, aircraft side number PD-01, with the “Outlaw Hunter” satellite communication and navigation gear for testing and operational evaluation. *24 October 1989: The squadron's complement of aircraft was reduced from nine to eight P-3Cs due to decreased operational funding. *January – March 1991: Three VP-9 detachments were sent to Panama on one-month deployments to assist the drug interdiction effort. *25–27 March 2006, a series of anti-submarine warfare exercises were held in Hawaiian waters that included

Carrier Strike Group 9 Carrier Strike Group 9 (CSG-9 or CARSTRKGRU 9) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore. Commander Carrier Strike Group 9 (COMCARSTRKGRU 9 or CCSG 9) is res ...

, the nuclear-powered attack submarines , , , , and , as well as land-based P-3 Orions from patrol squadrons

VP-4 Patrol Squadron Four (VP-4) is a U.S. Navy land-based patrol squadron based at the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor, Washington, which is tasked to undertake maritime patrol, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and intelligence, surveillance ...

VP-47 Patrol Squadron 47 (VP-47), also known as "The Golden Swordsmen", is a maritime patrol squadron of the United States Navy based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington (USA), attached to Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 10. The squadron curr ...

, and VP-9. *November 2017: VP-9 begin the transition to P-8 Poseidon after its final P-3C Orion deployment. *1 April 2019: VP-9 Deploys to NAS Sigonella for operations in the 6th Fleet AOR. This deployment marks VP-9's maiden P-8 deployment following platform transition from the P-3C.

Aircraft assignments

The squadron was assigned the following aircraft, effective on the dates shown: * P4Y-2 - March 1951 * P4Y-2/2S - June 1952 * P2V-2 - January 1953 * P2V-7 - 1956 * SP-2H - December 1962 * P-3A - December 1963 * P-3B - February 1966 * P-3C UI - July 1976 * P-3C UIIIR - August 1990 * P-8A - March 2017

Home port assignments

The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown: * NAS Seattle, Washington - 15 March 1951 *

, California - February 1952 * NAS Moffett Field, California - 1 December 1963 *

NAS 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 ...

, Hawaii - 20 November 1992 *

Marine Corps Base Hawaii Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), formerly Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay and originally Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, is a U.S. Marine Corps facility and air station located on the Mokapu Peninsula of windward O'ahu in the City & County ...

, Hawaii - May 1999 *

NAS Whidbey Island Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NASWI) is a naval air station of the United States Navy located on two pieces of land near Oak Harbor, on Whidbey Island, in Island County, Washington. The main portion of the base, Ault Field, is about ...

, Washington - March 2017

References

External links