VP-AM-1 was a Amphibian Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Patrol Squadron 53 (VP-53) on 1 May 1942, redesignated Patrol Bombing Squadron 53 (VPB-53) on 1 October 1944, redesignated Patrol Squadron 53 (VP-53) on 15 May 1946, redesignated Amphibious Patrol Squadron 1 (VP-AM-1) on 15 November 1946 and disestablished on 5 May 1948.
Operational history
*1 May 1942: VP-53 was established at NAS Norfolk, Virginia, under the operational control of PatWing-5 and assigned a complement of 12 PBY-5 Catalinas. The squadron commenced training and equipping over the next two months, operating from a field at NAF Breezy Point, near NAS Norfolk.
*1–24 July 1942: VP-53 flew to NAS Banana River, Florida, to conduct night flight training and then to NAS Quonset Point, Rhode Island, for torpedo training.
*25 July 1942: VP-53 returned to NAS Norfolk, departing the next day for NAS Key West, Florida. The squadron conducted operational combat patrols from this site off the coast of Florida, providing coverage for convoy routes.
*24 September 1942: VP-53 departed NAS Key West for its new base of operations via
NAS Guantanamo Bay
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base ( es, Base Naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo as jargon by members of the U.S. military) is a United States military bas ...
, Cuba, and NAS San Juan, Puerto Rico. Upon arrival in Cuba the squadron came under the operational control of PatWing-11. The squadron left Guantanamo Bay the next day for NAS San Juan, P.R., then on to
NAS Trinidad
Naval Base Trinidad, also called NAS Trinidad, NAS Port-of-Spain, was a large United States Navy Naval base built during World War II to support the many naval ships fighting and patrolling the Battle of the Atlantic. The fighting in the area be ...
, British West Indies, arriving on 1 October 1942.
*1 October 1942: NAS Trinidad was the base of operations for the squadron over the next seven months. During this time VP-53 conducted routine
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 t ...
(ASW) searches and convoy protection patrols.
*8 March 1943: Lieutenant J. E. Dryden attacked and sank ''U-156'' east of Barbados with the loss of the entire crew of 52 officers and enlisted ratings aboard. The submarine had been responsible for the sinking of the Allied liner RMS ''Laconia'' west of Africa on 12 September 1942, in what became known as the
Laconia incident
The ''Laconia'' incident was a series of events surrounding the sinking of a British passenger ship in the Atlantic Ocean on 12 September 1942, during World War II, and a subsequent aerial attack on German and Italian submarines involved i ...
.
*13 July 1943: VP-53 was relieved from duty in the Caribbean. Immediately after returning to NAS Norfolk, the squadron was given a brief period of leave, then transferred to NAS San Diego, California, under the operational control of FAW-14.
*30 September – December 1943: VP-53 began the trans-Pacific flight to
NAS 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) ...
, Hawaii. The last aircraft arrived on 5 October and the squadron came under the operational control of FAW-2. A six-week period of training followed, including operational patrols off the coasts of the islands. By 1 December VP-53 was en route to Funafuti.
*January – May 1944: During the squadron’s deployment to Funafuti,
Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...
and
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 ...
it conducted a minimum of two patrols a day. Although these search patrols produced negative results they provided the fleet with the knowledge that its flank and rear sections were free of enemy forces. Besides the routine patrols the squadron also flew
Dumbo (air-sea rescue)
Dumbo was the code name used by the United States Navy during the 1940s and 1950s to signify search and rescue missions, conducted in conjunction with military operations, by long-range aircraft flying over the ocean. The purpose of Dumbo missions ...
missions. While deployed the squadron maintained detachments at Nouméa, Apanama,
Tarawa
Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati ''
Majuro and Makin.
*May – June 1944: The squadron operated a six-plane detachment from
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...
and engaged in night harassment bombing of
Wotje
Wotje Atoll ( Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 75 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands.
Geography
Wotje's land area of is one of the largest in the Marshall Islands, and en ...
Maloelap
The Maloelap Atoll ( Marshallese: , ) (also spelled Maleolap) is a coral atoll of 71 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its land area is only , but that encloses a lagoon of ...
and
Jaluit
Jaluit Atoll ( Marshallese: , , or , ) is a large coral atoll of 91 islands in the Pacific Ocean and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is , and it encloses a lagoon with an area of . Most ...
. The bombing was designed to annoy the Japanese garrisons and keep them from repairing the airstrips.
*June – July 1944: VP-53 was relieved and returned to NAS Kaneohe Bay, for a short rest period prior to embarking on aboard on 2 July for the trip back to the U.S. and a period of home leave.
*15 August 1944: VP-53 was reformed at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington, under the operational control of FAW-6. Training of new personnel and refitting with new equipment and aircraft continued through the end of the year.
*27 January 1945: VPB-53 began preparations for the trans-Pacific flight to NAS Kaneohe Bay, arriving there and reporting to FAW-2 in early February. The squadron was given the customary period of combat training through the end of March.
*31 March 1945: VPB-53 deployed in three-aircraft elements to Palmyra Island for duty with the 7th Fleet at
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth-largest island in Papua New Guinea, with an area of , measuring around . Manus Island is covered in rugged jungles w ...
. The last element arrived on 14 April and the squadron was given orders to proceed to Green Island.
*April – June 1945: VPB-53 arrived at Green Island, coming under the operational control of FAW-10. Squadron operations were primarily air-sea rescue missions in connection with the daily strikes on
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island (Tok Pisin: ''Bogenvil'') is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, which is part of Papua New Guinea. It was previously the main landmass in the German Empire-associated North Solomons. Its land area is ...
and
Rabaul
Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...
, New Britain. The squadron also conducted some night harassment attacks on Rabaul, Buka and Bougainville.
*15 June – September 1945: VPB-53 maintained a six-plane detachment at
Samar
Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...
for Dumbo missions and routine patrols. On 22 June the rest of the squadron joined the detachment at Samar, operating there through September 1945. On 1 August the squadron’s primary mission became ASW patrols both day and night.
*October 1945: VPB-53 was relocated to Tinian under the operational control of FAW-18 and received new PBY-6A Catalinas.
*February 1946: VPB-53 maintained detachments at:
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
,
Marcus Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to:
* Marcus (name), a masculine given name
* Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name
Places
* Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44
* Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...
,
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima (, also ), known in Japan as , is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands and lies south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The highest point of Iwo Jima is Mount Suribachi at high.
...
, Peleliu (one plane each); Yokosuka, Japan (four planes) and
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 ...
(two planes). The squadron still operated under the control of FAW-18.
*15 May 1946: VPB-53 was redesignated VP-53, and remained under the operational control of FAW-18. At this time the squadron was maintaining detachments at: Shanghai, Truk, Iwo Jima, Majuro (one aircraft each); Yokosuka, Japan (three aircraft); and Saipan (two aircraft).
*6 September 1946: VP-53 was relieved of its duties in the Pacific and ordered to report to NAS Whidbey Island. Upon arrival it came under the operational control of FAW-4 with an aircraft allowance of 9 PBY-6A aircraft.
*15 November 1946: VP-53 was redesignated VP-AM-1. The squadron’s aircraft allowance was reduced to 7 PBY-6A aircraft. The complement continued to be reduced and by June 1947 there were only two PBY-5As on hand.
*November 1947 – Apr 1948: VP-AM-1 relieved VP-AM-2 at
NAS Adak
Naval Air Facility Adak , was a United States Navy airport located west of Adak, on Adak Island in the U.S. state of Alaska.. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 11 February 2010. After its closure in 1997, it was reopened as Adak Airpo ...
, Alaska. The squadron conducted operations with only three aircraft on hand. VP-AM-1 returned to NAS Whidbey Island by 22 April 1948.
*5 May 1948: VP-AM-1 was disestablished.
Aircraft assignments
The squadron was assigned the following aircraft, effective on the dates shown:
* PBY-5 - May 1942
* PBY-6A - October 1945
* PBY-5A - June 1947
Home port assignments
The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown:
* NAS Norfolk, Virginia - 1 May 1942
* NAS Key West, Florida - 26 July 1942
*
NAS Trinidad
Naval Base Trinidad, also called NAS Trinidad, NAS Port-of-Spain, was a large United States Navy Naval base built during World War II to support the many naval ships fighting and patrolling the Battle of the Atlantic. The fighting in the area be ...
, British West Indies - 1 October 1942
* NAS San Diego, California - July 1943
*
NAS 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) ...
, Hawaii - October 1943
* NAS Whidbey Island, Washington - August 1944
* NAS Kaneohe Bay - February 1945
* NAS Whidbey Island - September 1946
See also
*
Maritime patrol aircraft
A maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), also known as a patrol aircraft, maritime reconnaissance aircraft, or by the older American term patrol bomber, is a fixed-wing aircraft designed to operate for long durations over water in maritime patrol roles ...
*
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 ...
List of squadrons in the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons
The tables below cover every one of the 280 squadrons listed in the U.S. Navy's two-volume ''Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons'' (''DANAS''). Volume 1 covers every squadron in the Attack (VA) and Strike Fighter (VFA) communities fro ...
*
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 ...