VPB-23 was a patrol bombing 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 ...

. The squadron was established as Patrol Squadron 10-S (VP-10S) on 1 July 1930, redesignated Patrol Squadron 10-F (VP-10F) on 17 July 1933, redesignated Patrol Squadron 10 (VP-10) on 1 October 1937, redesignated Patrol Squadron 25 (VP-25) on 1 July 1939, redesignated Patrol Squadron 23 (VP-23) on 1 August 1941, redesignated Patrol Bombing Squadron 23 (VPB-23) on 1 October 1944 and disestablished on 25 January 1946.

Operational history

*1 July 1930: Torpedo Squadron NINE-S ( VT-9S) was redesignated at NAS Hampton Roads, Virginia, and the assets of the squadron were utilized to form Patrol Squadron 10S under the operational control of the Scouting Fleet. *1 September 1930: The squadron's twin-float T4M torpedo bombers were turned in for PM-1 flying boats. Tender support for the squadron's six PM-1 aircraft was provided by . *8 February 1931: VP-10S participated in

Fleet Problem XII 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 ...

with

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 ...

VP-3 VP-3 was a Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Patrol Squadron 16-F (VP-16F) on 2 January 1937, redesignated Patrol Squadron 16 (VP-16) on 1 October 1937, redesignated Patrol Squadron 41 (VP-41) on 1 July 1939, redes ...

and

VP-5 Patrol Squadron FIVE (VP-5) is a long-lived maritime patrol squadron of the United States Navy. It is the second squadron to bear the VP-5 designation. VP-5 is the second oldest patrol squadron, the fourth oldest in the United States Navy, and th ...

in the Caribbean. Squadrons were based ashore at

Guantanamo Bay Naval Base 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 base ...

, Cuba, and provided with tender support from USS ''Wright'', and while at sea. The patrol squadrons were involved in exercises testing concepts of strategic scouting in both the attack on and protection of 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 ...

. The greater range of the PM-1 led the planners to call for patrol sectors that were too ambitious, resulting in many units of the opposition forces passing unseen through the patrolled areas. *1 January 1932: VP-10S once again participated in fleet exercises in the Caribbean, but on a smaller scale. On this occasion VP-8S was the only other squadron taking part in the training. *1 February 1932: VP-10S was reassigned a new permanent home base at FAB Coco Solo,

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

. Tender support continued to be supplied by USS ''Wright''. *1 April 1933: VP-10S and the other squadrons at NAS Coco Solo ( VP-2S, VP-3S and VP-5S) were reorganized from Scouting Fleet to Base Force. VP-10S was redesignated VP-10F with six P2Y-1 aircraft, supported by USS ''Swan'' and . *10 January 1934: Six P2Y-1 aircraft of VP-10F, Lieutenant Commander Knefler McGinnis commanding, made a historic nonstop formation flight from San Francisco, California, to

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

, Hawaii, in 24 hours 35 minutes. The flight bettered the best previous time for the crossing; exceeded the best distance of previous mass flights; and broke a nine-day-old world record for distance in a straight line for Class C seaplanes with a new mark of . *13 January 1934: VP-10F was permanently reassigned to NAS Pearl Harbor, exchanging aircraft with VP-5F at San Diego before reporting there. VPs 10F and 8F from Coco Solo and VPs 1F, 4F and VP-6F from Pearl Harbor participated in the Hawaiian Exercises, supported by tender USS ''Wright''. *22 April 1935: VPs 7F, 9F, 1F, 4F, 6F, 8F and 10F participated in Fleet Problem XV near

Midway Island Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...

. *1 October 1937: VP-10F was redesignated VP-10 when the patrol squadrons came under the operational control of PatWing 2. *18 January 1938: VPs 10 and 9 conducted a historic ferry flight with 18 PBY-2 aircraft from

NAS 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 (NB ...

to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, without mishap. The crews of VP-9 returned to San Diego aboard SS ''Matsonia''. The flight and the route later became the standard for the trans-Pacific flight made by all squadrons en route to the South Pacific from the United States. *25 Mar 1938: Aircraft of VPs 1, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 18 participated in Fleet Problem XIX (Phase V) as part of Red Force operating against Blue Force. The exercises demonstrated that slow patrol aircraft were extremely vulnerable to anti-aircraft (AA) fire from ships being attacked. During the exercise, the majority of aircraft participating were judged to have been shot down by the AA screen before reaching their intended targets. *1 July 1939: VP-10, flying 12 PBY-2s, was redesignated VP-25, still home based at Pearl Harbor under PatWing 2. *9 April 1940: Aircraft of VPs 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 participated in Fleet Problem XXI with the USAAF 72nd Bombardment Squadron and the 4th Reconnaissance Squadron. The purpose of the exercise was to test the ability of aircraft to defend the Hawaiian Islands against an enemy carrier attack. The results of the fleet problem indicated that there were significant deficiencies in the coordination between the air arms of the two services in defense of the islands. Unfortunately, these deficiencies were not corrected in time to either prevent the coming attack on Pearl Harbor, or organize any defense during the attack. *8 November 1941: VP-23 flew its older model PBY-2 aircraft to San Diego, where new PBY-5 aircraft were picked up at the factory. Two weeks of familiarization training was given to the aircrews before returning to Hawaii. *23 November 1941: Upon return to

Ford Island Ford Island ( haw, Poka Ailana) is an islet in the center of Pearl Harbor, Oahu, in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It has been known as Rabbit Island, Marín's Island, and Little Goats Island, and its native Hawaiian name is ''Mokuumeume''. The is ...

, Oahu, the crews of VP-23 began two weeks of intensive battle maneuvers to thoroughly familiarize them with the capabilities of the new PBY-5 aircraft. *7 December 1941: Two detachments of aircraft had been sent to

Johnston Island Johnston Atoll is an unincorporated territory of the United States, currently administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Johnston Atoll is a National Wildlife Refuge and part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine Nation ...

and

Palmyra Island Palmyra Atoll (), also referred to as Palmyra Island, is one of the Northern Line Islands (southeast of Kingman Reef and north of Kiribati). It is located almost due south of the Hawaiian Islands, roughly one-third of the way between Hawaii a ...

the day before, and on the 7th began to practice circular patrol pattern searches. On that same morning, Japanese carrier forces

attacked 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 ...

, destroying eight of the squadron's aircraft in their hangars on Ford Island. *25 December 1941: The two detachments of squadron aircraft remained at Johnston Island conducting search sweeps in the event of the return of the Japanese fleet. Back at Oahu, Ensign Brady and his crew claimed one Japanese submarine. Postwar records, however, do not indicate any enemy submarine losses on that date. *16 January 1942: Six aircraft of VP-23 temporarily based at

Kanton Island Canton Island (also known as Kanton or Abariringa), previously known as Mary Island, Mary Balcout's Island or Swallow Island, is the largest, northernmost, and , the sole inhabited island of the Phoenix Islands, in the Republic of Kiribati. It i ...

began daily searches of the waters between Kanton Island and the Fijis to protect the advance of Task Force 8 as it prepared for its strike against the Marshall and Gilbert Islands. These were the first combat patrols by U.S. aircraft in the South Pacific. *26 May 1942: A detachment of squadron aircraft at Midway participated in the patrols searching for the Japanese invasion force expected from intercepted radio traffic. The first sightings occurred on 3 June 1942 and led to the

Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The U.S. Navy under Adm ...

. All of the squadron aircraft returned safely to Ford Island on 30 June 1942. *8 July 1942: VP-23 was deployed to Noumea, New Caledonia, to support the

invasion of Guadalcanal The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and Code name, 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 Guadalca ...

, relieving VP-71. Tender support was provided by . *15 July 1942: the squadron was moved forward to the island of

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 ...

. *25 July 1942: VP-23 combed

Tulagi Tulagi, less commonly known as Tulaghi, is a small island——in Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Ngella Sule. The town of the same name on the island (pop. 1,750) was the capital of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate from 18 ...

Island, the first target in the bombing campaign conducted by the squadron against Japanese-held positions. *6 August 1942: Lieutenant Maurice Smith and his crew of seven were reported missing after a patrol flown out of Espiritu Santo. On 14 January 1994, a team of loggers discovered the remains of the aircraft, BuNo. 2389, and its crew where they had crashed on a ridge of a hill on the island of Espiritu Santo. *7 August 1942: A nine-plane detachment of VP-23 was deployed to

Malaita Malaita is the primary island of Malaita Province in Solomon Islands. Malaita is the most populous island of the Solomon Islands, with a population of 161,832 as of 2021, or more than a third of the entire national population. It is also the se ...

Island to support operations at Guadalcanal, with tender support provided by . Severe losses by the Allies at the

Battle of Savo Island The Battle of Savo Island, also known as the First Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as the , and colloquially among Allied Guadalcanal veterans as the Battle of the Five Sitting Ducks, was a naval battle of the Solomon Islands ca ...

forced the return of the detachment to Espiritu Santo on 9 August 1942. *10 August 1942: A six-plane detachment was sent to

Nendo Island Nendo may refer to: * Nendo Island, part of the Solomon Islands * Nendo (design firm), design firm founded by Sato Oki {{Disambiguation ...

, Santa Cruz Islands. *1 October 1942: VP-23 and its detachments were recalled to

Luganville Seaplane Base Luganville Seaplane Base is a former World War II seaplane base in the Segond Channel between the islands of Espiritu Santo and Aore Island in the New Hebrides Islands at the Espiritu Santo Naval Base. History World War II The first bases on E ...

, Espiritu Santo for return 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) ...

for rest and refit. *1 November 1942: Two detachments of squadron aircraft were sent to Kanton and Midway islands for search patrol rotations. *30 May 1943: Twelve new PBY aircraft arrived from San Diego as replacements, and six of the aircrews ferrying the aircraft remained with the squadron as replacements. Training of the new crews was begun in conjunction with operational patrols in Hawaiian waters. *24 June 1943: VP-23 again deployed to the South Pacific, returning to its former base of operations at Espiritu Santo. A detachment was deployed to the island of

Funafuti Funafuti is the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 6,320 people (2017 census), and so it has more people than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with approximately 60% of the population. It consists of a narrow sweep of la ...

. *20 August 1943: The squadron base of operations was relocated to NAB Halavo, Florida Islands. From this location the squadron conducted special searches, convoy coverage, antishipping patrols,

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 missio ...

and aerial resupply missions. *15 September 1943: A squadron PBY-5 piloted by Lieutenant W. J. Geritz spotted a submarine southeast of San Cristobal. The destroyer assisted in the sinking of the submarine. Postwar records indicate the submarine sunk was ''Ro-101'' and the entire crew of 50 was lost. *18 September 1943: VP-23 conducted a bombing attack on Japanese positions at

Nauru Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...

Island. *10 December 1943: VP-23 was relieved at NAB Halavo by VP-14. The squadron transferred to Espiritu Santo on 13 December 1943, in preparation for the return flight to NAS Kaneohe Bay. *15 February 1944: The squadron personnel of VP-23 boarded for return to the continental United States. The squadron arrived at NAS San Diego on 23 February 1943. Reassignments of personnel, home leaves, and other administrative details were taken care of upon arrival. *1 March 1944: VP-23 was reformed with new personnel and new equipment at NAS San Diego. Training commenced immediately and continued through mid-June 1944.20 Jun 1944: The squadron flew the trans-Pacific flight from San Diego to Kaneohe Bay, in the new amphibious version of the Catalina, the PBY-5A. All aircraft arrived safely and the squadron began operations on 30 June, sending a six-aircraft detachment to Midway for training in

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) *29 July 1944: The Kaneohe detachment of six aircraft relieved the Midway detachment. This group returned to Kaneohe on 16 August 1944. *20 August 1944: VP-23 was deployed to the island of

Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; mh, Ānewetak, , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ja, ブラウン環礁) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with it ...

. From this naval air base searches were conducted to the northern and western approaches of the island. Periodic reconnaissance flights were conducted to

Ponape Ponape may refer to: * Pohnpei, an island in the Federated States of Micronesia * ''Ponape'' (barque), a German sailing ship {{disambiguation ...

and Wake islands. *10 September 1944: Group 1, FAW-2 was relieved by FAW- 1 while VP-23 was based on NAB Eniwetok. Operational control of the squadron was undertaken by TU 96.1.7. *30 November 1944: VPB-23 conducted a bombing attack on Japanese positions on Wake Island. *4 December 1944: Twelve squadron aircraft were transferred to

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 ...

; three aircraft remained at Eniwetok to provide search patrol support to FAW- 1. Upon arrival at Saipan on 5 December, a detachment of three aircraft was sent to

Orote Field Orote Field is a former air base in the United States territory of Guam built by the Empire of Japan with Chamorro forced labor during the Japanese occupation of Guam (1941-1944). It is separate from the Marine Corps amphibious airplane base at loc ...

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 ...

, for air-sea rescue work, and another detachment of two aircraft was assigned to the Army Air Corps for air-sea rescue work. The remaining squadron aircraft conducted flight operations from

Tanapag Harbor Tanapag Harbor () is the primary harbor of Saipan, and is located on the western side of the island in the city of Tanapag. It is separated from the Philippine Sea by a barrier reef, located about 3 km (2 miles) off the shore. This reef forms ...

, Saipan, with headquarters ashore under the operational command of TU 94.4.2. *7 December 1944: A third detachment of two aircraft was sent to Falalop Airfield, Ulithi, for air-sea rescue missions. *27 December 1944: A fourth detachment of two aircraft relieved the

VPB-54 VPB-54 was a Patrol Bombing Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Patrol Squadron 54 (VP-54) on 15 November 1942, redesignated Patrol Bombing Squadron 54 (VPB-54) on 1 October 1944 and disestablished on 7 April 1945. Operatio ...

detachment at

Peleliu Peleliu (or Beliliou) is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu, along with two small islands to its northeast, forms one of the sixteen states of Palau. The island is notable as the location of the Battle of Peleliu in World War II. H ...

. The primary mission was provision of air-sea rescue support for elements of TU 94.4.2. *1 February 1945: Detachments of VPB-23 were maintained at

NAS Agana Naval Air Station Agana is a former United States Naval air station located on the island of Guam. It was opened by the Japanese Navy in 1943 and closed by the United States government in 1995. During and after its closure, it was operated alongs ...

, Guam; Isley Field #2, Saipan; Falalop Airfield, Ulithi; and

Peleliu Airfield Peleliu Airfield is a small airfield on Peleliu, one of the islands of Palau. It also served as an airfield during World War II. History Peleliu Airfield was built by the Japanese in 1944 with a pair of intersecting runways. During the Battle of ...

, Palau Islands. Operational control was under TU 94.4.2 with a primary mission of air-sea rescue, Dumbo and ferry flights. *14 February 1945: Detachments of VPB-23 were maintained at NAS Agana, Guam;

Kobler Field Kobler Field is a former a World War II airfield on Saipan in the Mariana Islands, part of Naval Advance Base Saipan. It was closed in 1977 and redeveloped as a residential housing area. History World War II Kobler Field was constructed betw ...

, Saipan; Falalop Airfield; Peleliu Airfield;

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. ...

, Nanpo Shoto. Operational control was under TU 94.11.2, with the primary missions being Dumbo flights, press flights and antishipping patrols. *1 March 1945: Three crews of VPB-23 were detached from the Saipan detachment for return to the continental U.S. via NAS Kaneohe Bay. *21 March 1945: The VPB-23 detachment at Peleliu was relieved by a detachment from VPB-108. *30 March 1945: Daily ferry and resupply flights between Guam and Kerama Rhetto were begun by the Guam detachment. *9 April 1945: The Eniwetok detachment of three aircraft returned to VPB-23 at Saipan. *20 June 1945: The detachment at Falalop Airfield was augmented by three more aircraft. Nightly antishipping patrols and Dumbo missions were conducted in support of TU 94.11.2 operations. *9 July 1945: The base of operations for VPB-23 on Saipan was transferred to Peleliu Airfield, to provide air-sea rescue in support of Army Air Corps

B-29 The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fly ...

strikes on the Japanese home islands. Air-sea rescue missions were also provided in support of United States Marine Corps air strikes on Japanese positions of bypassed islands. *1 September 1945: Detachments were maintained at Peleliu Airfield, Falalop Airfield and NAS Agana. Primary missions conducted consisted of air-sea rescue work, anti-mine sweeps and leaflet drops on bypassed Japanese held islands. *11 December 1945: The detachment at Orote was transferred to NAS Agana, Guam. *13 December 1945: Squadron operations were ended and all detachments were returned to Tanapag Harbor, Saipan. Shortly thereafter, the squadron departed Saipan to return to San Diego, via NAS Kaneohe Bay. *25 January 1946: VPB-23 was disestablished at NAS San Diego.

Aircraft assignments

The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown: * T4M - July 1930 * PM-1 - September 1930 * P2Y-1 - April 1933 * P2Y-2 - 1936 * P2Y-3 - 1937 * PBY-2 - January 1938 * PBY-5 - November 1941 * PBY-5A - June 1944

Home port assignments

The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown: * NAS Hampton Roads, Virginia - 1 July 1930 * FAB Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone - 1 February 1932 *

NAS Pearl Harbor Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

, Hawaii - 13 January 1934 *

, California - 23 February 1944 *

, Hawaii - 20 June 1944 * NAS San Diego - December 1945

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vpb-23 Patrol squadrons of the United States Navy Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons

Operational history

Aircraft assignments

Home port assignments

See also

References