Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 5 (VQ-5) was a former squadron of the U.S. Navy that was established on August 15, 1991. During its short-lived career, it was one of two squadrons assigned in the U.S. Navy to operate the ES-3A Shadow, which was a specialised version of the S-3 Viking used for over-horizon tracking and electronic intelligence.

History

Early years

In 1991, with the retirement of the

EA-3B Skywarrior The Douglas A-3 Skywarrior is a jet propulsion, jet-powered strategic bomber that was developed and produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was designed by Douglas on behalf of the United States Navy, which sought a aircraft carrier, carri ...

after 40 years of flying the US Navy, the Navy prepared for the delivery of their new ES-3As. Before this, VQ-5 was established on August 15 of that year 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 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 ...

, receiving their first 2 S-3A Vikings for pilot and crew training on 10 November 1991. On May 8, 1992, the first ES-3A was delivered to VQ-5, with ES-3A's VQ-5 Det. A, on board the , becoming the first ES-3A unit to deploy on a carrier.

Detachments to carrier air wings

Starting in 1994, VQ-5 operated in detachments were deployed to numerous carrier air wings. As part of a 7th Fleet directive that year, it assigned a two-plane permanently attached detachment (VQ-5 Detachment 5) to

Carrier Air Wing 5 Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier . It was initially formed in 1943. It has participated in the Second Wor ...

based in Japan with the Independence. Unlike CVW-5 which was based at NAF Atsugi, VQ-5 Det. 5 was based in

NAF Misawa is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), List of United States Air Force installations, the United States Air Force, and the United States Navy located in Misawa, Aomori, Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, Aomori, in the northern p ...

. During that same year, they participated in operations in the Western Pacific during the tensions in the Korean Peninsula. VQ-5 also deployed to

CVW-15 Carrier Air Wing Fifteen (CVW-15) is a former United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing that was decommissioned on March 31, 1995. It was previously known as Carrier Air Group Fifteen (CVG-15) before 1963 before being renamed in December of th ...

on board the during 1994 before their disestablishment in 1995. ES-3A CAG bird VQ-5 over CVN-72 1998

In 1995, with the impending closure of NAS Agana in Guam, the Sea Shadows moved to NAS North Island in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

. During the

1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis The Third Taiwan Strait Crisis, also called the 1995–1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis or the 1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis, was the effect of a series of missile tests conducted by the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the waters surrounding Taiwan ...

, VQ-5 was deployed on two carriers in the region, the USS ''Nimitz'' as well as the USS ''Independence''. Other deployments to carriers in the following years included CVW-14 and CVW-11 on board the , as part of CVW-9, with CVW-11 and CVW-14 and the with

CVW-2 Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier . Subordinate units CVW-2 consists of 9 Squadrons History 1940s-50s Origi ...

Final cruise and retirement

In 1998, VQ-5 made their last cruise ever as Detachment C deployed with the Carl Vinson and CVW-11 during

Operation Desert Fox The 1998 bombing of Iraq (code-named Operation Desert Fox) was a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets from 16 to 19 December 1998, by the United States and the United Kingdom. On 16 December 1998, President of the United States Bill ...

before returning in May 1999. VQ-5 never deployed again and remained back in North Island. In June 1999, a ceremony was held for the decommissioning of the squadron although they were officially inactivated on July 31, 1999.

References

{{United States Navy Aircraft Squadrons Fleet air reconnaissance squadrons of the United States Navy Military units and formations established in 1991 Military units and formations disestablished in 1999