Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 (VRC-30), also known as the "
Providers Providers is a Danish hip hop, R&B and pop song production team made up of Jeppe Federspiel and Rasmus Stabell.United States 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 ...
Fleet Logistics Support squadron based at
Naval Air Station North Island
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 (N ...
consisting of 5 detachments. VRC-30 is one of only two active, carrier-capable, Fleet Logistics Support squadrons, the other being
VRC-40
Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40 (VRC-40), also known as the "Rawhides", is a United States Navy fleet logistics support squadron based at NS Norfolk. Commissioned in 1960, it is one of only two active fleet logistics squadrons in the Navy, th ...
.
History
Fleet Logistics Support Squadron Three Zero (VRC-30), traces its ancestry to Air Transport Squadron Five (VR-5) which was established on 24 June 1943 at
Naval Air Station Seattle
Naval Station Puget Sound is a former United States Navy, United States Naval station located on Sand Point (peninsula), Sand Point in Seattle, Washington. Today, the land is occupied by Magnuson Park.
History
After World War I, a movement was b ...
. The squadron was tasked with flying the
Douglas R4D Skytrain,
Douglas R5D Skymaster
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian a ...
,
Beechcraft SNB Expeditor , and the
Noorduyn JA-1 Norseman aircraft in regular air service to
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
,
Oakland
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
,
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, the
Aleutian Islands
The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a cha ...
,
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 po ...
, and
Point Barrow
Point Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska, northeast of Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow). It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States, at , south of the North Pole. (The northe ...
on the Alaskan Mainland.
In 1948, the Naval Air Transportation Service and Air Transport Command merged and became the
Military Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and the United States Air Force's ...
. VR-5 was placed under the command of the
U.S. Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor ...
.
1950s
In 1950, VR-5 moved its base of operations from NAS Seattle to
Naval Air Station Moffett Field
Moffett Federal Airfield , also known as Moffett Field, is a joint civil-military airport located in an unincorporated part of Santa Clara County, California, United States, between northern Mountain View and northern Sunnyvale. On November 10, ...
, California. Detachments were established in Seattle and at
Naval Air Station North Island
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 (N ...
, California. VR-5 was decommissioned on 15 July 1957 and became VR-21, with detachments at
Naval Air Facility 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 dep ...
, Japan and NAS North Island.
VR-21 was the first squadron to fly dedicated
Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) aircraft, the
TBM-3Rs. On 26 June 26, 1958, VR-21 NAS North Island Detachment made the first COD with the
Grumman C-1A Trader aircraft to . The detachment relocated 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 ...
in 1960.
VR-21 was also at
Naval Air Station 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, flying
C-118B Liftmasters into the early 1970s.
1960s and 1970s
The Atsugi detachment
VRC-50
VRC-50 was a Fleet Logistics Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Fleet Tactical Support Squadron 50 (VRC-50) on 1 October 1966, redesignated as Fleet Logistics Support Squadron Fifty (VRC-50) on 1 April 1976 and disestablis ...
, and the Alameda Detachment was commissioned as Fleet Tactical Support Squadron Three Zero (VR-30) equipped with
Convair C-131 Samaritan
The Convair C-131 Samaritan is an American twin-engined military transport produced from 1954 to 1956 by Convair. It is the military version of the Convair CV-240 family of airliners.Gradidge 1997, p. 20–21.
Design and development
The design ...
s and
C-1A Trader aircraft. VR-30's mission included logistics support for Commander in Chief U.S. Pacific Fleet units. On 9 November 1966, VR-30 made their first COD arrested landing in the C-1A on . The squadron was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation for exemplary service from 1 January to 30 November 1967. From 1968 to 1973, VR-30 COD detachments operated aboard various carriers in support of recovery operations for
Apollo X
Apollo 10 (May 18–26, 1969) was a human spaceflight, the fourth crewed mission in the United States Apollo program, and the second (after Apollo 8, Apollo8) to orbit the Moon. NASA described it as a "dress rehearsal" for the first Moon landi ...
,
XI,
XII, and
XVI.
In 1969, squadron C-1As and crews operated from
Danang
Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one ...
, Republic of Vietnam, in support of CTF-77. In 1971 VR-30 joined the Jet Age with two
North American CT-39 Saberliners for high-speed executive airlift. In May 1973 the squadron received the first of four
C-9B Skytrain IIs to further improve its logistics support capability.
On 12 March 1974 the Navy's first female Aviator, Lieutenant (Junior Grade)
Barbara A. Allen reported for duty. After relocating to NAS North Island, VR-30 was decommissioned on 1 October 1978 and VRC-30 was concurrently commissioned.
1980s
In February 1980, VRC-30 added the C-12 Fleet Replacement Squadron, providing ground and flight instruction for all Pacific Fleet Navy and Marine Corps Pilots and Aircrew in the UC-12B/F Beechcraft Super King Air. VRC-30's C-12 FRS acts as the Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet NATOPS Model Manager and Unit Evaluator, in addition to their primary job of flight instruction. VRC-30 retired the 6 C-1A Trader Aircraft and transitioned to the
C-2A Greyhound
Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...
in late 1985 by accepting deliveries of five C-2A Greyhounds. These were later replaced by a newer re-procured version of the aircraft, the C-2A(R).
1990s
In 1994 VRC-30 took sole responsibility for Pacific Fleet C-2 operations by absorbing personnel and aircraft when VRC-50 was decommissioned. VRC-30 DET Five was established in August 1994 in Atsugi, Japan as part of
Carrier Air Wing Five
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 ...
and the Forward Deployed Naval Forces. Four deployable sea going detachments were formed at North Island, supported by a "homeguard" shore component. In 1997 VRC-30's detachment Three became the first fully integrated, night-capable C-2 detachment when it deployed 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 ...
aboard .
1998 proved to be another banner year for the Providers at VRC-30. Provider detachments continued to set the standard for day/night logistics support with two highly successful deployments. Detachment One posted an impressive total of over 290,000 lbs. of cargo, 175,000 lbs. of mail, and over 2300 passengers carried in support of the Battlegroup. While on WESTPAC Detachment One earned the Golden Hook Award for the best landing grades in the Airwing, a squadron first. Detachment Two aboard followed suit, operating daily in support of
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 ...
and
Operation Southern Watch
Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003.
United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of mon ...
. In the calendar year 1998, VRC-30 was able to accomplish astounding results including: 1356 carrier landings, 14,360 passengers, 1,877,973 lbs of cargo, and a sortie completion rate of 99.9%.
As of December 1999, the squadron has achieved 24 years and over 149,600 hours of accident-free flight. VRC30 was awarded the Chief of Naval Operations Safety Award six times between 1979 and 1992 and the
Meritorious Unit Commendation
The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or s ...
for exemplary service from October 1993 to September 1994. In 1996 the Providers were awarded their first ever Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific Battle Efficiency Award and again received the honor in 1998. VRC-30 again garnered the CNO Aviation Safety Award in 1998. In March 1998 the command adopted a full detachment concept, as a result of a 140-person reduction in manning. As a result; all five detachments have remained active throughout the turn around cycle.
2000s
The Squadron participated in every major military exercise on the west coast as well as combat operations in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. The Providers again earned the COMNAVAIRPAC Battle Efficiency Award in 2002 and 2003. In 2004 VRC-30 stood down C-12 operations, focusing solely on the COD mission.
The years to follow saw several major developments and upgrades in the C-2A, beginning with the critical Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) in 2006. The SLEP increased the airframe lifespan from 10,000 flight hours or 15,000 carrier landings to 15,000 flight hours or 36,000 carrier landings. The program will allow the current fleet of Greyhounds to operate until 2027. The SLEP was followed by an aircraft rewire in 2008, and the most recent LOT 4 upgrade in August 2010. The LOT 4 upgrade, completed in September 2012, provided pilots with a new CNS-ATM glass cockpit and the eight-bladed NP2000 propeller system, which increased performance, reduced airframe vibration, and improved maintainability. During this period of substantial change and while maintaining a high operational tempo, the Providers continued to earn five more Battle Efficiency awards in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2012.
The Providers delivered over 2.1 million pounds of cargo and mail to the fleet and more than 16,000 passengers and Distinguished Visitors were safely transported to and from carriers at sea. In addition, the FRS side of the house trained 82 new Fleet ready C-12 pilots and instructor pilots and 47 newly qualified C-12/26 Aircrew.
On 22 November 2017 a VRC-30 Detachment 5 C-2A carrying 11 passengers and crew crashed into the Philippine Sea 90.1 miles (145 km) Northwest of
Okinotorishima
, or Parece Vela, is a coral reef with two rocks enlarged with tetrapod-cement structures. It is administered by Japan with a total shoal area of and land area . Its dry land area is mostly made up by three concrete encasings and there is a ...
while flying from
Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
is a United States Marine Corps air station located in the Nishiki river delta, southeast of Iwakuni Station in the city of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.
History
The Japanese government bought a large portion of what is today MCAS I ...
to . 8 people were recovered but 3 were not found. It was the first loss of a C-2 since 2005, and the first fatal accident since 1973. The aircraft was located in 18,500ft (5,640 meters) in the last week of December 2017, when a salvage ship used a pinger receiver to locate the aircraft's emergency signal. There will be an attempt to salvage the aircraft and the three Sailors expected to be inside.
[Navy locates crashed C-2A Greyhound deep on Pacific seabed](_blank)
The Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
/MilitaryTimes.com, 2018-01-07[ ]
Following the 2017 incident, VRC-30 Det. 5 went through multiple inspections and rigorous training in order to prevent further casualties. The detachment received the Battle Efficiency Ribbon in 2019.
Detachments
See also
*
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 ...
*
List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons
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 squadron (aviation), squadrons are composed of ...
References
External links
VRC-30 Official Website
{{United States Navy Aircraft Squadrons
Fleet logistics support squadrons of the United States Navy