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VAH-8, was a Heavy Attack Squadron of the
VAH-8, was a Heavy Attack 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 ...
, based at 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 t ...
, Washington. It was established on 1 May 1957 and disestablished on 17 January 1968. The squadron primarily flew the Douglas A-3 Skywarrior
The Douglas A-3 Skywarrior is a 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 carrier-capable strategic bomber. D ...
aircraft.
Operational history
On 13 Mar 1960, all nine of the squadron's A3D-2 Skywarriors were launched from the deck of USS Midway (CVA-41), while deployed to WestPac, and flew a formation trans-Pacific flight of 4,800 miles to their home port of NAS Whidbey Island. Refueling stops were made atNAS 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 ...
and 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 ...
. The total flight time was 10.9 hours and the aircraft arrived at NAS Whidbey Island on 15 March.
On 13 Mar 1962 during exercise Potshot, squadron A3Ds were launched from USS Midway carrying Marine Corps paratroopers
A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...
who were dropped on a target site at Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by O ...
.
Vietnam War
During theVietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by 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 Vietnam a ...
VAH-8 was deployed on the following aircraft carriers operating on Yankee
The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Its various senses depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, residents of the Northern United S ...
and Dixie Stations:
*6 March-23 November 1965, A-3Bs were embarked on
*12 May-3 December 1966, A-3Bs were embarked on
*29 April-4 December 1967, KA-3Bs were embarked on USS ''Constellation''
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 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 ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vah-8 Heavy attack squadrons of the United States Navy Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons