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Attack Squadron 176 (VA-176), known as the "Thunderbolts", was a
CVW-10 was shifted in 1966 to the , which was used as an attack carrier for three deployments to Vietnam. During the 1966 deployment two members of the squadron became known by successfully engaging a 
In 1967 VA-176 was back in the Mediterranean Sea aboard the as part of
VA-176's Official Website
Military units and formations established in 1955 Attack squadrons of the United States Navy 1955 establishments in the United States
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 ...
carrier-based medium attack squadron that saw combat service in the Vietnam 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 ...
and later in 1983 in both Grenada and Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
.
History
VA-176 was established on 4 June 1955 and equipped with the Douglas AD-6 ''Skyraider'' and assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. A year later the first deployment followed on board the aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean Sea as part of Air Task Group 2 (ATG-2). In 1958, the squadron was assigned to Carrier Air Group 17 (CVG-17), but was not deployed as CVG-17 was disbanded. The next cruise in 1959/60 was aboard the as part of CVG-10. In November and December 1960 VA-176 was assigned to Carrier Anti-submarine Air Group 52 (CVSG-52) aboard the . After this short deployment VA-176 returned to CVW-10 and made three deployments to the Mediterranean Sea with the between 1961 and 1965.
CVW-10 was shifted in 1966 to the , which was used as an attack carrier for three deployments to Vietnam. During the 1966 deployment two members of the squadron became known by successfully engaging a Vietnam People's Air Force
The Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF, ), formally refers itself as the Air Defence - Air Force (ADAF, ) or the Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF, ), is the aerial warfare service branch of Vietnam. It is the successor of the former North Vietnamese ...
MiG-17
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-17; NATO reporting name: Fresco) is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the Soviet Union from 1952 and was operated by air forces internationally. The MiG-17 w ...
, an unusual instance of propeller-driven aircraft defeating a jet-powered adversary.
In 1967 VA-176 was back in the Mediterranean Sea aboard the as part of CVW-3
Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW-3), known as the "Battle Axe", is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. The wing was created on 1 July 1938 and has seen service in World War II, the Korean War, the ...
.
This was the last cruise with the Douglas A-1H ''Skyraider'', as the squadron converted to the Grumman A-6A ''Intruder'' all-weather attack plane. From its first deployment with the ''Intruder'' in 1970 to the last in 1991, VA-176 was assigned to CVW-6
Carrier Air Wing Six (CVW-6) was a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing whose operational history spans from the middle of World War II to the end of the Cold War. Established in 1943 as Carrier Air Group Seventeen (CVG-17), it would be ...
. From 1970 to 1975, CVW-6 was assigned to the . The next three years were spent aboard the . In 1979 the wing moved to the , followed by the from 1986 to 1991. Flying the ''Intruder'', VA-176 made eighteen deployments to the Mediterranean Sea, three of which also led to the Indian Ocean. The squadron earned three consecutive Battle "E" awards, for the years 1988-1991. The squadron was decommissioned from active service on 30 October 1992.
Aircraft
* Douglas AD-6 Skyraider (after 1962 A-1H) — 1955–1967 *Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed a ...
* Grumman A-6A Intruder — 1969–1975
* Grumman KA-6D Intruder — 1972–1992
* Grumman A-6C Intruder — 1973–1975
* Grumman A-6E Intruder — 1975–1992
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 ...
*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 squadrons are composed of several aircraft (fr ...
External links
{{Commons category, Attack Squadron 176 (United States Navy)VA-176's Official Website
Military units and formations established in 1955 Attack squadrons of the United States Navy 1955 establishments in the United States