VA-153 (U.S. Navy)
Attack Squadron 153 | |
---|---|
![]() VA-153 squadron patch | |
Active | 1 February 1951-30 September 1977 |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Navy |
Role | Attack aircraft |
Part of | Inactive |
Nickname(s) | Blue Tail Flies |
Engagements | Korean War Vietnam War |
Aircraft flown | |
Attack | F6F Hellcat F9 Panther F9 Cougar FJ Fury A-4 Skyhawk A-7 Corsair II |
VA-153 was an Attack Squadron of the U.S. Navy. During a 1949 reorganization of the Naval Air Reserve, a Fighter Squadron at NAS New York (believed to have been VF-718) was redesignated Fighter Squadron VF-831. It was called to active duty on 1 February 1951. The squadron was redesignated as VF-153 on 4 February 1953, and finally as VA-153 on 15 December 1956. It was disestablished on 30 September 1977. The squadron's nickname was the Blue Tail Flies from 1953 onward.[1]
Operational history
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/F9F-2_VF-831_CV-36_NAN4-52.jpg/250px-F9F-2_VF-831_CV-36_NAN4-52.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/A-4Es_VA-153_launching_from_USS_Coral_Sea_%28CVA-43%29_1967.jpg/250px-A-4Es_VA-153_launching_from_USS_Coral_Sea_%28CVA-43%29_1967.jpg)
- VF-831 was assigned to Carrier Air Group 15 (CVG-15), aboard USS Antietam, which was deployed to Korea from 8 September 1951 to 2 May 1952.
- February 1955: Squadron aircraft flew sorties in support of the evacuation of Chinese Nationalists from the Tachen Islands during the First Taiwan Straits Crisis.
- 23 August–9 September 1958: The squadron flew sorties in the Taiwan Straits during the Second Taiwan Straits Crisis.
- January 1961: USS Coral Sea, with VA-153 embarked, operated in the South China Sea after Pathet Lao forces captured strategic positions in Laos.
- 2 February 1965: The squadron began participating in operations in Laos. These operations involved Yankee Team, Operation Barrel Roll and Operation Steel Tiger missions.
- 7 and 11 February 1965: The squadron participated in Flaming Dart I and II, reprisal strikes against targets in North Vietnam following a Viet Cong attack on the American advisors compound at Pleiku and the American billet in Qui Nhon, South Vietnam.
- March 1965: The squadron participated in Operation Rolling Thunder, the bombing of military targets in North Vietnam.
- 13 August 1965: The squadron's commanding officer, Commander H. E. Thomas, was killed in action over North Vietnam.
- March 1968: USS Coral Sea, with VA-153 embarked, operated on station off the coast of Korea following the capture of USS Pueblo in January by North Korea.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/LTV_A-7B_154465_VA-153_FDR_Cecil_19.07.76_edited-2.jpg/220px-LTV_A-7B_154465_VA-153_FDR_Cecil_19.07.76_edited-2.jpg)
- 21 November 1970: The squadron flew missions in support of Operation Ivory Coast, an attempt to rescue American prisoners of war at the Son Tay prisoner compound, 20 miles west of Hanoi.
- 11–22 February 1973: Following the ceasefire with North Vietnam the squadron flew combat missions in Laos until a ceasefire was signed with that country on 22 February 1973.
- February 1973: Commander D. R. Weichman, the squadron's executive officer, completed his 625th combat mission of the Vietnam War. He maintains the record for the highest number of combat missions for a Navy fixed-wing pilot during this conflict.
- November 1973: USS Oriskany, with VA-153 embarked, departed from operations in the South China Sea to relieve USS Hancock on station in the Arabian Sea due to the unsettled conditions following the Yom Kippur War.[1]
Home port assignments
[edit]The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown:[1]
- NAS New York (Floyd Bennett Field) – assigned here prior to the squadron's recall to active duty on 1 February 1951.
- NAS Alameda – 01 Apr 1951
- NAS Moffett Field – 5 May 1952
- NAS Lemoore – 21 Aug 1961
Aircraft assignment
[edit]The squadron first received the following aircraft on the dates shown:[1]
- F6F Hellcat *
- F9F-2 Panther – 06 Feb 1951
- F9F-5 Panther – Aug 1952
- F9F-6 Cougar – Oct 1953
- FJ-3 Fury – Mar 1955
- F9F-8 Cougar – Nov 1955
- F9F-8B Cougar – Apr 1956
- A4D-1 Skyhawk – 12 Feb 1957
- A4D-2 Skyhawk – 27 Oct 1958
- A4D-2N Skyhawk – 20 Jun 1961
- A-4E Skyhawk – Jan 1967
- A-4F Skyhawk – Apr 1968
- A-7A Corsair II – 14 Sep 1969
- A-7B Corsair II – May 1973
* While in a reserve status from September 1949 to January 1951, the squadron was most likely utilizing F6F pool aircraft assigned to NAS New York.
See also
[edit]- List of squadrons in the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons
- Attack aircraft
- List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons
- History of the United States Navy
References
[edit]This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons.
- ^ a b c d Grossnick, Roy A. (1995). Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, Volume 1, Chapter 2, Section 8: Attack Squadron Histories for VA-125 to VA-153. Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy. pp. 194–221. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
External links
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