Carrier air wing one
Download 0.64 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- A sailor points at a submarine periscope spotted after two torpedoes were launched at the USS Ranger during OPERATION TORCH. 1
- Around the World Cruise Patch Suez Crisis
| World War II
Operating in the Atlantic when the US entered WWII, the USS Ranger participated in the North African campaigns called OPERATION TORCH and OPERATION LEADER. OPERATION TORCH was at that time the most ambitious naval operation yet conducted in the European-African Theater. The major responsibility was anti-sub patrol and escort duty in the North Atlantic. VF-9 and VF-41 launched towards French Morocco where they found themselves dog fighting French Pilots, some of which were Aces against the Luftwaffe from the Battle of France. The Ranger fighters accounted for 16 French fighters, strafed enemy ships and airfields, and gave air coverage to landing operations. Attacks on shore batteries and French ships continued in support of Allied Forces and showed the German-dominated French military leaders the striking power of the carrier task force operating off French Morocco. The Ranger Air Group discontinued involvement in OPERATION TORCH on 12 November 1942 and returned to home base at Norfolk, Virginia. "When hostilities commenced on 8 November 1942, the Ranger Air Group numbered 72 operable planes (1 CRAG, 17 VS-41, 26 VF-9, and 28 FV-41). By the end of TORCH, Captain Durgin reported 16 of these 72 were ‘lost or damaged beyond economical repair. During the battle, 43 had been hit by either enemy anti-aircraft or fighter gunfire.”2 
Ranger Air Group was designated CVG-4 on Aug.3, 1943 in line with CV-4 and ordered to Pacific Fleet duty. On 4 Oct 1943, OPERATION LEADER initiated a carrier based attack on the Nazi-held Norwegian Coast with Ranger operating as part of the British Home Fleet. The Attack was a complete surprise to the Germans that endangered submarines and supply ships, causing fear for repeated surprise attacks by the Allied Forces. This also marked the end of Ranger’s combat career as she became a training carrier for the remainder of the war. A sailor points at a submarine periscope spotted after two torpedoes were launched at the USS Ranger during OPERATION TORCH.1 Air Group FOUR (VB-4, VT-4, and VF-4) left the Ranger and deactivated from operational status on the East Coast in the spring of 1944. Now designated as CVG-4, they departed on the USS Barnes (CVE-20) for transport to Hawaii. In October of 1944 they transited aboard the USS Long Island (CVE-1) to Saipan where they would transfer to the USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) and replace CVG-8. The Air Group participated in the Allied invasions of several Philippine islands, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and became a part of the carrier-based attacks on Tokyo in November 1944 with VF-4, VB-4, and VT-4. Air Group FOUR remained in theater and transferred to the USS Essex (CV-9) on November 21, 1944. They were tasked to continue supporting Task Force 38 and were soon after credited with sinking a 4-Ship Japanese convoy. The group survived a Kamikaze attack on November 25, 1944, engaged in a number of strikes against the Japanese, and the "Halsey Typhoon." VMF-124 and VMF-213 would replace the Top Hatters of VB-4 in December of 1944, marking the first Marine squadrons to augment carrier air groups during WWII. CVG-4 saw action against Japan from the Philippines to Okinawa and Tokyo, earning two Presidential Unit Citations in addition to having nurtured many Naval Aviation heroes. They disembarked CV-9 completing their last WWII cruise in March and transferred to the USS Long Island (CVE-1) for transit to Pearl Harbor. In the end Air Group FOUR was credited with 13 possible and 83 airborne kills, destroying or damaging 297 aircraft on the ground, and the sinking of 2 Japanese destroyers, 2 destroyer escorts, 13 merchant ships, with damage to countless others. Upon their return home, CVG-4 transferred to the USS Tarawa (CV-40) at NAS Atlantic City and transferred to her new homeport at NAS San Diego in 1946. CVG-4 and CV-40 departed for a 9 month Westpac cruise in August of 1946. While deployed the CNO directed new post-war organization requirements and CVG-4 was designated Attack Carrier Air Group ONE (CVAG-1). CVAG-1 went through a two year period of training operations followed by another Westpac aboard USS Tarawa throughout most of 1946-1947. They departed San Diego in September of 1948 for a World Cruise taking them to China, The Republic of Ceylon, Bahrain and the first carrier to land in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. After transiting the Suez Canal, they stopped in Athens, Istanbul, Crete, Gibraltar and arrival to their new home port of Cecil Field in February 1949. With the 1950’s approached the transition to the jet age for Air Group One. After conducting carrier qualifications on USS Midway (CVB-41) the air wing participated in Caribbean exercises aboard the USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) with VF-11, VF-12, and VF-13 flying Bearcats, VA-14 flying Corsairs, and VA-15 with Skyraiders. Upon their return, VF-11 received their first F2H-1 Banshee and ushered CVG-1 into the jet age. VF-11 and VF-12 would transition to the F2H-2’s and the air wing would depart on a Med Cruise aboard the USS Coral Sea (CVB-43). From 1946 to 1957, Air Wing ONE served aboard nine different carriers. They would cruise the Med on the USS Wasp, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and World Cruise on the USS Midway in 1955. 
Around the World Cruise Patch Suez Crisis CVG-1 joined the first “Super Carrier” USS Forrestal in 1956 for an emergency deployment to the 6th Fleet to support the evacuation of US Nationals in response to the Suez crisis, and returned to the Med the following year. They would return to the Roosevelt from 1959 to 1961 for multiple cruises back to the Med. On the morning of January 17, 1962, CAG Talley recorded the first ever arrested landing aboard a nuclear powered aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in an F8U-1 as part of the Shakedown cruise in the Atlantic. The air wing would return to the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42) for multiple Med Cruises throughout the 1960’s including combat operations off the coast of Vietnam between June 1966 and February 1967. In 1968 CVW-1 would begin a new partnership with the USS John F. Kennedy (CVA-67) that would last throughout the early 1980’s. “Air Group One, conceived in war nurtured with the smoke and flying steel of the battle, has an insignia embodying the squadrons who helped to rule the skies of Norway to Korea; when the first bomb ripped the earth of Hickam Field until the USS MISSOURI dropped her anchor in Tokyo bay. 
The rampant lion, baring a row of slashing fangs, is symbolic of the torpedo squadron (VA-2A) being the main element of their insignia. A jaunty hat perched on the name was borrowed from the bombers (VA-1A Top Hatters). In one arm, held tightly in a clenched fist, the smoldering bomb of the fighter bombers (VF-2A), and upon the other, the bar sinistered bickler of the fighting squadron (VF-1A Red Rippers). The king of the beasts prances on a red background of courage, set within the outlines of a protective shield.”3 Vietnam Era 
Between June 1966 and February 1967 CVW-1 sailed their only Vietnam War cruise aboard the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42) to conduct combat operations in the Tonkin Gulf. Tarbox consisted of VF-14 and VF32’s F-4 Phantoms; VA-12, VA-72 and VA-172’s A-4 Skyhawks, VAH-10 A-3B andVQ-1 EA-3B Skywarriors, VAW-12 E-1 Tracers, VFP-62 RF-8G Crusaders, and HC-2 UH-2A Seasprites. They began combat operations without a warm-up period from Yankee Station on August 10th ending their first line period on September 12th. VA-72 led the first successful strike against a surface-to-air SA-2 missile installation in North Vietnam. Numerous other strikes destroyed North Vietnamese targets, but not without consequence. During the first line period, a total of four aircraft were lost with all but one crewmember recovered who was KIA. After a port visit in Yokosuka, Japan and dry dock repairs at NAS Atsugi, Tarbox began the second line period from October 11th to November 1st. VA-172 and VA-72 each lost an aircraft whose pilots were captured and held as POW’s. VA-12 lost two A-4’s to a midair collision and killing both pilots, including CO, CDR Robert C. Frosio. After a Subic Bay port visit, they returned for a third line period from November 24th to December 27th. VA-172 lost two A-4’s to SAM’s in the Red River delta area. Bother pilots were KIA including CO, CDR Bruce A. Nystrom. Two weeks later a VA-72 A-4 was shot down with pilot KIA during a 42-plane Alpha strike in North Vietnam. That same day an E-1B from VAW-12 ditched in the South China Sea, killing three of the five crew members. Directory: airfor -> cvw1 -> Documents Documents -> First and Foremost airfor -> Afpc/dppao must be notified immediately airfor -> Afrotc cadet Exit Survey airfor -> Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory airfor -> Commander mark s. Leavitt commanding officer, helantisubron five airfor -> Captain steven m. Carlisle united states navy airfor -> Member Reporting Name Command’s Address airfor -> World Famous Nightdippers airfor -> Enduring freedom cvw1 -> Captain matthew L. Leahey, U. S. Navy deputy commander, carrier air wing seventeen Download 0.64 Mb. Share with your friends:
|