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HistoryVP-2 HistoryHistory

Circa 1969

HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: History ThumbnailCameraMeritorious Unit Citation "...Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross)..." Official U. S. Navy Records (National Archives and Records Administration) via Fold3 http://www.fold3.com/ [14DEC2012]

HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: Naval Aviation May 1969 "...On Patrol - Naval Aviation News - May 1969..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1960s/1969/may69.pdf [17SEP2004]

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HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: Naval Aviation March 1969 "...On Patrol - Page 30 - Naval Aviation News - March 1969..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1960s/1969/mar69.pdf [16SEP2004]

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Circa 1968

HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: Naval Aviation October 1968 "...CNO Safety Awards Announced - Page 2 - Naval Aviation News - October 1968..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1960s/1968/oct68.pdf [15SEP2004]

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HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: Naval Aviation April 1968 "...Air Surveillance in 'Market Time' - Page 35 - Naval Aviation News - April 1968..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1960s/1968/apr68.pdf [15SEP2004]

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Circa 1967

HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: Naval Aviation October 1967 "...Fleet Air Wings - Page 28 - Naval Aviation News - October 1967..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1960s/1967/oct67.pdf [12SEP2004]

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HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: Naval Aviation August 1967 "...Fleet Air Wings On Patrol - Page 28 to 29 - Naval Aviation News - August 1967..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1960s/1967/aug67.pdf [11SEP2004]

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HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: Naval Aviation March 1967 "...Fleet Air Wings On Patrol - Page 28 to 29 - Naval Aviation News - March 1967..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1960s/1967/mar67.pdf [08SEP2004]

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HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...Collection of cruise photo's circa 1967-1968 by AO2 Bruce Weber bweber3@satx.rr.com..." GOTO: http://www.vpnavy.com/vpnavy_weber.html [05FEB2001]

HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...VP-2 Takes CFW Totem - Prop Wash USNAS, Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor, Wash., June 9, 1967 Vol. 25..." Doyle AO-3 ldoylesr@lycos.com [E-Mail Updated 12JAN2001 | 28NOV2000]

VP-2 Takes CFW Totem - Prop Wash USNAS, Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor, Wash., June 9, 1967 Vol. 25
VP-2 Crew 8 ThumbnailCameraVP-2 Crew 8


VP-2 Wins Totem - VP-2 number eight crew was number one in the fourth quarter Totem Pole competition. Front row (l to r): LTjg Littman TACCO, LCDR B. R. Briggs Pilot, LCDR V. G. Raudio Co-Pilot. Back row: ATN2 J. C. Mason Radio, ADR1 R. J. Dickinson Plane Captain, AX2 R. G. Vitt JEZ, ADJ1 M. Y. Allison 2nd Mech, AE2 C. A. Pierce MAD, AO3 L. R. Doyle Ordnance. Not shown are ATR2 K. A. Helt Julie-Ecm and LTjg W. A. Green Naviagor.

Patrol Squadron Two scored a clean sweep in the Totem Pole completition held recently at NAS Whidbey Island. Three crews from VP-2 were in direct competition with three crews from VP-17 with VP-2 the victor, winning the first three places.

The award was presented to CDR R. B. Campbell, commanding officer of VP-2 by Capt. E. J. Winters chief of staff, commander fleet air, Whidbey.

The plane commander of crew 8, the winning crew was LCDR Brad R. Briggs. Crew 2, commanded by LCDR William S. Scantlin, placed second, with CDR R. B. Campbell piloting crew 1 into third.

The Totem Pole competition held quarterly among the Whidbey based patrol squadrons. Three crews from each squadron competed in a phases of the patrol mission including weapons loading, anti-submarine-Warfare, reconnaissance, aerial mining, rocketry and bombing.

HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...Squadron History of VP-2 from 67-68 Cruisebook..." Contributed by Robert E. Bailey flynavy10@comcast.net [29MAR99]

"Patrol Squadron TWO (VP-2) was first formed as Patrol Bombing Squadron-130 (VPB-130) at NAS DeLand, Florida, on March 1, 1943. Within three months the squadron, flying PV-1 "Venturas" was operating throughout the Caribbean Sea to protect convoys from sub attacks.

Later that same year VPB-130 A/C chaulked up its 1st kill with the destruction of a German U-Boat. Sometime in those early years, squadron personnel began to call themselves the "Neptunes" an appellation that proved more appropriate than they could have imagined.

In July 1944, after the installation of Rocket Rails and a period of special training at NAS Quonset Point, Rhode Island, the squadron flew to NAS Alameda, California, and embarked on the CVE-85 USS Shipley Bay for the first leg of its journey to the South Pacific.

Throughout the remainder of WW2, the squadron moved its base of operations frequently and was credited with the destruction of numerous Jap A/C and Radar Installations.

In 1945, the squadron came home to San Diego, CA, quickly reformed, and moved to NAS Whidbey Island, Washington. Here VP-2 received its first PV-2 Harpoons.

The first NAS Whidbey Island, Washington tour proved to be short. However, as the squadron returned to NAS Miramar, in May 1946 and was renamed Medium Patrol Squadron TWO.

The following year the nicknames of the squadron and its aircraft became identical when VPML-2 received its 1st Neptune, the P2V-1, with its highpower radar and its greatly increased range and bomb load.

In 1948, the squadron designation was simplified to Patrol Squadron TWO and the era of confusion arrived for squadron dependents, who never seemed abot to differentiate between PV-2, P2V, AND VP-2.

In 1949 VP-2 returend to the great northwest and has called NAS Whidbey Island, Washington its home ever since.

Shortly thereafter came the first and shortest of many deployments to NAS Kodiak, Alaska.

After three months of patrols over the Aleutian Chain, the squadron returned to NAS Whidbey Island, Washington for a brief training cycle.

The spring of 1950 found VP-2 back in Alaska to assist in the Point Barrow Resupply Expedition and the Beaufort Sea Oceanographic Survey.

The 1951 NAS Kodiak, Alaska deployment was concluded in unexpected fashion when the squadron traveled to NAF Naha, Okinawa, Japan, to take part in the Anti-submarine Warfare exercises.

A rate break in the NAS Kodiak, Alaska rotation routine occured in 1952 when VP-2 spent its deployment period at NAS Kwajalien, Marshall Is., participating in the year's nuclear weapon's tests.

By this time, the squadron was flying P2V-5 A/C, with larger engines and more complex equipment.

More Alaska deployments followed, together with the receipt, in 1955, of a full dozen P2V-7 aircraft. This airplane, with its jet engines for safer operations and its highly sophisticated weapons systems for detecting, pinpointing, and attacking submarines, represented a major step toward the squadron's operational capability.

The winter of 56-67 found the Neptunes back in Alaska, serving on the front lines of the Cold War.

Changing scenery in 1958, the squadron deployed to NAS Iwakuni, Japan for 6 months.

In 1958 the squadron was back on track to Alaska and kept on returning to Alaska until 1964.

In the closing days of the NAS Kodiak, Alaska deployment of 64 the squadron survived the earthquake of 27 March 1964 and was able to assist in saving lives and material from the forces of disaster.

From August to December 1964 the squadron resumed operations in NAS Kodiak, Alaska by maintaining a three plane detachment for conducting shipping surveillence and ice recon. flights.

January 1965 found VP-2 once again in the far east, deployed to NAS Iwakuni, Japan. During this six month deployment VP-2 operated on a detachment basis from a multitude of bases, including NAS Iwakuni, Japan, NAF Kadena, Okinawa, Japan, NS Sangley Point, Philippines, Bankok, Thailand, Saigon, and Danang, VietNam.

In VietNam four VP-2 A/C operated as a Unit of Commander VietNam Patrol Force.

After a short eight month training cycle, 16 July 65 to 25 March 66 at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington, the "Neptunes" returned to NAS Iwakuni, Japan.

In May of 66 a seven plane detachment, staging out of NS Sangley Point, Philippines, journeyed to Tan Son Nuht A.B. in Siagon, VietNam. Here seven planes operated as an Areial Unit of the Market Time Patrol Force investigating junks, sampans, and other surface vessels along some 1000 miles of Vietnamese coast lines.

This time the Neptunes spent one year 1 OCT 66 1 OCT 67 at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington. During the training session the squadron distinguished itself by winning the first three places in two consecutive COMFAIRWHIDBEY TOTEM POLE Exercises.

VP-2 is at NS Sangley Point, Philippines, for its present deployment, with its detachment in Siagon, VietNam.

VP-2 became the first patrol squadron to serve a third tour with its detachments in Siagon, Vietnam and became the first squadron to serve a third tour with Operation Market Time Patrol Force. They also had detachments to NAS Iwakuni, Japan during the Pueblo incident and NAF Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam.

The end from Cruisebook 67-68.

HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...The U.S. Navy/U.S. Coast Guard Vietnam Unit Memorial Monument, will be located on the Council International Sport Military Field on the US Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado, CA. This monument will be a personal detailed, and heart-felt tribute to all Naval & Coast Guard personnel who died serving their country in the South East Asia Theater of the Vietnam War from 1960-1975. A few of the military squadrons represented are: VP-1, VP-2, VP-4, VP-6, VP-17, VP-26, VP-40, VP-42, VP-48, VP-50, VAH-21, VAP-61, and VO-67. WebSite: Vietnam Unit Memorial Monument..." Contributed by BAILEY, AO3 Bob flynavy10@comcast.net [Updated 21DEC2000 | Updated 02JUL2000 | Updated 14APR2000 | 03APR2000]


Circa 1966

HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: Naval Aviation June 1966 "...Exercuse "Button Hook" - Page 31 - Naval Aviation News - June 1966..." RAGSDALE, Homer C. c/o His Son Randy Ragsdale rwragsdale@gmail.com [27MAR2006]

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HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...United States Naval Operations Vietnam, Highlights; (No. 8): May 1966..." WebSite: Mobile Riverine Force Association http://www.mrfa2.org/MRFA%20'Highlights'%20copies/mrfa-08/high-8.htm [03DEC2005]

MARKET TIME Units

Three Patrol Air Cushion Vehicles (PACV) arrived at Vung Tau on 1 May to form PACV Division 107 and on 2 May proceeded to the MARKET TIME base at Cat Lo, thus introducing this type craft for the first time into a combat zone. During the rest of the month, maintenance and logistic support equipment was set up and the PACVs were prepared for operations.

In aerial surveillance operations, USS Salisbury Sound (AV-13) with CTF 72 embarked, arrived at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam on 15 May, set up a seadrome and activated Task Group 72.5. SP-5B aircraft immediately began flying patrols from the seadrome in support of MARKET TIME. VP-40 and VP-48 had aircraft detachments at NAF Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam supported by USS Salisbury Sound (AV-13) for the remainder of the month. Fifty two MARKET TIME flights were flown by TG 72.5 during this period. The aircraft on patrol investigated contacts for MARKET TIME ships and reported all contacts and suspicious activity discovered. A detachment of seven P2 aircraft from VP-2 relieved VP-1 as TG 115.6 on 29 May. They were based at Tan Son Nhut Air Base at Saigon and flew in support of MARKET TIME operations.

HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: Naval Aviation December 1966 "...Fleet Air Wings On Patrol - Page 28 to 29 - Naval Aviation News - December 1966..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1960s/1966/dec66.pdf [07SEP2004]

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HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: Naval Aviation August 1966 "...Fleet Air Wings On Patrol - Page 28 to 29 - Naval Aviation News - August 1966..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1960s/1966/aug66.pdf

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HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...Here are a series of photos showing my Dad, Homer Ragsdale, handing our promotions to the men of VP-2 Circa 1966..." Contributed by RAGSDALE, Homer C. c/o His Son Randy Ragsdale rwragsdale@gmail.com [31DEC2003]

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HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...Squadron Awards..." Contributed by Mahlon K. Miller mkwsmiller@cox.net [23APR2001]

  • Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
    11 Mar 65 - 01 May 65
    01 Jan 68 - 28 Feb 68

  • Meritorious Unit Commendation
    01 Mar 69 - 10 Aug 69

  • Navy Unit Commendation
    01 Jan 67 - 31 Mar 68

  • Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry)
    01 Sep 67 - 30 Apr 68
    05 Feb 69 - 10 Aug 69
    11 Aug 69 - 31 Aug 69

  • Vietnam Service Medal
    24 May 66 - 03 Oct 66

    HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...1966 Cruisebook Introduction..." Contributed by Robert E. Bailey flynavy10@comcast.net [29MAR99]

    1966 Cruise Book Introduction


    March 1966 was a busy month for the Officers and Men of Patrol Squadron TWO. The active seven months of prepration were culimating in the operational readiness inspection, and final arrangements were being completed for the overseas shipmment of material. Then there remained the preparation of the aircraft for the pre-deployment inspection and the execution of the myraid of minor details which preceeded any squadron deployement. Finally, on 23 March, all was ready and on the morning of the 24th, the first section of four SP2H Neptunes departed NAS Whidbey Island, Washington for the far east to begin the writing of a new chapter in the history of Patrol Squadron TWO.

    The Marine Corps NAS Iwakuni, Japan, was a familiar sight for the more seasoned Officers and men of the squadron. For others it was their first experience in a land whose culture differed so widely from their own. But, sight-seeing was not on the agenda and within a matter of hours the squadron was again functioning as a unit. Flight crews were flying their many and varied missions from widely dispersed bases and the ground crews were functioning with the efficiency that gave no evidence of their recent move of some seven thousand miles.

    The pervading theme of this deployment, however, was strongly effected by the conflict in VietNam. As the crews flew from the various bases in Japan, they could not help but feel they were biding their time in anticipation of the real task to come.

    In mid-may, the first contingent of squadron personnel departed for VietNam and on 27 May Commander Ragsdale, with a seven plane detachment assumed the duties of Commander of Navy Task Group at Tan Son Nuht Air Base, Saigon. This was to be home to the majority of the squadron for the remainder of the deployment. The heat and humidity and relative lack of conveniences posed no problem to the Saigon detachment. The personnel of the detachment has come prepared for the conditions they would encounter and they performed their mission in a manner that left nothing to be desired. The flight crews flew consistently at a rate exceeding one hundred hours per month, and each day they reported to Tan Son Nuht to find their aircraft in "UP" status, ready to go! While hundreds of hours were flown for each tangible success achieved, the flight crew members came to know the satisfaction that comes from doing a job consistently well. The flying record was empressive and no member of the squadron doubted that he could have done more had the needs of of the situtation required. They left the far east with the assurance of having done a job well, and with a strong desire, now that it was over, to go home.

    HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...Operation Market Time "THOUSANDS VIEWS"...Pacific Stars and Stripes...JULY 25, 1966..." Contributed by Robert E. Bailey flynavy10@comcast.net [02JUN2000]

    Operation Market Time "THOUSANDS VIEWS"


    SAIGON- THOUSANDS OF VIETNAMESE AND AMERICAN VISITORS FLOCKED TO THE PORT OF SAIGON LAST WEEK TO WITNESS WHAT OFFICIALS CALLED "THE LARGEST CATCH OF ENEMY ARMS AND AMMUNITION OF THE VIETNAMESE WAR". THE BIG PRIZE WAS A 120-FOOT TRAWLER CAPTURED LAST MONTH DURING A MARKET TIME OPERATION. PREMIER NGUYEN CAO KY OPENED THE DISPLAY TUESDAY, JULY 19. BESIDES THE TRAWLER, A PORTION OF THE ARMS CACHE AND A SKYRAIDER THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE CAPTURE WERE ALSO DISPLAYED.

    THE STEEL HULLED TRAWLER WAS FORCED AGROUND NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE CO CHIEN RIVER AFTER IT HAD ENGAGED TWO COAST GUARD CUTTERS IN A FIREFIGHT, TRYING DESPERATELY TO AVOID CAPTURE. THE CUTTERS, THE POINT LEAGUE AND POINT SLOCUM RETURNED THE FIRE. IN A COMBINED AMERICAN-VIETNAMESE OPERATION, THE TRAWLER WAS FORCED AGROUND AND THE VESSEL AND CARGO SEIZED.

    INITIAL REPORTS OF ARMS AND MATERIALS CAPTURED INCLUDED 30 MORTARS, 8 RECOILLESS RIFLES, 200 BOLT ACTION RIFLES, 500 MACHINE GUNS, MORE THAN 100 PISTOLS AND 60 ANTI-TANK WEAPONS. AMMUNITION INCLUDED 750 RECOILLESS RIFLE ROUNDS, 2000 ANTI-TANK ROUNDS, AND MORE THAN 200,000 ROUNDS OF SMALL ARMS AMMUNITION.

    Circa 1965

    HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: Naval Aviation December 1965 "...On Patrol With Pacific Air Wings - Page 26 to 27 - Naval Aviation News - December 1965..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1960s/1965/dec65.pdf [03SEP2004]

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    HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: Naval Aviation October 1965 "...Pacific Air Wings On Patrol - Page 26 - Naval Aviation News - October 1965..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1960s/1965/oct65.pdf [02SEP2004]

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    HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: Naval Aviation August 1965 "...Pacific Air Wings On Patrol - Page 26 to 27 - Naval Aviation News - August 1965..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1960s/1965/aug65.pdf [01SEP2004]

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    HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: Naval Aviation April 1965 "...On Patrol With Pacific Air Wings - Page 26 to 27 - Naval Aviation News - April 1965..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1960s/1965/apr65.pdf [31AUG2004]

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    HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: VP-2 Crew Logo ThumbnailVP-2 Crew Logo "...This was the patch made after the 1965 Saigon detachments returned to Japan..." Contributed by AE2 AC Charles Pierce capierce01@home.com [12DEC2000]


    Circa 1964-1965

    HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: History ThumbnailCameraVP-2 History "...CDR Dwight A. LANE, Jr. served with VP- (1964-1965) as XO/CO..." Official U. S. Navy Documention [25DEC2012]


    Circa 1961

    HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: Contributed by Victor S. Gulliver via his daughter Anne Gulliver gulliver@wwa.com [21JUL98]

    "...VP-2 was one of the first west coast squadrons to receive and be trained in the newly installed Julie/Jezebel equipment. Prior to our 1961 deployment to Alaska, the J/J gear was installed in all our aircraft, but no one knew what it was or how to use it. As soon as we got back off that 1961 deployment, and much to our wives' chagrin, my crew, with LCDR Paul Tripp and LT Dick Seng in the cockpit, was the first crew of our squadron chosen to attend J/J school at North Island. VP ASW capability before and after Julie/Jezebel was like night and day. Before J/J, we had no chance at all of finding a submarine unless we happened to pass over one that was on the surface. In my first two Alaskan deployments, we didn't detect a single Soviet submarine. And that was normal for all the deploying squadrons. When my crew got back from J/J training, we were tasked to train all the other squadron crews. All of us in the crew gave lectures to our counterparts in the other eleven crews, and we coached them on training flights until everyone understood the fundamentals. We flew countless ASW training flights, which had been a real rarity in my first two years in the squadron. On my last deployment in VP-2, which was in 1962, we were the first squadron to deploy to Kodiak/Adak/Shemya with the Julie/Jezebel capability. On that deployment, we detected, prosecuted and localized seven Soviet submarines (a previously unheard of accomplishment), and we got photos of all of then-L Other squadrons went on to have similar successes, but VP-2 was the first..."

    HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...I should let someone who was on the flight tell this, but since thirty-six years have gone by and no one has come forward yet, I'll tell it. If any of the crew reads this, I'd sure like to hear the story from you first-hand. Sometime in 1962, all the Whidbey Island VP squadrons were conducting around the clock ASW flights off the coast of Washington. One of our VP-2 flights had a near-catastrophic and very momentary collision with the water. This was in a P2V-7 (SP2H), long after the squadron got out of the seaplane (P5M) business. LT Doug Donohue was the PPC in the left seat and (I think) Frank Orr was the co-pilot. They were in a continuing MAD hunting circle at night and at 200 feet of altitude. Something distracted both of them and before they knew it, the left wing tip tank hit the water and, luckily, bounced up instead of digging in. Doug and Frank pulled up and headed straight back to base. When they landed and inspected the tip tank, it was bashed in and still half-filled with salt water.

    HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...I know that VP-2 was on deployment in Kodiak and Adak when the 1964 earthquake did so much damage to Anchorage. And I know that a tsunami caused by that earthquake hit Kodiak that same day. Were any web contributors in the squadron then, who can give some first-hand accounts of all the squadron went through? I heard that, at the time, the squadron was preparing to return to Whidbey Island and that all the squadrons records, equipment and a lot of personal belongings were packed up and on the pier waiting to be loaded for the sealift trip back to Washington. As I understand it, all this gear was washed away in the tsunami and lost..."

    HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...During our 1961 deployment to Kodiak/Adak/Shemya, one of our crews landed at Shemya and determined that their plane was down and needed a part that wasn't on-hand at Shemya. LT Dick Seng (a newly designated PPC) and I (an experienced PP2P) were in Adak with our crew at the time and volunteered for a flight to take the part out to Shemya and return the same day. We donned our poopy suits and flew a VFR sightseeing trip to Shemya with a minimum crew. Upon arrival, there was a dense fog surrounding Shemya and (only in Alaska) a high wind was blowing across Shemya's only runway. We tried several approaches just to see if we could make it in, but we never saw the runway and returned to Adak. The next day, the weather was forecast to be better so Dick and I and the same minimum crew again flew the sightseeing trip to Shemya. We tried several GCA approaches to the westerly runway and got down to published minimums, but never saw the runway. The winds were gusting above fifty knots, but they were straight down the runway. As we were about to give up again and go back to Adak, the CYCA controller, who was a civilian under contract to the Air Force, said he had looked out of his shack as we flew over and he had seen us even though we hadn't seen the ground. He convinced us to give it one more try and we did. The approach end of the westerly runway has a steep bluff at the end. Unknown to us at the time, the high wind was running straight down the runway and plunging into a severe downdraft as it went over the bluff. Dick and I decided we were going right down to the absolute published minimums in an attempt to visually acquire the runway. As the GCA controller talked us down to the minimum altitude, he began telling us very excitedly that we were going further and further below glideslope. Dick put full power on the reciprocating engines without any noticeable effect, and soon I was pushing the jets up to 100%, trying to get back up to the glide slope. We broke out below the overcast (and I swear this is true), and we were looking up at the approach lights atop the telephone poles on either side of us that were out in the water to mark the final approach to the runway. We were below runway level staring straight ahead at the bluff in front of us. With full power on, we managed to climb up to runway level, and we touched down with almost all that power still on. The anti-climax to this is that we had to spend two days in Shemya with nothing to wear but our poopy suit liners until the weather cleared sufficiently for us to depart. And then, with the weather almost as bad as when we had landed, we departed for the flight back to Adak. When we landed in Adak, we heard that a Flying Tiger cargo plane had just crashed at Shemya making the same approach we'd made two days before. We also heard that the GCA controller was fired and sent home..." [21JUL98]


    Circa 1960

    HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...FASRON-12, VP-1, VP-2, VP-17 and VP-50) - Naval Aeronautical Organization OPNAV NOTICE 05400 for Fiscal Year 1960 dated 1 February 1960 is: DECLASSIFIED per Office of Chief of Naval Operations on 1 February 1965 by Op-501 - Atlantic Fleet Support Stations..." WebSite: Naval Historical Center http://www.history.navy.mil/a-record/nao53-68/fy1960-feb60.pdf [12MAR2007]

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    HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...00XXX60--I was in VP-2 when VAH-121 was disestablished during the summer of 1969. Although their specially modified aircraft were generally kept at NAF Cam Ranh Bay, RVN, the administrative and support staff and an unmodified P2V training aircraft were at NS Sangley Point, RP. At that time VP-2 was deployed to NS Sangley Point, and we kept a detachment of aircraft along with necessary flight and maintenance personnel at NAF Cam Ranh Bay. When VAH-121 disestablished, I believe in June of 1969, they left one P2V aircraft sitting on the ramp at Sangley Point. How this happened I don't know, but, a couple of weeks after VAH-121 had departed, VP-2 was tasked with inspecting the aircraft, getting it flight worthy, test flying it, and eventually taking the abandoned P2V back to Lake City, Florida for rework. We found the aircraft log book and maintenance records in the plane's cockpit. After much maintenance work and a couple of test flights we formed a "make-up" flight crew to transpac the orphaned bird, and flew it uneventfully all the way back to Florida. I, nor anybody that I know of, has ever heard of a Navy squadron, when folding up operations, just walking away and leaving one of their aircraft. My memory fails me as I can't remember whether it was one of their special P2s or the "bounce-bird" they kept at Sangley Point. (VP-2 took over the spaces that VAH-121 had been occupying at Sangley Point after their departure). Don Grove, AFCM, USN Ret..." fogydong@gmail.com


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