A BIT OF HISTORY: "...History - by M.L. Shettle, Jr. - http://www.militarymuseum.org/NASTeminalIsland.html..." Contributed by EASTMAN, Jack G. vsnavy.org@westnet.com.au [17MAY2005]

Long Beach and San Pedro serve as the harbor for the greater Los Angeles area. During World War I, the Navy established an operating base at San Pedro that remained in use through the 1920s and 30s. In 1935, a need arose for an aviation facility to support the floatplanes of battleships and cruisers. The harbor's sand-filled Terminal Island was leased for no charge from the City of Los Angeles. The WPA provided initial construction of the break water, a seaplane ramp, a concrete parking mat, and three runways that reached completion in June 1937. Work continued with the addition of hangars, barracks, and other facilities in the fall. The station commissioned on March 1, 1938, as NAS San Pedro, California, and went through a series of name changes before finally settling on Terminal Island.

In early 1939, the Navy began construction of a training facility nearby, named Roosevelt Base, and a shipyard. On October 1, 1941, the Navy formed an Aircraft Delivery Unit (ADU) at the air station. Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Army stationed P-40 and P-38 interceptors at the airfield with the permission of the Navy. In January 1942, VS-46 began operating the inshore patrol mission from the base with 12 OS2U Kingfishers. The same month, the Army built eight concrete revetments on the airfield to protect its aircraft. The primary mission of the air station became the major West Coast Aircraft Delivery Unit. In the last six months of 1942, the ADU commissioned 200 aircraft a month from the Douglas and Lockheed factories in the area including the SBD, SNV, PV, and the A-24 (SBDs for the Army). Meanwhile NATS's VR-2, began three flights a week.

During 1943, activity continued to rise. VR-2's ser vice increased to daily with VR-3 beginning two daily transcontinental flights. Scouting squadrons continued operating from the station and from August to December of the year, VS-52 conducted operational training with SBDs. During the year, the ADU's deliveries averaged 434 aircraft a month including Culver TD2C drones, PB2Bs, PB2Y-3R transports, Canadian produced SB2Cs, and PBYs from Consolidated's new plant in New Orleans. NAS Terminal Island, California reached the limit of its capacity; therefore, an Auxiliary Aircraft Acceptance Unit opened at Litchfield Park, Arizona, to accept the PB4Ys Liberators from San Diego. On December 1, the ferry squadron, VRF-3, commissioned at NAS Terminal Island, California. Army continued to operate interceptors and added antiaircraft guns plus barrage balloons. During 1944, the station started performing aircraft modifications. At the end of 1944, the ADU began receiving the new Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon. VJ-12 also arrived and remained to war's end.

NAS Terminal Island, California had three asphalt runways with the longest 4900 ft. In March 1944, personnel totaled 341 officers, 1274 enlisted men, and 420 civilians. Billeting was available for 171 officers and 1054 men. Peak utilization of the station occurred in the spring of 1945, with over 300 aircraft on board. VRF-3 operated 18 aircraft -- mostly light transports. The station proper had approximately 20 aircraft assigned. An Assembly and Repair Department maintained an aircraft pool that reached over 100.

NAS Terminal Island, California closed in 1947, and its property assigned to the Bureau of Yards and Docks. Growth of the Long Beach Naval Shipyard eventually obliterated the former airfield's runways. The 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended closing the shipyard.

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...01APR42--VR-2 established at NAS Alameda, California..." http://www.vrc-50.org/historyNATS.htm [01JUN2002]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...15MAY42--A VR-2 flight from NAS Alameda, California to Honolulu, the first transoceanic flight by NATS aircraft, initiated air transport service in the Pacific..." http://www.vrc-50.org/historyNATS.htm [01JUN2002]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...16JUN42--Scheduled Naval Air Transport Service operations between the West coast and Alaska were initiated by VR-2..." http://www.vrc-50.org/historyNATS.htm [01JUN2002]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...07SEP42--Air Transport Squadron 2 (VR-2), based at NAS Alameda, California, established a detachment at Pearl Harbor and began a survey flight to the South Pacific as a preliminary to establishing routes between San Francisco and Naval Seaplane Base Brisbane, Australia..." http://www.vrc-50.org/historyNATS.htm [01JUN2002]

Circa 1941

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...VR-2 History..." http://navymats.com/ [01JUN2002]

Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, a driving need was foreseen by Capt. C.H. "Dutch" Schildhauer for the transport of vital equipment and personnel to various far flung naval commands to keep up with and support the needs of our fighting naval personnel. This would bolster the United States growing ability to stop the spread onaziizsm and the imperialistic desires of the Jap-Naziism and the imperialistic ideas of the Japanese. Plans were formulated to procure the necessary aircraft and personnel to support the plan for the Naval Air Transport Service (NATS). Having no cadre of qualified personnel for such an undertaking, this initial influx of aircraft and equipment was necessarily drawn from the commercial airlines. The first NATS squadron - VR-1 - was commissioned on Mar. 9, 1942 at NAS Norfolk with the DC-3 aircraft designated R4D by the Navy. It's complement consisted of 5 aircraft, 27 Officers, and 150 men. This initial complement grew to a total of 431 aircraft and 13 squadrons whose principal task was delivering vital cargo, personnel, and mail to the fleet and the ground forces in forwared areas in hours, instead of weeks by surface transportation.

In the formative stages, three squadrons were commissioned. These were VR-1 at NAS Norfolk VA. for service across the Atlantic, VR-2 at NAS Alameda CA. serving the West Coast and Pacific area, and VR-3 at NAS Olathe, KS. to join the training centers and supply depots together, linking with their East and West Coast counterparts. These units then began expanding their operations to provide this high speed transportation system access to far flung regions of the world such as Alaska, the Caribbean, and South Pacific including Australia. By the end of 1943 it had expanded to include four wings, ten transport squadrons, and three ferry squadrons. The fleet of aircraft grew to 200 aircraft, including the land based Douglas Skytrain R4D and Skymaster R5D's, and flying boats Martin Mariner JRM and Consolidated Coronados PB2Y.

Seven squadrons had been commissioned by 1943: VR-4 (Maintenance) Oakland CA.; VR-5 (Operational) West Coast and Alaska; VR-6 (Operational) Miami FL; VR-7 (Operational) South America; VR-8 (Operational and Training) Patuxent River MD; VR-10 (Maintenance) Honolulu HI; and VR-11 (Operational) Honolulu TransPacific. In 1944 three more squadrons were added: VR-9 (Maintenance) Olathe KS; VR-12 (Headquarters Squadron) Pacific; and VR-13, (Operational) Manus Island.

In 1944, equiped with the four engined Douglas Skymaster R5D, the Navy squadrons from the far out Pacific were called upon to support the invasion of France. This required a hugh airlift of mine-sweeping equipment to the U.K. The flight crews were drawn from all NATS squadrons. In the Pacific, as the Japanese were driven deeper and deeper back into the Pacific Ocean, a major organizational change was made, with the establishment of NATS as a flag command of the U.S. fleet.

At war's end, NATS personnel numbered 26,000. Officers and men were working around the clock to carry the burden of rush cargo, key military personnel and emergency operations. Aircraft and men were being utilized to their utmost while maintaining a spirit of "can do" that would match any organization of the military.

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Circa Unknown
Can you identify the Month and or Year?

A BIT OF HISTORY: VR-2 History "...VR-2 Naval Air Transport Service - MARS at service and loading dock - Saipan..." Contributed by Ed Callen ecall755@aol.com [22NOV2002]

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"VR-2 Summary Page"

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