Second VA-55 (U.S. Navy)

KA-6D Intruder tanker aircraft from VA-55 Warhorses, on USS Coral Sea (CV-43) in 1986.

VA-55, nicknamed the Warhorses, was an Attack Squadron of the U.S. Navy. It was the second squadron to carry that designation; (see VA-55 (U.S. Navy) for the first). The squadron was established at NAS Oceana, Virginia, on 7 October 1983, and flew the A-6E and KA-6D variants of the Grumman A-6 Intruder. It was disestablished on 1 January 1991, having been based at NAS Oceana during its entire lifetime.^[1]

Significant events

• 25 Mar 1986: Due to the initiation of hostile fire by Libya on 24 March, a squadron aircraft attacked a Libyan Nanuchka II class guided missile patrol boat with CBU-100 Cluster Bombs. The Libyan vessel was damaged by the attack and then sunk by a Harpoon missile strike from VA-85, an Intruder squadron operating from USS Saratoga (CV-60).

• 14–15 Apr 1986: Six of the squadron’s Intruders participated in an attack against Benina Airfield at Benghazi, Libya. Numerous parked aircraft were destroyed and the surrounding hangars, support facilities, aircraft aprons, and other airfield equipment and vehicles were damaged. These strikes were in response to the involvement of Libyan trained terrorists in the 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing.

• Aug–Sep 1989: USS Coral Sea (CV-43), with VA-55 embarked, was ordered to operate off the coast of Lebanon following terrorist claims to have killed an American hostage, Lieutenant Colonel William R. Higgins, and the capture of Abdel Karim Obeid from Lebanon by the Israel Defense Forces. The unstable situation in Lebanon ultimately led to the evacuation of the American Embassy. Squadron aircraft flew missions in support of the evacuation.

• 22 Feb 1991: The squadron held a disestablishment ceremony at NAS Oceana. It was officially disestablished on 1 January 1991.^[1]

See also

• VA-55 (U.S. Navy)
• History of the United States Navy
• List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons.

1. Grossnick, Roy A. (1995). Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, Volume 1, Chapter 2, Section 4: Attack Squadron Histories for VA-54 to VA-56 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2014-02-12.