VA-104 (U.S. Navy)

Attack Squadron 104
VA-104 squadron insignia
Active	1 May 1952-31 March 1959
Country	United States
Branch	United States Navy
Role	Attack
Part of	Inactive
Nickname(s)	Hell's Archers
Aircraft flown
Attack	FG-1D/F4U-5 Corsair AD-6 Skyraider

VA-104 AD-6 in flight above USS Forrestal, visible below, in 1958

VA-104 was an Attack Squadron of the U.S. Navy. It was established as Fighter Squadron VF-104 on 1 May 1952, and redesignated VA-104 in December 1953. The squadron was disestablished on 31 March 1959. Its nickname was Hell's Archers.^[1]

Significant events

• Nov 1956: During the Suez War the squadron operated from USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) off the coast of Egypt. It provided air support for the evacuation of Americans and foreign nationals from that country.

• Jul 1958: The squadron operated from USS Forrestal (CVA-59) in the eastern Atlantic, ready to enter the Mediterranean if needed for the U.S. Marines’ landing in Beirut, Lebanon.^[1]

Home port assignments

The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown:^[1]

• NAS Cecil Field – 1 May 1952
• NAS Jacksonville – Apr 1953
• NAS Cecil Field – Dec 1953
• NAS Jacksonville – Feb 1957

Aircraft Assignment

The squadron first received the following aircraft on the dates shown:^[1]

• FG-1D Corsair – May 1952
• F4U-5 Corsair – Dec 1952
• AD-6 Skyraider – 6 Jan 1954

See also

• Attack aircraft
• List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons
• History of the United States Navy

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 6: Attack Squadron Histories for VA-76 to VA-104 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy. pp. 165–166. Retrieved 2014-02-17.