VP-49

VP-49 insignia

VP-49 was a long-lived Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy, having held that designation for 45 years from 1948 to 1994. Its nickname was the Woodpeckers from 1973 to 1994.

Lineage

Lockheed P-3C Orion of VP-49 Squadron at Jacksonville NAS in 1976 showing the Woodpeckers motif on its fin.

The squadron's lineage is as follows:^[1]

• Established as VP-19 on 1 February 1944.
• Redesignated Patrol Bombing Squadron VPB-19 on 1 October 1944.
• Redesignated VP-19 on 15 May 1946.
• Redesignated Medium Patrol Squadron (Seaplane) VP-MS-9 on 15 November 1946.
• Redesignated VP-49 on 1 September 1948.
• Disestablished 1 March 1994.

Significant events

• 1 Feb 1944: VP-19 was established at NAS Alameda, Calif., as a seaplane squadron flying the PBM-3D Mariner. Personnel were given ground and operational patrol training through July under the operational control of FAW-8.

• 10 Jul 1944: The squadron began its transpac to NAS Kaneohe, Hawaii, from NAS Alameda, Calif. The last aircraft arrived on 18 July 1944. While at Kaneohe the squadron came under the operational control of FAW-2. Operational training in the use of JATO commenced immediately after the squadron was settled into its new quarters.

• 2–23 Nov 1944: VPB-19 flew to Parry Island, Eniwetok, based on board the tender St. George (AV 16). On 23 November 1944, the squadron moved ashore at Parry Island. Activities consisted of daily sector searches, hunter-killer patrols, air-sea rescue and reconnaissance flights over Wake and Ponape islands. The squadron came under the operational control of Commander Shore-Based Air Force, Marshalls-Gilberts Area.

• 12 Feb 1945: VPB-19 was transferred to Iwo Jima via Saipan, with tender support provided by Hamlin (AV 15). Missions were flown to within 100 miles of the Japanese mainland.

• 6–17 Mar 1945: VPB-19 was transferred back to Parry Island, Eniwetok, based ashore with a detachments aboard various tenders. The squadron returned to combat operations consisting of sector searches, hunter-killer patrols and Dumbo missions in the vicinity of Ponape and Wake Islands.

• May 1945: Squadron planes were equipped with expendable radio sonobuoys and the crews were trained in their use.

• Jul 1951: The squadron was transferred to a new home base at NAS Bermuda under operational control of FAW-5. Intra-service training missions were conducted in cooperation with the USAF squadrons stationed at Bermuda.

• 1955: VP-49 provided support for the evaluation trials of the first nuclear submarine Nautilus (SSN 571).

• Jul–Sep 1957: VP-49 participated in evaluations using an LSD-type tender to support the operation the squadron’s P5M aircraft.

• Oct 1962: VP-49 participated in the quarantine of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The squadron joined several other regular and reserve patrol squadrons in surveillance flights over the approaches to Cuba during the period of quarantine from 15 October to 26 November 1962.

• Jun 1963: A deployment to Cuba marked the last time the squadron operated as a seaplane squadron. From June to August 1963 the squadron turned in its SP-5B Marlin seaplanes in preparation for transition to a landplane squadron.

• Aug 1963 – Feb 1964: The squadron was transferred to NAS Patuxent River, Md. On 1 September 1963, NAS Patuxent River officially became the new home base for VP-49. However, the main body of the squadron remained at NAS Bermuda and only a detachment was maintained at NAS Patuxent River. The squadron detachment began transitioning from the SP-5B Marlin seaplane to the Lockheed P-3A Orion. The main body of the squadron moved to NAS Patuxent River in February 1964.

• 1964: VP-49 joined VPs 8 and 44 in alternating convoy coverage from the East Coast of the U.S. to the coast of Spain in Operation Steel Pike I. It marked the first time that land-based escorts provided complete ASW coverage for a convoy transiting the Atlantic.

• 15–22 Jul 1966: A detachment of VP-49 aircraft deployed to Kindley AFB, Bermuda, to provide air sup port for the Project Gemini GTA-10 mission. On 21 July a helicopter from Guadalcanal (LPH 7) recovered astronauts John W. Young and Michael Collins after their landing in the Atlantic 460 miles east of Cape Kennedy, Fla., ending a mission that totaled over 70 hours in space.

• 6–15 Sep 1966: Aircraft from VP-49 deployed to Kindley AFB, Bermuda, to provide air support for the Project Gemini GTA-11 mission on 12 September. On 15 September a helicopter from Guam (LHA 9) recovered Gemini 11 astronauts Charles Conrad and Richard Gordon at sea 700 miles off Cape Kennedy, Fla., after a three-day mission in space. The detachment operated under the operational control of Task Force 140 (Manned Space Flight Recovery Force, Atlantic).

• 27 May 1968: VP-49 began a split deployment with half of the squadron based at NS Sangley Point, R.P., and the other half at the Royal Thai Naval Air Base at U-Tapao, Thailand. The Philippine detachment was at Sangley Point when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the area. Personnel of the squadron volunteered hundreds of hours in support of the international relief efforts. The U-Tapao detachment flew missions for the Seventh Fleet in Market Time surveillance operations in Vietnamese waters.

• 17 Jul 1970: VP-49 deployed to NAS Keflavik, Iceland, taking the P-3C on its first deployment. This model of the Orion featured the latest ASW warfare equipment including the AN/ASQ-114 computer system for navigation and sensor functions, the first of its kind in a maritime patrol aircraft. The P-3C had an AN/AQA-7 acoustic processing system with DIFAR, quadruple the number of directional sonobuoys, and a high capacity computer with related displays.

• 1 Jul 1971: VP-49 deployed to NAS Keflavik, Iceland, for a five-month tour. The squadron earned a Navy Unit Commendation for operations in the North Atlantic during 14 to 25 September 1971.

• 1 Oct 1972: The squadron deployed to Keflavik, Iceland. In March, two aircraft were detached to the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Station at Valkenburg, Katwijk, Netherlands, to provide Dutch aircrews a firsthand look at the ASW capabilities of the Orion aircraft.

• 8 Mar 1975: The squadron deployed to NAS Sigonella, Sicily, earning a Meritorious Unit Commendation during operations in the Mediterranean.

• 11–30 Jan 1976: VP-49 deployed a detachment to Ascension Island. Surveillance flights over high-interest Soviet units off the west coast of Africa earned the squadron a Meritorious Unit Commendation.

• 27 Jul 1976: VP-49 deployed to NAS Keflavik, Iceland, earning a Meritorious Unit Commendation for ASW surveillance operations against Soviet units in October.

• 2 Nov 1982: VP-49 deployed to NAS Sigonella, Sicily, under the operational command of CTF 67. Detachments were sent during the deployment to Souda Bay, Crete, and Rota, Spain. While on this deployment, the squadron earned the Navy Expeditionary Medal for missions off the coast of Lebanon during the Beirut crisis.

• Jul 1985: VP-49 deployed to NAS Sigonella, Sicily. During the deployment, the squadron participated in the interception of the Achille Lauro hijackers. Palestinian terrorists had hijacked the Italian liner and murdered an American passenger of Jewish descent before putting into a neutral port. After negotiating for a passenger jet to take them to Syria, the terrorists were caught in the air by carrier aircraft supported by the airborne radar of the VP-49 Orions. The terrorists were escorted to a landing in Sicily where they were subsequently arrested.

• Jul–Oct 1986: The squadron traveled to South America to participate in Unitas XXVIII and Swampfox 86 exercises, operating with the navies and air forces of Peru, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil.

• 1 Feb 1990: VP-49 deployed to NAS Bermuda, with a detachment assigned to NAS Roosevelt Roads, P.R. The detachment in the Caribbean participated in Department of Defense surveillance missions with the U.S. Coast Guard to curtail drug running. The “Woodpecker Vice” crews made five successful intercepts totaling over $20 million in hashish and cocaine, one intercept alone included over $12 million in drugs aboard. The latter was the largest seizure to date. Both detachments deployed to Keflavik in late April 1990.

• 1 May 1990: VP-49 deployed to NAS Keflavik, Iceland, marking the first time a P-3C squadron equipped with the Update III package had conducted operations against the Soviet Red Banner Northern fleet. The aircraft had an entirely new underwater acoustic monitoring system, doubling the number of sonobuoys that could be monitored concurrently over earlier marks. IBM signal processors provided a four-fold gain in isolating sounds of submerged targets from ocean background noise. Improvements in avionics, computers (AN/AYA-8) and cooling systems were added, along with a retractable forward-looking infrared turret under the chin of the aircraft and Harpoon air-to-surface missile capability.

• 10 Mar 1993: VP-49 deployed to Keflavik under CTG 84.1. Duties included ASW NATO operations, joint training with the John F. Kennedy (CV 67) battle group, navigation training to the North Pole, and ice reconnaissance missions to Thule, Greenland. With the end of the Cold War, the squadron conducted historic visits to Poland and the former Soviet Republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

• 25 Sep 1993: Upon return from Iceland, the squadron immediately commenced Haitian Assistance Group Operations. These patrol flights flown by the squadron were part of the efforts at enforcing the United Nation’s blockade against the Haitian military coup.

• 1 Mar 1994: VP-49 was disestablished at NAS Jacksonville, Fla., after concluding more than 32 years and 214,000 hours of accident-free flying, a record in the patrol aviation community.^[1]

Home port assignments

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

• NAS Alameda, Calif. 1 Feb 1944
• NAS Kaneohe, Hawaii 10 Jul 1944
• NAAF Eniwetok 2 Nov 1944*
• NAS Alameda, Calif. Jan–Feb 1946
• NAS Norfolk, Va. 9 Apr 1946
• NAS Pensacola, Fla. 1 Jun 1949
• NAS Norfolk, Va. 25 Aug 1949
• NAS Bermuda 5 Jul 1951
• NAS Patuxent River, Md. 1 Sep 1963**
• NAS Jacksonville, Fla. 31 Jan 1972

* The squadron was moved to Iwo Jima during February to March 1945 and then returned to NAAF Eniwetok.
** The squadron’s home port was officially changed on 1 September 1963 to NAS Patuxent River. However, only a squadron detachment was maintained at NAS Patuxent River between September 1963 to January 1964. The main body of the squadron stayed at NAS Bermuda and did not move to NAS Patuxent River until February 1964.

Aircraft Assignment

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

• PBM-3D Feb 1944
• P5M-1 Dec 1952
• P5M-2 Jun 1960
• SP-5B Dec 1962
• P-3A Aug 1963
• P-3C Sep 1969
• P-3C UIIIR 1989

See also

• Maritime patrol aircraft
• List of Lockheed P-3 Orion variants
• Squadron (aviation)
• Naval aviation
• List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons
• List of 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. Roberts, Michael D. (2000). Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, Volume 2, Chapter 3, Section 10: Patrol Squadron Histories for VP-49 to VP-61 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy. pp. 291–297. Retrieved 2014-03-02.