Vee Ess Eff Skyhawks Part II

After a dozen deployments of A-4s as fighters (VSF) aboard ASW carriers (CVS) by Navy VA and Marine VMA and H&MS detachments, a specialized and dedicated VSF squadron had been formed and was based at NAS Alameda. By 1966, the first VSF-1 detachment was within days of deploying in Yorktown when the all-stop message arrived. The war in Southeast Asia was intensifying and more Skyhawks as attack aircraft were needed. An Atlantic Fleet VA squadron would go to WestPac in a swap for VSF-1 deploying to the Med in November, 1966, as a normal attack squadron. With a large number of pilots and aircraft in the pipeline for VSF-1, a second attack squadron would also be formed, although both would keep the VSF designation.

The shift to becoming an attack squadron began immediately with a weapons Det to NAS Fallon and bombing and rocket practice at NALF Crows Landing, just across the mountains in the San Joaquin Valley. VSF-1 also used Crows Landing for FCLP before heading east to join CVW-8 at NAS Cecil Field, FL. 

Four pilots including ex-NavCad Al Cartwright went to Billy Phillip's Airwing 19 to replace pilots he was less than happy with. Cartwright said leaving VSF-1 was hard; not because he was headed to WestPac, but Waring was so good to work for. Several "combat limited", ie, combat deployment veterans, arrived to fill the vacant slots. 

VSF-1 in the Med

After six weeks of workups on the East Coast, Shangri La departed Norfolk on 29 September 1966. On board were the 'War Eagles' of VSF-1 with fourteen A4B Skyhawks. The tail code was now the AJ of Airwing 8 and nose numbers began with 570-- this did cut down on repainting, at least on the port side. The sister light attack squadron was the Sunliners of VA-81 with A-4Es.

The maintenance department had a one-legged warrant officer. Griff Hudson had been struck by a broken wire while working the flight deck on Constellation and had worked to pass the physical tests necessary to return to sea duty.

Other than a junior pilot landing hard enough to break the wing of an A-4 during a dive-for-deck at night, the time in the Med was typical in support of 6th Fleet operations. All the pilots became Shang centurions. Cdr Donald K. Wilson assumed command while in Palermo, Sicily, 14 April, 1967. Soon after, CVA-38 returned to Norfolk, and VSF-1 flew back to NAS Alameda.

VSF-3 is Formed

While VSF-1  was at sea half-a-world away, VSF-1 Det Alameda had grown larger than its parent organization. The result was administrative mayhem. The problem was solved in March, 1967, when VSF-3 was established, and Cdr Leslie C. Hofto went from XO of VSF-1, to OinC of Det Alameda, to CO of VSF-3. 

Les Hofto began his flying career in AD Skyraiders and was assigned to CVG-7 staff as LSO. He made a Med deployment before going to combat in Korea in Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31). He then extended for three months to assist CVG-15/Princeton (CVA-37) LSOs who were unfamiliar with jets. Hofto later was senior LSO in Bennington for the legendary recovery of three carriers' aircraft with no divert and lousy weather in the North Atlantic during Operation Mariner. He first flew A-4s in VA-22. After a DC tour he found himself in the doldrums, but with a fun assignment as the director of the Navy/Marine Corps Exhibit at the 1964 New York World's Fair. His detailer's call with assignment to VSF-1 was as confusing as it was for most. (As a red-hot jet pilot with shiny new wings, the author's heart stopped in the pause between hearing "Vee Ess" and Eff One" for my first squadron.)

VSF-3 was on the TV news and made headlines, "Navy Bombs Oakland!" after a Mk-76 practice bomb fell into one of the few vacant lots in the city. A flight of four had taken off from NAS Alameda and as 3# closed in, he asked, "Two, how many bombs did you have when you took off?

"Six." Pause, "Why?"
"Well, you only have five now."

pg. 6    Summer 2006 – Skyhawk Association

Additional proof of VSF standing for "Very Screwy Fellas" was assignment to CVW-10 and Intrepid (CVS(A)-11). Airwing Ten, the "Valions" of VA-15 and VA-34 "Blue Blazers"--A-4C squadrons-- were at NAS Cecil Field. Intrepid was in Norfolk.

Lessons learned in Vietnam dictated increased ECM capabilities and the "Shoehorn" installation had been developed for the A-4. Aptly named for the difficulty of finding space for the magic black boxes (The hump was added to later A-4s to make room for the avionics), the modification took out the port cannon and left the other only 40 rounds. BuNo 154002 was among the Skyhawks reworked at NARF Alameda. It came out as a standard A-4B and "Rudolf' was no more.

With the parent squadron now deployed, VSF-1 Det made two ten day visits to Fallon for weapons practice and had a CarQual session in Bon Homme Richard. After becoming VSF-3, there was a CQ in Kearsarge before joining Intrepid in Norfolk. Work-ups continued for the next two months with little chance for time in Alameda. Finally, the squadron airplanes were taxied down roads from NAS Norfolk to the naval base and hoisted aboard Intrepid for the voyage to war--the long way.

VSF-3 Deployed

Middle East tensions were high, and Jordan had signed a treaty with Egypt while Intrepid was in the Eastern Mediterranean. Aircraft were armed and crews put on alert. After several days of uncertainty, CVS(A)-11 entered the Suez Canal. All hands were restricted from the weather decks for the transit. Although there were overflights by Egyptian fighters and troops were seen, the worst the Egyptians did was display banners and shake their shoes at the ship. The Arab-Israeli Six Day War began two days later. Intrepid became the last warship to go through the canal until it was reopened in 1975. 

The two week transit was filled with All Pilot Meetings for training and briefings. Two a day was the norm and for VSF-3, usually ended the same way. The new squadron needed an insignia and sketches of half a dozen would be presented and discussed. The selection would be whittled down to two with a final choice to be made the next day. By the next day, the choices were back up to five or six. The final compromise was a knight chess-piece on a checkered field with red jags to match the airplane tails. The agreed on name was "Chessmen." The callsign had been "Nevada City" from the beginning and was used by both VSF-1 and VSF-3. There is a Nevada City in the Sierra foothills, and pilots from both squadrons would fly low levels to check out the namesake.

After a brief stop in Cubi Point, VSF-3 entered combat for the first time on 21 June, 1967. The veterans of VA-15 who had been in Intrepid the previous year for her first Vietnam deployment (she would make three), assumed operations would again begin on Dixie Station and eventually work north. They were wrong. The air war the summer of 1967 had VSF-3 over North Vietnam for their first missions, over the Haiphong suburbs by the end of the first line period and over the Big Hs (Hanoi and Haiphong) themselves by the second line period.

Many aircraft came back with battle damage, but only two aircraft were lost. LTJG Fred Kasch was also the squadron's only fatality. In early July, he was hit by AAA over Hai Duong and crashed while trying to glide his flamed-out Skyhawk to the safety of the Tonkin Gulf. His wingman, ex-NavCad Dick Harriss, heard him call, "I'm at 500 feet," and told him to get out, but there was no apparent ejection. The Navy listed him as MIA until his remains were returned in 1989. Kasch was flying 145002, the A-4B that was once "Rudolf'.

In October, LTJG Al Perkins was hit by AAA while on a flak suppression mission over Haiphong. Perkins was wounded in the leg and could barely control his airplane. He jettisoned his canopy in an attempt to clear the dense smoke which was keeping him from seeing his instruments and was either hit again or his engine exploded. He ejected and landed in Haiphong Harbor. An HU-2K helicopter from HC-1 picked him up yards away from an enemy ship. At the time, it was the deepest rescue from the harbor.

Once in WestPac, although Intrepid picked up a VFP-63 Photo-Crusader detachment and YF-111 provided three F-8Cs and pilots to fly photo escort, VSF-3 was considered the resident fighter squadron. The squadron color was red, Ready Room 1# (nearest the flight deck) was assigned-to be shared with the 'Sader pilots--and flight deck alerts during ship transits were stood by an A-4B with a centerline fuel tank and a pair of AIM-9 Sidewinders.

On 5 October, 1967, the Skyhawks of CVW-10 encountered MiGs in force. A 27 plane Alfa strike had launched against a target near the airfield of Kien An. During egress half the strike group ran into MiGs. Dick Harriss was first aware of the MiGs when he saw tracers coming down at him. He fired at the overshooting MiG, but saw no hits and out of ammo, headed for the water. The official account of the action is typically confused, but at least six different MiG-17s were involved. 

CDR Georges LeBlanc, XO of VSF3, maneuvered close behind a MiG and squeezed the trigger. His one cannon fired once and jammed. He called for his wingman, LTJG Dan Swinford, to close in, but Swinford had no radio. They broke off and cleared the area.
The Airwing 10 operations officer, Ed Gilreath, was flying VSF-3's AK107 and when he heard the MiG warnings he held the rockets he had for flak suppression and headed for Kien An. His wingman, LTJG D. 'Huey' L'Herault in AK105, had fired all his rockets          continued...

Skyhawk Association – Summer 2006   pg. 7

at the assigned target and describes what followed:

As we circled behind the strike group of Intrepid A4s to follow them “feet wet", I made the initial visual of a single MiG 17 at about 10:00 low….we were at about 300 kts. and 5-6000ft. As I was in trail on Ed at full power he called to arm up our guns and he turned hard left and initiated a dive toward the MiG. It then turned hard right and as we made a reversal to follow I glanced behind me and there were 3 MiG 17s, flying a loose formation, directly behind me firing tracer cannon fire directly at me. I called Ed to break hard right and from there I ended up in a one v. three for three reversals, somehow avoiding their bullets. In the midst of this engagement I saw Ed only one time and it was to see a stream of 2.75” rockets ,fill the air (AKI07 had fired eight Zuni 5" rockets and 20mm cannon earlier) as he made an almost head-on pass at the three guys concentrating on me. When the MiGs split with 2 guys going high and one going low Ed called to jettison all externals (fuel tanks, racks and rocket packs) and we headed directly out to sea. At full speed with about 1500# of gas left we went right down on the deck and I remember seeing an airspeed of over 550 knots.

Last missions were flown the end of November, 1967. Most of the flight crews would fly home on a "Magic Carpet" airliner from Clark AFB. An few unlucky officers and most of the men would remain onboard for the month-long voyage across the Indian Ocean, around the Cape of Good Hope, across the South and North Atlantic to Norfolk. Due to a jurisdictional quirk, those pilots due to airlift back could not depart until Intrepid chopped back to the Atlantic Fleet somewhere in the Indian Ocean. They spent a boring week at Cubi playing touch-football early in the morning before it got too hot, followed by swimming and afternoon naps. At least, they could go to the club for a legal drink and... they were not getting shot at.

1968

The decision to stand-down VSF-3 was made while the squadron was in the Tonkin Gulf, and all the pilots guessed that they would be sent to A-4 or A-7 fleet squadrons since they had only the one combat deployment. However, BuPers considered all the time in VSF, including time at Alameda for those who were VSF-1 or the Det, as sea duty and distribution was varied with about half going to seagoing squadrons. Alameda-based VA-152 had returned from WestPac in Oriskany (CVA-34) and was transitioning from A-1 Skyraiders to A-4 Skyhawks. A cadre of pilots transferred from VSF-3, and at one point, VA-152 owned a dozen Spads and a mix of fourteen Bravo and Charlie Skyhawks. Other ex-VSF-3 A-4Bs went to the Navy Reserves, and many were reworked and sent to Argentina where they flew in the Falklands War.

VSF-1 Med Deploy II & III

CDR Donald K. Wilson assumed command of VSF-1 on 14 April, 1967, while in Palermo, Sicily. Soon after, CVA-38 returned to Norfolk, and VSF-1 flew back to NAS Alameda.

By August, VSF-1 was transitioning to the A-4C. The second cruise began in April 1968 with CDR Marty Asbacher as the new CO. The "War Eagles" spent their second Christmas deployed--in Athens this time--but still were consistently the flying-est squadron aboard independence. 

In late 1968, Wasp was operating in the Mediterranean, and VSF-1, as well as VA-76, provided a temporary detachment which was never very far from the parent squadrons. One wonders what the pilots used to Independence thought when they went to the much smaller Hornet with hydraulic catapults.

Blair Stewart became the next--and last--CO of VSF-1. Back in Alameda early in 1969, there was a 50% percent turnover of pilots and a batch of new Skyhawks. The training situation was complicated because VSF-1 was to revert to its original mission in January, as well as remaining committed to CVW-7 in a contingency status. During work-ups with Independence the squadron received extra

pg. 8      Summer 2006 – Skyhawk Association

personnel to accommodate the Yorktown detachment. Independence and Yorktown left together for NATO exercise "Operation Peacekeeper" in the North Atlantic. The VSF-1 Det intercepted a Soviet Bear two days before the actual exercise, and the only deployment of VSF in its intended role was underway.

During the subsequent visit to Portsmouth, England, in September, word of VSF-1's disestablishment arrived. The Det stayed out until 11 December. With VSF-3 stood down two years before, by the first day of 1970, no ASWFitRon existed as a frontline unit.

Reserves as VSF

VSF-11X1 and -11X2 were created on paper in July, 1968, at NAS New Orleans as part of the reorganization of the Naval Reserve. Flying A-4B Skyhawks, these squadrons were to be full-sized, but then were cut to only four pilots. They went through another shake-up of the Reserves and another set of designations before settling on VSF-76 and VSF-86, to be fully manned with A-4C/L "Scooters." While no full deployments were made, the "Flying Saints" and the "Gators" did two-week AcDuTra cruises in Wasp, Ticonderoga (recently designated CVS-14) and Randolph in 1971.

Ed Moir was in that group:
Our squadron was stood up as VSF-86, part of NAS North Island-based CAG 80 (CDR Tom Stanley). Our "fighters" were A-4Cs, with high-temperature J-65 engines. We flew with centerline tanks only or sometimes "slick". Not bad performance for a Scooter, but it weren't no fighter. Anyway, we had fun and the mission was super; hassling and more hassling. The flight deck on Tico, despite no recent jet experience, did a great job. 

We held our change of command ceremony in Ticonderoga at sea in the San Diego operating area. Sierra Hotel! The first Navy Reserve change-of-command held at sea. Incidentally, the incoming CO, Tammy Etheridge, later made rearadmiral, as did a squadron member, Dave Griggs.

The embarrassment of a Cuban airliner landing unannounced at New Orleans Airport, prompted the local congressman to get both reserve VSF squadrons six F-8H Crusaders-the first fighter in the VSF role since VF-92 Banshees in 1959. The powers that be decided not to CarQual the reserves in the F8, and with approximately one pilot for each Crusader, it was a flying club of the first order. The fun lasted a little over a year, but with the CV concept in effect and no CVS left, VSF-76 and VSF-86 were disestablished in 1973. Personnel and aircraft became the core for today's VC-13.

Blackbirds as ASWFitRon

Unlike most pilots, LT Larry "Worm" Elmore was not confused by orders to "VSF" (a simple term and easy to use) duty. After cruising with the notorious Youthly Puresome as a "Snake" (VA-86), he had left active duty, tried the airlines in the hire-to-fast-furlough era, joined the reserves where he, "... was flying my buns off in A4Cs from Los AI and Point Mugu," when he got a call from CDR John Paganelli, his OpsO in VA-86 and then the skipper of VA-45. He asked Worm to come back on active duty to be the LSO and Ops O of the A-4C Det that was going to deploy in Intrepid. The original OinC cancelled and Elmore had the job. As he says, "It turned out to be the best deal I had in 20 years in the Navy."

Intrepid and VA-45 Det-11 left Norfolk in April and returned mid-October, 1971. She made only one run into the Mediterranean. Most operations were in the North Atlantic, including "Blue Nose" forays above the Arctic Circle-stomping grounds for the Soviet Northern Fleet. Ports of call were Lisbon, Kiel, Naples, Cannes, Barcelona, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Greenock, Rosyth, Portsmouth and Bergen. Det-11 made over 125 intercepts on Russian Bears, Badgers, Blinders, several Soviet fighters and bagged more hours and traps than a typical pilot on a Med deployment. A best deal indeed. 

There were so many intercepts that some of the snoopers became familiar. Worm joined on a Bear (Tu-95) whose tail gunner was friendly and would wave and hold up the box lunch he was eating (yes, Elmore was that close). He once held up a sign in English that said, "How do you do?" A few days later, Elmore held up a sign in Russian that said, "Come on back with me." The Russian had a good laugh.

Det -11 was doing so well that in August, 1971, VA-45 Det-1 was established with A-4Es for a follow-on Intrepid deployment. LCDR Raoul Alvarez was the OinC. Det-11 returned in November, turned in their seven A-4 Charlies and disbanded the following month. At the start of 1972 an increase in size was authorized with the intention of splitting off Det-2 for deployment on the remaining PacFlt CVS, Ticonderoga. This did not happen. 

After a CarQual session on CVT-16 Lexington, Det-1 took five A-4Es to sea in Intrepid in March and April of 1972 for an exercise with the Spanish and Portuguese navies. At Cecil, command of the mother-squadron went from Paganelli to Joe Gilmore. The Det left 9 July as part of CVSG-56 with three S-2 "Stoof” and a helo squadron.

While some pilots worried about "missing the war", Al Alvarez had flown Skyraiders in combat as a VA-145 Swordsman in Intrepid. Interestingly, considering his assignment to the VA-45 VSF Detachment, VSF-3 was also onboard Intrepid as part of CVW-10. He then instructed in VT-21 as it transitioned to the TA-4 before joining the Blackbirds.

A major change came in August, 1972. During October and November of the previous year, on the way home after a Med cruise, Saratoga                        continued...

Skyhawk Association – summer 2006  pg. 9

added VS-28 and HS-7 to Airwing 3 and operated in the vicinity of Bermuda. The combined airwing was tasked with anti-submarine duty, convoy escort and short and long range strikes against sea and land targets. Although Saratoga was designated CV-60 on 30 June, 1972, the practical transition from CVA to CV was interrupted by final efforts in Vietnam. To support Linebacker II, LantFIt carriers Saratoga and America (CVA-66) made emergency deployments to the Tonkin Gulf. In order to meet the requirement for two carriers with attack squadrons in the Mediterranean, ComNavAirLant, ADM Michaelis, boosted VA-45 Det-1 to a sixteen airplane unit with the missions of conventional and nuclear attack, all while continuing task group air defense. The Chief of Naval Personnel authorized new CDR Alvarez, who had screened for an A-7 squadron, to wear the Command-at-Sea insignia since his position was the equivalent of a squadron command. And a difficult one at that.

Intrepid's North Atlantic deployment was cut short and Det-1 was back at Cecil on October 19. As CDR Alvarez later wrote:

The unique situation under which this unit made its transformation from a 7-offlcer, 65-man, 5-plane VSF Detachment to a 27-officer, 210-man, 16-plane multipurpose command in 10 weeks shows again that the Navy still "Can Do". Again, it was the American Bluejacket, with his bitching and swearing about 18-hour days and 7-day work weeks, that got the job done. To say that this command is unique is only saying that not since WWII has one unit been asked to build up so fast and take on the full bag of missions in such a short time.

The commanding officer of parent-squadron VA-45, Paganelli and his successor, Joe Gilmore, also deserve credit for the transition. At NAS Cecil, VA-45 began training pilots and acquiring A-4Es for the build up while the small Det was still at sea; all while continuing instrument and transition training with sixteen TA-4F/Js. Remarkably, by June 1973, the squadron had achieved 34,000 accident-free flying hours. The expanded Det-1 was ready when Intrepid deployed again November 29, 1972. VA-45 Det-1 returned in May, 1973, from Sixth Fleet operations on what was the swan song of VSF.

The Kittyhawk (CV-63) went to a peacetime WestPac cruise in 1975 with the last two fleet squadrons of S-2s. From then on S-3 Vikings were an integral part of all airwings. Two VF squadrons with F4s or F-14s would defend the task force. VSF was no more.

Ed. Note: Part 1 of this article was included in the Spring 2006 issue of the A-4Ever. To order a copy of that issue ($5 shipping and handling), email the editor at hickers@beecreek.net. Members have access to electronic copies of the journals through the Ready Room Private Pages (www.skyhawk.org).

Sidebar: VA-45 Fly-off Al Alvarez, who had led VA-45 Det-1 on a three month deployment with a small detachment and again as a full size squadron to the Med for six months in Intrepid, wrote this about the fly-off and return to Cecil Field in May 1973: The picture was taken 10 miles west of NAS Cecil Field by the number 15 man who dropped into the open slot after photo was taken. It was a very rewarding day. The USS Intrepid fly-off destination was NAS Quonset PT. Admiral Cassell, our former CARGRU commander, had every fuel truck on the field waiting for us. We fueled and filed and were on our way in less than an hour. The flight south was uneventful and Jax approach joined up the divisions west of Cecil for the flyover. We broke from the wedge on the fly-over pass and landed sequentially in order by aircraft side number. Then we taxied in, fifteen aircraft, in column, and turned into our parking spots "Blue Angels" style. I was especially proud of Det 1 that day and will always keep it in my memories. On the launch we lost the 16th aircraft due to a catapult malfunction. Halfway down the starboard cat track, the bridle dropped off the aircraft. The A-4 veered left and went overboard at the corner of the port bow. Unfortunately, the aircraft carried overboard one of the flight deck bridle-runners and he was lost at sea. The pilot ejected as the aircraft was about to go over the side and landed on the flight deck with a fully deployed parachute. Thank God for explosive spreaders [to open the parachute giving the Escapac seat a better than zero-zero ejection capability --Ed]. The next problem was that he was being dragged down the flight deck at thirty knots. Fortunately, AE1 Gary Gardner (our flight deck troubleshooter) had the presence of mind to race into the blossomed parachute and collapse it three-quarters of the way down the flight deck.

CDR ROBERT R. 'BOOM' POWELL
The son of a wartime B-24 navigator, ROBERT R. 'BOOM' POWELL grew up on Long Island, New York. He himself saw combat in the A-4 and the RA-5C Vigilante over Vietnam, and remained a frontline pilot Into the 1070s. Powell's final flying post in the navy was as an adversary pilot with a squadron based at NAS Oceana. Following retirement with the rank of Commander, Powell has flown both business jets and commercial airliners. He has had numerous articles published in aviation magazines, and his first book was a biography of Mustang ace Ben Drew, Ben Drew - the Katzenjammer Ace. Powell lives with his wife and two large poodles in Virginia Beach, Virginia. (posted with permission of "Boom" Powell)

Det 48/18B
Det R 
Det 18
Det 1
Det N
Det 11
Det R
Det 15
Det Q
Det T
Det 9
Det Q
Det N 
CVW-8
CVW-10
Det 18
CVW-7
Det 10 
CVSG-56
CVSGR-80
CVSGR-70
CVSG-56
CVSG-56