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Attack Squadron 46 (United States Navy)
Encyclopedia
Attack Squadron 46 was an attack
squadron
of the United States Navy
that was active during the Cold War
. VA-46 was deactivated as part of the post-Cold War drawdown of forces on 30 June 1991.
, Florida
. The squadron’s Scottish identity was chosen by its first commander, Clifford A. McDougal and incorproated the McDougal clan tartan in its insignia. The squadron flew during the Vietnam War
and was on board the USS Forrestal in 1967 when a fatal fire
broke out on the flight deck killing 134 sailors. In 1986 they took part in strikes against Libya
known as Operation El Dorado Canyon
, and their last combat action was seen during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
Attack Squadron 46 was formed at Naval Air Station Cecil Field
on 24 May 1955 flying F9F-5 Grumman Panther. They departed the United States for their first deployment to the Mediterranean Sea
on July 14, 1956 aboard the USS Randolph with F9F-8 Grumman Cougar. This was the first overseas deployment of the AIM-9 Sidewinder
.
In October and November 1956 the squadron, along with other units of ATG-202, provided air support for the evacuation of foreign nationals from Alexandria
, Egypt
during the Suez Crisis
. VA-46 received A4D-2 Douglas Skyhawk in March 1958. In August 1965, VA-46 was on board the USS Shangri-La and operated off the coast of Cyprus
in response to a crisis in that country between Greek
and Turkish Cypriots
.
On 25 July 1967 the Clansmen took part in their first combat operations during the Vietnam War
flying from the USS Forrestal
in Yankee Station
. A few days later on July 29, while aircraft were being prepared for the second launch of the day against targets in North Vietnam, a fire broke out on the flight deck of the Forrestal. Flames engulfed the fantail and spread below decks, touching off bombs and ammunition. Heroic efforts by VA-46 personnel, along with other members of Carrier Air Wing 17 and ship's company, brought the fires under control. Damage to the carrier and aircraft was severe, and the casualty count included 134 dead and 62 injured. The squadron lost seven A-4E Skyhawks during the fire. At the epicenter of the fire that day was squadron member and then Lieutenant Commander
John McCain
. He escaped from his burning jet and was trying to help another pilot escape when a bomb exploded; he was struck in the legs and chest by fragments.
From 4 May through 15 November 1968, VA-46 transitioned to the A-7 Corsair II
. On 17 September 1970, while en route to the Caribbean
for training exercises on board the USS John F. Kennedy, they received emergency orders to deploy immediately to the Mediterranean due to the hijacking of four airliners
by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
. They remained on station off the coast of Israel
until November. During October 1973, with the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War
between Israel, Egypt and Syria
, the Kennedy and her air wing, while operating in the North Atlantic after just completing a Mediterranean deployment, were ordered back to the Mediterranean. During the latter part of October through mid-November, VA-46 conducted flight operations while the carrier was on station south of Crete
. On 22 November 1975 during night operations, the Kennedy collided with the USS Belknap, causing major damage to the cruiser. Eight VA-46 personnel received awards for their heroism and devotion to duty as a result of their actions following the collision.
From 17 to 19 September 1985, VA-46 – along with other units of Carrier Air Wing 1 (CVW-1) – were the first to conduct flight operations from a carrier operating inside a fjord
. The USS America
operated in Vestfjord
, Norway
during this evolution. The next year on April 14, 1986, as a response to terrorist actions, the squadron took part in strikes against targets in Libya
. During that action, VA-46 provided air-to-surface Shrike
and Harm missile
strikes against Libyian radar missile sites. Beginning on 17 January 1991, the squadron took part in Operation Desert Storm, the combat operations to remove Iraq
i forces from Kuwait
. The squadron's A-7E Corsair IIs participated in the first combat strike against Iraqi targets in Baghdad
, and VA-46 and VA-72 made the last combat sorties of the A-7 Corsair II during Desert Storm flying from the Red Sea
. Upon their return from the Persian Gulf
they were decommissioned on June 30, 1991. VA-46 were the last United States Navy squadron to fly the A-7 Corsair II.
Ground attack aircraft
Ground-attack aircraft are military aircraft with primary role of attacking targets on the ground with greater precision than bombers and prepared to face stronger low-level air defense...
squadron
Squadron (naval)
A squadron, or naval squadron, is a unit of 3-4 major warships, transport ships, submarines, or sometimes small craft that may be part of a larger task force or a fleet...
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
that was active during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. VA-46 was deactivated as part of the post-Cold War drawdown of forces on 30 June 1991.
History
VA-46 was nicknamed the "Clansmen" and they were based out of Naval Air Station Cecil FieldNaval Air Station Cecil Field
Naval Air Station Cecil Field or NAS Cecil Field was a United States Navy base, located in Duval County, Florida. NAS Cecil Field was the largest military base in the Jacksonville, Florida, area....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The squadron’s Scottish identity was chosen by its first commander, Clifford A. McDougal and incorproated the McDougal clan tartan in its insignia. The squadron flew during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and was on board the USS Forrestal in 1967 when a fatal fire
1967 USS Forrestal fire
The 1967 USS Forrestal fire was a devastating fire and series of chain-reaction explosions on 29 July 1967 that killed 134 sailors and injured 161 on the aircraft carrier , after an unusual electrical anomaly discharged a Zuni rocket on the flight deck...
broke out on the flight deck killing 134 sailors. In 1986 they took part in strikes against Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
known as Operation El Dorado Canyon
Operation El Dorado Canyon
The 1986 United States bombing of Libya, code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon, comprised the joint United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps air-strikes against Libya on April 15, 1986. The attack was carried out in response to the 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing.-Origins:Shortly after his...
, and their last combat action was seen during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
Early years
Naval Air Station Cecil Field
Naval Air Station Cecil Field or NAS Cecil Field was a United States Navy base, located in Duval County, Florida. NAS Cecil Field was the largest military base in the Jacksonville, Florida, area....
on 24 May 1955 flying F9F-5 Grumman Panther. They departed the United States for their first deployment to the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
on July 14, 1956 aboard the USS Randolph with F9F-8 Grumman Cougar. This was the first overseas deployment of the AIM-9 Sidewinder
AIM-9 Sidewinder
The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried mostly by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. The missile entered service with United States Air Force in the early 1950s, and variants and upgrades remain in active service with many air forces...
.
In October and November 1956 the squadron, along with other units of ATG-202, provided air support for the evacuation of foreign nationals from Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
during the Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
. VA-46 received A4D-2 Douglas Skyhawk in March 1958. In August 1965, VA-46 was on board the USS Shangri-La and operated off the coast of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
in response to a crisis in that country between Greek
Greek Cypriots
Greek Cypriots are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community at 77% of the population. Greek Cypriots are mostly members of the Church of Cyprus, an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church within the wider communion of Orthodox Christianity...
and Turkish Cypriots
Turkish Cypriots
Turkish Cypriots are the ethnic Turks and members of the Turkish-speaking ethnolinguistic community of the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The term is used to refer explicitly to the indigenous Turkish Cypriots, whose Ottoman Turkish forbears colonised the island in 1571...
.
Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
flying from the USS Forrestal
USS Forrestal (CVA-59)
The USS Forrestal , formerly AVT-59 and CVA-59, is a supercarrier that was named after former Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal and was the lead ship of her class of aircraft carriers. The other carriers of her class were the , and...
in Yankee Station
Yankee Station
Yankee Station was a point in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam used by the U.S. Navy aircraft carriers of Task Force 77 to launch strikes in the Vietnam War. While its official designation was "Point Yankee," it was universally referred to as Yankee Station...
. A few days later on July 29, while aircraft were being prepared for the second launch of the day against targets in North Vietnam, a fire broke out on the flight deck of the Forrestal. Flames engulfed the fantail and spread below decks, touching off bombs and ammunition. Heroic efforts by VA-46 personnel, along with other members of Carrier Air Wing 17 and ship's company, brought the fires under control. Damage to the carrier and aircraft was severe, and the casualty count included 134 dead and 62 injured. The squadron lost seven A-4E Skyhawks during the fire. At the epicenter of the fire that day was squadron member and then Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant commander (United States)
Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
. He escaped from his burning jet and was trying to help another pilot escape when a bomb exploded; he was struck in the legs and chest by fragments.
Transition and the 1970s
A-7 Corsair II
The Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II is a carrier-based subsonic light attack aircraft introduced to replace the United States Navy's Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, initially entering service during the Vietnam War...
. On 17 September 1970, while en route to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
for training exercises on board the USS John F. Kennedy, they received emergency orders to deploy immediately to the Mediterranean due to the hijacking of four airliners
Dawson's Field hijackings
In the Dawson's Field hijackings five jet aircraft bound for New York City were hijacked by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine...
by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a Palestinian Marxist-Leninist organisation founded in 1967. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation Organization , the largest being Fatah...
. They remained on station off the coast of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
until November. During October 1973, with the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
between Israel, Egypt and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, the Kennedy and her air wing, while operating in the North Atlantic after just completing a Mediterranean deployment, were ordered back to the Mediterranean. During the latter part of October through mid-November, VA-46 conducted flight operations while the carrier was on station south of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
. On 22 November 1975 during night operations, the Kennedy collided with the USS Belknap, causing major damage to the cruiser. Eight VA-46 personnel received awards for their heroism and devotion to duty as a result of their actions following the collision.
1980s, Gulf War and decommissioning
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
. The USS America
USS America (CV-66)
The USS America was one of four Kitty Hawk-class super carriers built for the United States Navy in the 1960s. Commissioned in 1965, she spent most of her career in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, but did make three Pacific deployments serving in the Vietnam War. She also served in operations...
operated in Vestfjord
Flekkefjord
is a town and municipality in the county of Vest-Agder, Norway.The town of Flekkefjord was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . The rural municipalities of Bakke, Gyland, Hidra, and Nes were merged with Flekkefjord on 1 January 1965.Flekkefjord is the westernmost town of the...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
during this evolution. The next year on April 14, 1986, as a response to terrorist actions, the squadron took part in strikes against targets in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. During that action, VA-46 provided air-to-surface Shrike
AGM-45 Shrike
AGM-45 Shrike is an American anti-radiation missile designed to home in on hostile antiaircraft radars. The Shrike was developed by the Naval Weapons Center at China Lake in 1963 by mating a seeker head to the rocket body of an AIM-7 Sparrow. It was phased out by U.S...
and Harm missile
AGM-88 HARM
The AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile is a tactical, air-to-surface missile designed to home in on electronic transmissions coming from surface-to-air radar systems. It was originally developed by Texas Instruments as a replacement for the AGM-45 Shrike and AGM-78 Standard ARM system...
strikes against Libyian radar missile sites. Beginning on 17 January 1991, the squadron took part in Operation Desert Storm, the combat operations to remove Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i forces from Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
. The squadron's A-7E Corsair IIs participated in the first combat strike against Iraqi targets in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, and VA-46 and VA-72 made the last combat sorties of the A-7 Corsair II during Desert Storm flying from the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
. Upon their return from the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
they were decommissioned on June 30, 1991. VA-46 were the last United States Navy squadron to fly the A-7 Corsair II.
Surviving aircraft
- An A-7E Corsair with VA-46 markings is on static display at Heritage Park on Naval Air Station JacksonvilleNaval Air Station JacksonvilleNaval Air Station Jacksonville or NAS Jacksonville is a military airport located four miles south of the central business district of Jacksonville...
, Florida and at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. - An A4D-2 Skyhawk (BuNo 142741) with VA-46 markings is on display at the National Vietnam War Museum in Orlando, FloridaOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
.
See also
- History of the United States NavyHistory of the United States NavyThe history of the United States Navy divides into two major periods: the "Old Navy", a small but respected force of sailing ships that was also notable for innovation in the use of ironclads during the American Civil War, and the "New Navy", the result of a modernization effort that began in the...
- List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons
- List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons