VAW-122
Encyclopedia
VAW-122 was an East Coast VAW squadron (Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron) that was stood up on 1 April 1967 and dis-established March 30, 1996. During its 30 years of existence, the Steeljaws were deployed around the world and saw action from Vietnam
to Desert Storm, conducting operations from the Arctic to the tropics.
in the Mediterranean in June 1967 after the intelligence-gathering ship was attacked by Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats. During a 1968 deployment on board the USS America off Vietnam, VAW-122 crews assisted a VF-33
F-4 Phantom crew in downing a North Vietnamese MiG-21 fighter as well as controlling interdiction strikes against North Vietnam.
After a 1970 deployment to the Mediterranean during the Jordanian crisis with CVW-7 on board the USS Independence, VAW-122 upgraded to the somewhat more capable E-2B. The squadron's next two deployments to the Mediterranean returned its crews to international crises—the 1973 Yom Kippur War
and the 1974 Cyprus
Crisis.
In April 1975, VAW-122 upgraded to the definitive E-2C. In 1978, the squadron rejoined after a Pacific deployment embarked in USS Kitty Hawk
CVW-6 and over the next 13 years deployed to the Arabian Sea, Mediterranean, and North Atlantic on board the Independence and the USS Forrestal. During the 1983 deployment, VAW-122 supported combat operations in Grenada and Lebanon, and, on its last carrier deployment in 1991, supported Operation Provide Comfort
over Iraq.
VAW-122 made its first drug-interdiction deployment as a squadron to the Caribbean in 1990 (previously it had been smaller detachments of shorter duration beginning in 1983 with Operation Thunderbolt), and in 1992 became permanently assigned to this role. By 1996, the unit had completed eight deployments in the Caribbean area, conducting some missions deep over South America, and was credited with the seizure of more than 16 metric tons of illegal drugs.
VAW-122 was disestablished at NAS Norfolk on 31 March 1996. Its mission and aircraft were assumed by a new reserve squadron, VAW-77
.
Notes:
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
to Desert Storm, conducting operations from the Arctic to the tropics.
History
Originally equipped with the E2-A Hawkeye, VAW-122 was first on the scene, establishing communications and directing fighter coverage for the USS LibertyUSS Liberty (AGTR-5)
USS Liberty was a Belmont-class technical research ship that was attacked by Israel Defense Forces during the 1967 Six-Day War.-History:...
in the Mediterranean in June 1967 after the intelligence-gathering ship was attacked by Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats. During a 1968 deployment on board the USS America off Vietnam, VAW-122 crews assisted a VF-33
VF-33
Fighter Squadron 33 was an aviation unit of the United States Navy. The first VF-33 was originally commissioned in 6 August 1942 and disestablished on 19 November 1945. A second VF-33 was then reactivated on 11 October 1948...
F-4 Phantom crew in downing a North Vietnamese MiG-21 fighter as well as controlling interdiction strikes against North Vietnam.
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...
and the 1974 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...
Crisis.
In April 1975, VAW-122 upgraded to the definitive E-2C. In 1978, the squadron rejoined after a Pacific deployment embarked in USS Kitty Hawk
USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)
The supercarrier USS Kitty Hawk , formerly CVA-63, was the second naval ship named after Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the site of the Wright brothers' first powered airplane flight...
CVW-6 and over the next 13 years deployed to the Arabian Sea, Mediterranean, and North Atlantic on board the Independence and the USS Forrestal. During the 1983 deployment, VAW-122 supported combat operations in Grenada and Lebanon, and, on its last carrier deployment in 1991, supported Operation Provide Comfort
Operation Provide Comfort
Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations by the United States and some of its Gulf War allies, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurds fleeing their homes in northern Iraq in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War and deliver humanitarian aid to them.-Operation...
over Iraq.
VAW-122 made its first drug-interdiction deployment as a squadron to the Caribbean in 1990 (previously it had been smaller detachments of shorter duration beginning in 1983 with Operation Thunderbolt), and in 1992 became permanently assigned to this role. By 1996, the unit had completed eight deployments in the Caribbean area, conducting some missions deep over South America, and was credited with the seizure of more than 16 metric tons of illegal drugs.
VAW-122 was disestablished at NAS Norfolk on 31 March 1996. Its mission and aircraft were assumed by a new reserve squadron, VAW-77
VAW-77
The Nightwolves of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 77 based at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, comprise the U.S. Navy's only fully dedicated counter-narcotics squadron. VAW-77's beginnings go back to 1995, when the U.S. Congress created the reserve squadron as a result of...
.
Deployments
| Group | | Dates | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS America (CVA-66/CVAW-6) | 1 April 1967 | 20 September 1967 | MED * |
| USS America (CVA-66/CVAW-6) | 10 April 1968 | 16 December 1968 | Vietnam |
| USS Independence (CVA-62/CVAW-7) | 8 July 1970 | 1 February 1971 | MED |
| USS Independence (CVA-62/CVAW-7) | 16 September 1971 | 15 March 1972 | MED |
| USS Independence (CVA-62/CVAW-7) | 21 June 1973 | 19 January 1974 | MED |
| USS Independence (CV-62/CVW-7) | 19 July 1974 | 31 January 1975 | MED |
| USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63/CVW-11) | 25 October 1977 | May 1978 | WESTPAC |
| USS Independence (CV-62/CVW-6) | 24 June 1979 | 14 December 1979 | MED |
| USS Independence (CV-62/CVW-6) | 19 November 1980 | 10 June 1981 | IO |
| USS Independence (CV-62/CVW-6) | 7 June 1982 | 21 December 1982 | MED |
| USS Independence (CV-62/CVW-6) | 18 October 1983 | 11 April 1984 | MED/N. ATLANTIC** |
| USS Independence (CV-62/CVW-6) | 16 October 1984 | 19 February 1985 | IO |
| USS Forrestal (CV-59/CVW-6) | 2 June 1986 | 10 November 1986 | MED |
| USS Forrestal (CV-59/CVW-6) | April 1988 | September 1988 | MED |
| USS Forrestal (CV-59/CVW-6) | 4 November 1989 | 13 April 1990 | MED |
| CTG 4.1 OPS | 27 August 1990 | 25 October 1990 | Panama |
| USS Forrestal (CV-59/CVW-6) | 31 May 1991 | 21 December 1991 | MED*** |
| CJTF-4 OPS | 11 November 1992 | 28 December 1992 | Panama |
| CJTF-4 OPS | 7 April 1993 | 14 May 1993 | Panama |
| CJTF-4 OPS | 19 August 1993 | 11 October 1993 | GTMO |
| CJTF-4 OPS | 3 March 1994 | 3 August 1994 | GTMO/PR |
| DIRJIATFE OPS | 14 November 1994 | 23 December 1994 | NSRR, PR |
| DIRJIATFE OPS | 9 May 1995 | 1 July 1995 | NSRR, PR |
| SOUTHCOM OPS | 10 October 1995 | 30 November 1995 | CURACAO |
| DIRJIATFE OPS | 1 December 1995 | 20 December 1995 | NSRR, PR |
Notes:
- Commissioned while deployed
- Includes Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada)
- Includes Operation Provide ComfortOperation Provide ComfortOperation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations by the United States and some of its Gulf War allies, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurds fleeing their homes in northern Iraq in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War and deliver humanitarian aid to them.-Operation...
(Iraq)
Former CO's
| Name | |Dates | |
|---|---|---|
| CDR T. E. Newark, USN | April 1967 | August 1968 |
| CDR B. K. Hannula, USN | August 1968 | July 1969 |
| CDR J. E. Hoch, JR, USN | July 1969 | August 1970 |
| CDR D. W. Rice, USN | August 1970 | April 1971 |
| CDR W. Hogan, USN | April 1971 | April 1972 |
| CDR J. Ward, USN | April 1972 | March 1973 |
| CDR G. L. MacQuirre, USN | March 1973 | February 1974 |
| CDR C. Norrington, USN | February 1974 | January 1975 |
| CDR M. F. Hayes, USN | January 1975 | January 1976 |
| CDR K. C. Petroske, USN | January 1976 | April 1977 |
| CDR L. F. Permenter, USN | April 1977 | July 1978 |
| CDR R. J. Malla, USN | July 1978 | July 1979 |
| CDR B. G. Roberson, USN | July 1979 | October 1980 |
| CDR R. B. Teague, USN | October 1980 | January 1982 |
| CDR B. C. Gohman, USN | January 1982 | June 1983 |
| CDR C. M. Kraft, USN | June 1983 | September 1984 |
| CDR J. W. Heineman, USN | September 1984 | March 1986 |
| CDR J. R. Porter, USN | March 1986 | July 1987 |
| CDR T. "DU" Lang, USN | July 1987 | January 1989 |
| CDR J. Grosel, USN | January 1989 | June 1990 |
| CDR V. C. Huber, USN | June 1990 | September 1991 |
| CDR T. L. Tippin, USN | September 1991 | November 1992 |
| CDR G. J. Pitman, USN | November 1992 | October 1994 |
| CDR C. W. Dossel, USN | October 1994 | March 1996 |
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