Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons

The Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons (DANAS) is a multivolume work published by Naval Historical Center of the U.S. Department of the Navy's Naval History & Heritage Command. It covers naval aviation in much the same way as the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS) covers commissioned vessels.

Two volumes have been published to date: Volume 1, covering the history of attack and strike fighter squadrons, and Volume 2, covering the history of patrol squadrons. Other volumes are forthcoming.

The squadron histories are quite detailed, typically including sections on lineage, insignia and nickname, chronology of significant events, home port assignments, commanding officers, aircraft assigned, major overseas deployments, airwing assignments, and unit awards received.

DANAS volumes are available online and as PDF files on CD-ROM.

Publication data
Volume 1 (1995) includes about 140 histories and other data covering every squadron in the attack (VA, VAH, VAK, VAL, and VAP) and strike fighter (VFA) communities from the time the first of these commands was established in 1934, through the publication of this volume in 1995. There are seven appendixes, including such things as technical information and drawings for aircraft assigned to the squadrons covered, carrier deployments by year, and lineage listings for the squadrons. A glossary, bibliography, and index are also included. The information was compiled by Roy A. Grossnick, the head of the Naval Historical Center's Naval Aviation History Office.

Volume 2 (2000) contains 154 histories covering every patrol squadron (VP, VPB, VP(H) and, VP(AM)) in existence between 1922 and 2000. Fourteen appendixes cover technical information on patrol aircraft, submarines sunk by patrol squadrons, air-to-air claims for Navy and Marine Corps patrol aircraft during World War II, a listing of patrol squadron shore bases, etc. A glossary, bibliography, and index are also included.

This book provides an opportunity to learn about the origins, achievements, and traditions of patrol aviation as it relates to the naval heritage of the United States. It was written by a professional historian and retired Navy Captain Michael D. Roberts.

Subsequent volumes in the series will cover other components of U.S. naval aviation. In 2000, the staff of the History & Heritage Command's Aviation History Branch was in the early stages of work on Volume 3, containing the histories and lineage of all U.S. Navy fighter squadrons.

Reference use
Because the DANAS is a work of the U.S. government, its content is in the public domain, and the text is often quoted verbatim in other works.