Talk:VC-7

The VC-7 Redtails

Patch courtesy Richard E. Dellwo

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Aircraft types assigned: Date Type First Received - - - - - - Type of Aircraft: 1942 - J2F-5 1942 - SNJ-4 North American SNJ Texan 1942 - SBD Douglas SBD Dauntless 1942 - PBY-1 1942 - BD-2 1943 - PV-1 1943 - JM-1 1944 - FM-2 1944 - JRF-5 1945 - F6F-5 Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat 1945 - JM-2 1945 - TBF-1C Grumman TBF1C Avenger 1945 - TMB-3 Grumman TBM-3 Avenger 1945 - R4D 1946 - JD-1 (UB-26J after 1962) Douglas JD-1 Invader 1946 - SNB-2 Beechcraft SNB-2 Bug Smasher 1946 - SNB-3 Beechcraft SNB-3 Bug Smasher 1946 - SNB-5 (RC-45 after 1962) 1947 - TD2C-1 Drone 1947 - TDD-3 Drone 1947 - KDR-1 Drone 1947 - KDR-2 Drone 1947 - HO3S 1947 - HTL-2 1952 - R5C-1 1952 - F8f-2 BearCat Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat 1952 - F9F-2 Panther Grumman F9F-2 Panther 1955 - F9F-6 Cougar Grumman F9F- Cougar 1957 - FJ-3 Fury North American FJ-3 Fury 1958 - FJ-4 Fury North American FJ-4 Fury 1961 - F8U-1 Crusader 1962 - TV-2 Lockheed TV-2Sea Star 1962 - US-2C Grumman US-2C Tracker 27 January 1965 - A-4B Skyhawk Douglas A-4B Skyhawk 1968 - F4B Phantom II 196? - A-4C Skyhawk Douglas A-4C Skyhawk 1973 - A-4L Skyhawk Douglas A-4L Skyhawk 1974 - A-4F Skyhawk Douglas A-4F Skyhawk 1974 - TA-4F Skyhawk Douglas TA-4F Skyhawk 1974 - TA-4J Skyhawk Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk 196? - AQM-37A (Air-launched, self-propelled target) Back to Table of Contents

Heritage: 4 December 1942 - VJ-1 established. 1946 - VJ-1 Redesignated VU-7 2 July 1965 - VU-7 redesignated VC-7 30 September 1980 - VC-7 disestablished. Back to Table of Contents

Commanders: Date Assumed Command - - - - - - - Commanding Officer DEC 1942-OCT 1943................... LT W. R. LIPSCOMB OCT 1943-JUL 1944................... CDR P. K. WILL JUL 1944-FEB 1945................... LT H. B. SOMERVILLE FEB 1945-MAY 1946................... LCDR L. H. MILLER MAY 1946-MAR 1947................... LCDR C. N. MAKER MAR 1947-JUN 1947................... CDR R. L. ELDRIDGE JUN 1947-JUL 1947................... CDR R. C. STARKEY JUL 1947-JUN 1948................... CDR R. M. PRAY JUN 1948-MAY 1949................... CDR W. H. WESTON MAY 1949-AUG 1950................... CAPT C. F. GREBER AUG 1950-AUG 1950................... CAPT J. G. LEWIS AUG 1950-JUN 1951................... CDR E. G. REED JUN 1951-DEC 1952................... CDR N. R. LINCOLN, JR. DEC 1952-JUN 1954................... CDR A. M. ELLINGSON JUN 1954-JAN 1955................... CDR R. B. FORWARD JAN 1955-MAR 1957................... CDR R. L. CENTNER MAR 1957-APR 1957 .................. CDR R. F. WOLFE (Acting) APR 1957-AUG 1958................... CDR H. E. BELEW AUG 1958-MAR 1959................... CDR W. A. COMER MAR 1959-MAR 1960................... CDR G. C. BURKEY MAR 1960-OCT 1960................... CDR K. P. REHNBERG, JR. OCT 1960-OCT 1961................... CDR M. W. VINEYARD OCT 1961-OCT 1962................... CDR D. S. BEDSOLE, JR. OCT 1962-OCT 1963................... CDR H. G. DERSAM OCT 1963-OCT 1964................... CDR W. J. ENNIS OCT 1964-OCT 1965................... CDR N. E. HECKERT OCT 1965-OCT 1966................... CDR W. M. EARLEY, JR. OCT 1966-OCT 1967................... CDR B. TESCH, JR. OCT 1967-OCT 1968................... CDR R. F. MCLAUGHLIN OCT 1968-OCT 1969................... CDR J. W. BRANNON, JR. OCT 1969-OCT 1970................... CAPT. B. W. HALL OCT 1970-OCT 1971................... CDR H. D. AVERYT OCT 1971-OCT 1972................... CDR G. M. DEMPSEY OCT 1972-OCT 1973................... CDR G. L. VANDEWATER, JR OCT 1973-OCT 1974................... CDR D. W. CASWELL OCT 1974-OCT 1975................... CAPT J. F. BELL OCT 1975-OCT 1976................... CDR E. W. WINGERTER, JR. OCT 1976-DEC 1977................... CDR R. E. DELLWO DEC 1977-MAR 1979................... CDR D. P. GAUTHIER MAR 1979-JUN 1980................... CDR G. D. MERRIMAN JUN 1980-SEP 1980................... CDR D. J. CAREY Back to Table of Contents

Home Ports: Date - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Location: 4 December 1942 - NAS Alameda, CA Feb 1943 - NAS San Diego, CA (Now North Island) Squadron Detatchments were commissioned as: VU-12 at Tougue Point, OR - 1943 VU-13 at Tougue Point, OR - 1943 VU-14 at South San Francisco Airport, CA - 1943 1943 - Dutch Harbor, AK (Detacthment) July 1944 - NAS Pearl Harbor, HI 1946 - NAS San Diego, CA April 1949 - Naval Auxilliary Air Field Miramar, CA September 1951 - Auxilliary Landing Field, Ream, San Ysidro, CA (the present OLF Imperial Beach) June 1952 - NAS San Dielg, CA February 1955 - NAAS Brown Field, Chula Vista, CA April 1961 - NAS North Island, CA 30 October 1964 - AS Miramar, CA Back to Table of Contents

Deployments: Departure & Return - - Air Wing - Carrier - Aircraft - - Area of Operations: 11 January to 13 June 1950 - USS Boxer (CV-21) - TBM-3U - B-XXX - ?? 28 May 1955 to 22 November 1955 - USS Intrepid (CV-11) - AJ-2 - F-XX - ?? Back to Table of Contents

Events: 4 December 1942 - VJ-1 (Fleet Composite Squadron SEVEN) was commissioned at NAS Alameda, CA to provide fleet combat units on the West Coast the essential training services they required. Target towing for aircraft & ships, tracking runs, & simulated attacks on submarines & destroyers, photographic & mapping and anti-aircraft gun crew training missions.

1943 - Added training of Photographic Mates on the West Coast until Utility Squadron SEVEN (VU-7) absorbed the Fleet Air Photographic Laboratory which was part of the squadron for 15 years.

1943 - A detatchment of SNJs was located at Dutch Harbor, AK setting up towing facilities for the Anti-Aircraft Training Center there when the Japanese bombed the airfield in July 1943.

1945 - Saw the addition of electronic warfare missions, radar jamming and tests with captured Japanese radar for radar countermeasures and experimentation.

1945 - Had search radar, LORAN navigation equipment, VHF radios, radio altimeters, and identification equipment installed in the JM-1s.

1946 - Redesignated VU-7 - Serving under the Commander, Utility Wing Pacific Fleet (Decommissioned 1965)

1947 - Added launching and recovering drone targets

1948 - The squadron became a surface as well as an aviation unit with the addition of 60 foot AVR boats to aid in the recovery of drones.

1947 - Utility Squadron EIGHT (VU-8) was decommissioned and became a permanent detatchment of VU-7 at NAS Santa Ana, CA, performing all the squadron's target drone operations.

December 1948 - The drone detatchment is commissioned as VU-3.

1948 - Detatchment Able was formed at NAS Barbers Point, HI when VU-1 was disestablished.

1949 - Detatchment Baker was established from VU-9 at NAS Agana, Guam

January to June 1950 - Detatchment of two TBM-3Us, two officers and twelve enlisted were deployed aboard USS Boxer (CV-21) for WestPac cruise to provide target towing for the air wing. This was the last shipboard deployment for VU-7.

August 1950 - Detatchment Baker formed the Nucleus of Fleet Utility Squadron FIVE (VU-5) commissioned at NAS Agana, Guam.

July 1951 - Detatchment Able reestablished as Fleet Utility Squadron ONE (VU-1) at NAS Barbers Point, HI

1951 - VU-7's KD drone units transferred to VU-3.

1952 - 25 seperate detatchemnts to various West Coastlocations.

30 October 1964 - All prop driven aircraft transfered out.

2 July 1965 - VU-7 redesignated Fleet Composite Squadron SEVEN (VC-7) and placed under the command of Commander, Fleet Air Miramar.

VC-7 1977 Roster1977 Roster April 1980 - Received notice of disestablishment effective 30 September 1980.

27 June 1980 - The squadron's final mission was flown, towing DART targets for VMFA-513's AV-8 Harriers, while completing its last detatchment at NAF El Centro, CA. The squadron's 37 years and 7 months of service had ended.

30 September 1980 - Decommission seremonies.VC-7 Decommissioning

Sources of information: A-4 Assocation Web site Richard E. Dellwo John Gabbard Torg Anderson Scott Van Aken