VMFA-333

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 333


caption= VMFA-333 Insignia
dates= August 1, 1943 – November 1, 1945
August 1, 1952 - March 31, 1992
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= USMC
type= Attack
role= Close air support
Air interdiction
Aerial reconnaissance
size=
command_structure= Deactivated
current_commander=
garrison=
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname= “Fighting Shamrocks"
”Trip Trey”
patron=
motto=
colors=DN
colors_label=Tail Code
march=
mascot=
battles= World War II
Vietnam War
Operation Desert Storm
anniversaries=
aircraft_attack= AD-1 Skyraider
aircraft_bomber= SBD Dauntless
aircraft_fighter= F4U Corsair
F6F Hellcat
FJ Fury
F-8 Crusader
F-4 Phantom II
F/A-18 Hornet

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 333 (VMFA-333) was a United States Marine Corps fighter squadron consisting of F/A-18 Hornets . Known as the "Fighting Shamrocks" and “Trip Trey”, the squadron participated in action during World War II, the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm The squadron’s aircraft were easily recognizable by the row of three shamrocks painted on the vertical stabilizers of their aircraft. They were decommissioned on March 31, 1992.

History

World War II

Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 333 (VMSB-333) was activated August 1, 1943 as at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. In April 1944, a portion of the squadron was sent to Boca Chica, Florida for anti-submarine training and upon their return departed for San Diego, and three weeks after that, Hawaii. The squadron was transferred to Midway Island in July 1944 and began flying anti-submarine patrols in their SBD Dauntless bombers. They were redesignated Marine Fighter Bomber Squadron 333 (VMBF-333) on October 14, 1944 and transitioned to the F4U Corsair.

The squadron reverted to VMSB-333 on December 20, 1944 and was transferred back to Marine Corps Air Station Ewa, Hawaii for the remainder of the war. They were deactivated on November 1, 1945.

1950s

They were reactivated on August 1, 1952 as Marine Attack Squadron 333 (VMA-333) and located at Marine Corps Air Station Miami and equipped with the Grumman F6F Hellcat. The Hellcats were quickly replaced with Corsairs and they were in turn replaced with A-1 Skyraiders. The Squadron was redesignated Marine Fighter Squadron 333 (VMF-333) on January 28, 1957 and again transitioned airframes, this time to the FJ Fury. At this time the squadron also relocated to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina. Three years later VMF-333 became the first Marine Corps squadron to receive the F-8 Crusader.On August the 14th 1962 the squadron performed a non-stop air refuelled deployment to Naval Air Station Roosevelt Road, Puerto Rico and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Of the 22 aircraft in the squadron 4 were initially stationed at Gitmo as armed Hot Pad Alert aircraft. The rest of the reinforced squadron (parts of Marine Air Base Squadron 32 and Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron 32 were attached) at Roosy engaged in advanced tactics, gunnery and missile training while living in a tent city that served as a deployment test site. The squadron was already in position when the Cuban Missile Crisis erupted in October and the aircraft numbers at Gitmo were reinforced should the need have arisen to strike targets in Cuba. During the crisis VMF-333 was joined by Marine Attack Squadron 331 and assumed tactical command over Puerto Rico's Air National Guard F86 aircraft as a combined Puerto Rico Air Defense Command. Trip Tree returned to MCAS Beaufort in December of that year after the crisis was resolved.

Vietnam War

On February 1, 1966, The squadron was again redesignated as Marine All Weather Fighter Squadron 333 (VMF(AW)-333) when they received new all-weather versions of the F-8 Crusader. The squadrons last name change came on June 20, 1966 when they became Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 333 (VMFA-333) as they transitioned to the F-4 Phantom II. In June 1972, VMFA-333 deployed on board the USS America (CVA-66) and conducted mission over Vietnam. It was during this deployment that the sqaudron got its only air to air kill when Major L.T. Lasseter shot down a MiG-21 over North Vietnam. For the rest of the 1970s, the squadron remained affiliated with Carrier Air Wing 8 and made several deployments aboard the USS Nimitz (CVN-68).

1980s and 1990s

VMFA-333 was the last regular Marine squadron to operate the F-4 Phantom but finally transferred to the F/A-18 Hornet in October 1987. During their final depoyment to the Persian Gulf in 1990-1991 as part of Operation Desert Storm, the Shamrocks flew more than seven hundred combat missions without loss and delivered more than two million pounds of ordnance against Iraqi forces. VMFA-333 was deactivated effective March 31, 1992.

ee also

* United States Marine Corps Aviation
* List of inactive United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons

References

;Notes

;Bibliography
* cite book
last = Crowder
first = Michael J.
title = United States Marine Corps Aviation Squadron Lineage, Insignia & History - Volume One - The Fighter Squadrons
publisher = Turner Publishing Company
year = 2000
location = Paducah, KY
isbn = 1-56311-926-9
*cite book
title=U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle - Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939 - 1945.’’
author=Rottman, Gordon L.
year=2002
publisher=Greenwood Press
id=ISBN 0-313-31906-5
*cite book
last = Sherrod
first = Robert
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1952
chapter =
title = History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II
publisher = Combat Forces Press
location = Washington, D.C.
id =

;Web
* [http://www.vmfa-333.com/ VMFA-333 Homepage]
* [http://gumballproductions.com/333/index.htm VMFA-333 Phot page]
* [http://image.flymcaa.org/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=3309&g2_navId=x8b4d8ae8 Photos from the Marine Corps Aviation Association]