- VF-33
VF-33 was a
United States Navy fightersquadron .VF-33 History
The first squadron to be designated as Fighter Squadron ("FitRon" in USN parlance [Tillman, 1996, pp7-8.] ) Three Three (VF-33) was originally established as VGS-16 on
6 August 1942 and then redesignated as VC-16 on1 March 1943 . VC-16 was redesignated VF-33 on15 August 1943 and equipped with theGrumman F6F Hellcat making their combat debut in theSolomon Islands . VF-33 was the firstUS Navy unit to use the F6F in theSolomon Islands campaign , being joined soon after byVF-38 andVF-40 . VF-33 was land based at this time, supporting the island-hoppingPacific War campaign. By the end of 1943 VF-33 was credited with 60 Japanese aircraft shot down, and had produced three aces (five or more kills); Lt.(jg) Frank E Schnieder with seven kills, Lt. C K Hildebrandt with five kills, and Lt.(jg) James J Kinsella also with five kills, three on VF-33, two flying F4F-4s withVF-72 . [Tillman, 1996, pp.9-10, 19, 34, 88-89.] [ [http://users.accesscomm.ca/magnusfamily/ww2usa.htm List of USN aces of WW II] Retrieved:23 July 2008 ] During WWII VF-33's patch was a black "Hellcat" leaping out of red flames on a white circle outlined in red; the motto "The Hellcats" was written in black script. [ [http://members.aol.com/brimiljeep/WebPages/SquadronPatchNAVYPg.html USN unit patches] Retrieved:23 July 2008 ] After WWII, VF-33 was disestablished in July 1946.A second Fighter Squadron Thirty Three was established on
October 11 ,1948 and equipped with theChance-Vought F4U Corsair taking it into action in theKorean war and earning theNavy Unit Citation for that campaign. The squadron called themselves the "Tarsiers", which was a fierce monkey. The squadron affectionately called their Tarsier "Minky".Jet transition
By
1962 the unit was flying theF-8 Crusader from the world’s firstnuclear powered aircraft carrier USS "Enterprise", paired up with Fighter Squadron One Zero TwoVF-102 enforcing the blockade ofCuba . In 1964 the unit transitioned to theF-4 Phantom and would fly the Phantom for the next seventeen years alongside its sister squadron VF-102. The first VF-33 Phantomtype/model/series was the F-4B, which they flew until 1967 at which time they moved up to the F-4J which featured better radar, higher thrust engines, slatted tailplanes, extra fuel cells and a larger main wheels to handle the increased weight. Fighters from VF-33 were launched on8 June 1967 in response to distress calls from the USS "Liberty", which was under attack from Israeli aircraft and navy torpedo boats in international waters off Egypt's Sinai, but were recalled by President Johnson, who was quoted as saying he "didn't want to embarrass our ally."Vietnam Operations
It would not take long until VF-33 deployed to combat in
South-East Asia aboard USS "America". During their time in the theatre VF-33 would drop over three million pounds of ordnance, flying 4000 combat hours over a period of 5 months. OnJuly 10 1968 VF-33 downed aMiG-21 , the first air-to-air kill by an East Coast Fighter Squadron overNorth Vietnam . After their return, VF-33 continued to fly with CVW-7, and deployed with USS "Independence". They would win several awards including theCNO Safety Award in 1969 and 1970 and during the 1975-1976 cruise they won theGolden Tailhook Award as the Navy recognised their skill at carrier landing. In February 1979 VF-33 had flown three years without accident.Tomcat transition
In 1981 VF-33 transitioned to the
F-14 Tomcat along with VF-102 and joinedCarrier Air Wing One assigned to USS "America". Their first deployment was a grueling North Atlantic NATO deployment (Northern Wedding ) between August and October 1982 aboard USS "America". VF-33 has used stars as part of their tail markings since the Crusader days and settled on a large star for their latter F-4 tenure and as the main symbol on the Tomcat. In 1985, they abandoned "Minky" and changed their name from “Tarsiers” to “Starfighters”, which was their radio callsign. The new patch featured a large star with a head-on view of a Tomcat. OnAugust 20 ,1985 VF-33 was the first squadron to complete 50 missile firings without a single failure.Gulf of Sidra operations
In March 1986 VF-33 would bring their F-14s into a combat environment for the first time on board USS "America" with Carrier Air Wing 1 as they took part in Operation Attain Document in the
Mediterranean Sea alongside USS "Saratoga" and USS "Coral Sea". VF-33 engaged two LibyanMiG-25 s with intent on shooting down the F-14s, but the Tomcats outmaneuvered the Libyans and ended behind the Libyan fighters, but the pilots did not have permission to open fire. Along withVF-102 they provided air cover during the operation as the carrier group moved into theGulf of Sidra , which was claimed byLibya to be the “Line of Death ”. Libya claimed its territorial waters extended across the entire Gulf of Sidra as opposed to the internationally recognised limit of 12 miles, and because of this claim, any airplane or ship within these waters was in Libyan territory and liable to attack. US carriers occasionally challenged this assertion resulting in the first VF-41 Tomcat engagements with Libyan fighters in August 1981.On
April 15 ,1986 , after a terrorist attack on disco hall La Belle in Berlin, killing two American servicemen and a Turkish woman, PresidentRonald Reagan ordered airstrikes, calledOperation El Dorado Canyon , against targets in Libya.F-111 bombers based atRAF Lakenheath andRAF Upper Heyford in theUnited Kingdom attacked targets inTripoli while U.S. NavyA-6 Intruder s from USS "America" and USS "Coral Sea" attacked targets inBenghazi . Navy andUnited States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet s and Navy A-7’s attackedsurface-to-air missile sites withAGM-88 HARM missiles. F-14 squadrons deployed in the Mediterranean, including VF-33, flew cover for the strike force. In 1986, VF-33 flew 895 continuous sorties without an abort.In 1987 VF-33 made a short cruise on board the Navy’s newest carrier, the USS "Theodore Roosevelt". After workups in 1988, VF-33 deployed on board USS "America" to the North Atlantic in February 1989, and again for a six-month Med-IO cruise from May through November. In February 1990 VF-33 made a two and a half month transit from
San Diego toPhiladelphia Naval Shipyard providing fighter protection as the carrier made the journey around the southern tip of South America. VF-33 took part in several joint exercises withSouth America n nations during the transit.Desert Storm operations
When
Iraq invadedKuwait in August 1990, four aircraft carriers were deployed to the region to provide carrier based air support for Operation Desert Shield. As the deadline for Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait approached in January 1991, USS "Theodore Roosevelt" and USS "America" deployed to the region via the Suez Canal. VF-33 deployed with USS "America" arriving just asOperation Desert Storm commenced. USS "America" flew sorties alongside USS "John F Kennedy" and USS "Saratoga" in the Red Sea before moving to the Persian Gulf to join USS "Midway", USS "Ranger" and USS "Roosevelt". VF-33 and her sister squadron VF-102 were only Tomcat squadrons to fly missions from both the Red Sea and Persian Gulf during Desert Storm.Disestablishment
In 1993 a VF-33 airframe became the first F-14 to log 5000 flight hours. When the Navy decided to assign only a single TARPS Tomcat squadron per carrier air wing, VF-33 was not TARPS capable and despite the squadron's success in Desert Storm VF-33 was disestablished
October 1 ,1993 . However, the tradition of VF-33 lives on through a very active alumni group that hosts a website and periodic reunions. [http://vf-33.org/index.htm]References
Citations
Bibliography
* Tillman, Barrett. "Hellcat Aces of World War 2; Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 10". London: Osprey Publishing, 1996. ISBN 1-85532-596-9
External links
* [http://www.tomcatalley.com/squadron/vf33hist.htm VF-33 History]
*Combat history of the F-14 - Operations Against Libya
* [http://vf-33.org/index.htm VF-33 Reunion Website]
* [http://users.accesscomm.ca/magnusfamily/ww2usa.htm List of USN aces of WW II]
* [http://members.aol.com/brimiljeep/WebPages/SquadronPatchNAVYPg.html WWII USN Squadron patches and badges]
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