Attack Squadron 12 (VA-12)

VA-12 was United States Navy Attack Squadron 12.

History

It was established by the redesignation of VF-12 in 1 August 1955. The squadron received the F7U Cutlass. In 1957, it changed to the A4D Skyhawk.

In 1960, VA-12 was part of airwing of the USS "Shangri-La" when that carrier was deployed to counter Cuban infiltration into Guatemala and Nicaragua. The next year, the squadron returned to the area aboard USS "Franklin D. Roosevelt" to support the government of the Dominican Republic. In 1963 the squadron was deployed in detachments to the USS "Essex" and USS "Intrepid" for anti-submarine warfare exercises. In August of the next year, the squadron was again on board the "Roosevelt" when the carrier was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean in response to trouble between Greeks and Turks on the island of Cyprus.The squadron saw combat in Vietnam twice, in 1966 and 1971. Later in 1971, the unit relinquished the A-4 for the A-7 Corsair. 1973 and 1974 saw further trouble in the Mediterranean. 1973 saw the Yom Kippur War and 1974 the assassination of the American ambassador to Cyprus. In 1980, the Iranian hostage crisis saw the USS "Dwight D. Eisenhower" with the squadron on board. The ship remained at sea for 254 days continuously. Trouble in Lebanon flared in 1983, and the squadron supported the peacekeeping force in the country.

On 1 October 1986, the squadron was disestablished, ending 31 years of service as an attack unit, and ten years prior to that as a fighter unit.

Home Port Assignment

* NAS Cecil Field

Commanding Officers

* CDR Paul H. Durand Aug 1955
* CDR Marshall P. Deputy, Jr. Jan 1957
* CDR Charles A. Pendleton, Jr. 10 January 1958
* CDR William B. Barrow 22 January 1959
* CDR Richard J. Deprez Mar 1960
* CDR John E. Hansen 18 June 1961
* CDR Robert E. Oechslin 14 June 1962
* CDR Max E. Malan 14 June 1963
* CDR Burton E. Berglund 15 June 1964
* CDR James D. Whyte 30 April 1965
* CDR Robert C. Frosio Apr 1966
* CDR Gerald P. Barnett 18 November 1966
* CDR Austin C. O’Brien, Jr. 21 November 1967
* CDR Richard M. Fletcher Nov 1968
* CDR Walter R. Petersen 30 September 1969
* CDR Daniel H. L. Gholson 10 July 1970
* LCDR Henry E. Nelson 16 June 1971
* CDR Anthony A. Less 30 June 1972
* CDR John F. Calhoun Oct 1973
* CDR James M. Hickerson 1975
* CDR Gary W. Mau 14 February 1976
* CDR David R. Edwards 10 May 1977
* CDR Richard B. Curtis 26 July 1978
* CDR Robert A. Maier 1 November 1979
* CDR Audrey B. Whitten 26 February 1981
* CDR James M. Gill 19 May 1982
* CDR Michael W. Samuels 1 October 1983
* CDR Harry M. Conner 21 May 1985

Aircraft Assigned

* F7U-3 December 1955
* A4D-1 April 1957
* A4D-2 January 1958
* A4D-2N (A-4C) 8 January 1962
* A-4E 8 March 1965
* A-4C 9 March 1967
* A-7E 1 April 1971

The A4D-2 was redesignated the A4-C in 1962.

quadron Air Wing Assignment

* CVG-1 1 August 1955
* CVG-10 20 January 1958
* CVG-1 (CVW-1) 5 December 1960
* CVW-8 25 August 1968
* CVW-7 1971

CVG-1 was redesignated CVW-1 on 20 December 1963.