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Attack Squadron 163 (United States Navy)
Encyclopedia
Attack Squadron 163 Saints was an aviation unit of the United States Navy
. VA-163 flew the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk from 1960 to 1969.
, Florida
. Shortly thereafter, the Saints moved to Naval Air Station Lemoore
, California
where they began training for their first deployment.
During her operational history, Attack Squadron 163 made six Pacific Fleet
cruises, including four combat cruises during the Vietnam War
. The first five were with Carrier Air Wing 16 in USS Oriskany
between 1962 and 1968, and the last with Carrier Air Wing 21 in USS Hancock
in 1968-1969.
In the first three WESTPAC combat cruises to SouthEast Asia (SEA) (1965–68), VA-163 sustained periods of heavy losses, including 14 aircraft destroyed by enemy action, with at least five pilots killed, five captured, and two severely wounded. The 'Saints' also lost two squadron Commanding Officers (CO) to combat action, with the first during the 1965 WESTPAC combat cruise, CDR Harry Jenkins, in November 1965 (shot down, and made a POW). The second was CDR Wynne Foster, who lost an arm to flak in July 1966, but ejected and was rescued. (Foster later recovered, and waged a successful battle to remain on active duty.)
These unit losses were then followed by the tragic at-sea fire aboard their carrier, the USS ORISKANY, in October 1966, which then claimed more unit personnel (among the total 44 men who were lost in the fire).
Among the four total WESTPAC combat cruises that VA-163 completed, the 1967-68 cruise was by far the costliest, in losses of both pilots and aircraft. During this cruise alone, five 'Saints' pilots were Killed In Action, or went Missing In Action, over North Vietnam. (As of mid-2009, of these five lost men, the remains of three have been found and recovered from their loss sites in Vietnam, and identified using DNA analysis. The remaining two men have not yet been accounted for.)
A total of 12 A-4E aircraft were lost during the 1967-68 WESTPAC alone, with ten lost to enemy action, and two as operational losses.
Two notable VA-163 'Saints' pilots who became POWs were then-Commander James B. Stockdale, Commander Air Group of Attack Carrier Air Wing 16 (CVW-16) in 1965 (who as 'CAG', was never actually a VA-163 member, but he was flying a VA-163 A-4E at the time of his loss), and then-Lieutenant Commander John S. McCain, III
in 1967.
Amidst the intense air combat of the early war period, and the subsequent losses, the 'Saints' continued to display outstanding courage and bravery, resulting in many awards for valor being issued to many 'Saints' pilots.
Among them, three 'Saints' were awarded the Navy Cross
for extraordinary combat heroism: Commander Bryan Compton (then squadron CO), and Lieutenant Commanders James Busey and Marvin Reynolds. (Not surprisingly, these three awards were earned during the infamous 1967-68 WESTPAC, with the first two mentioned awards earned during the same mission (a 'Walleye' missile strike on the Hanoi Thermal Power Plant in August 1967).
On April 1, 1969 VA-163 was placed on inactive status, and two years later the squadron officially disestablished on July 1, 1971.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. VA-163 flew the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk from 1960 to 1969.
History
On September 1, 1960, Attack Squadron 163 was established at Naval Air Station Cecil FieldNaval Air Station Cecil Field
Naval Air Station Cecil Field or NAS Cecil Field was a United States Navy base, located in Duval County, Florida. NAS Cecil Field was the largest military base in the Jacksonville, Florida, area....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Shortly thereafter, the Saints moved to Naval Air Station Lemoore
Naval Air Station Lemoore
Naval Air Station Lemoore or NAS Lemoore is a United States Navy base, located in Kings County and Fresno County, California. Lemoore Station, California, a census-designated place, is located inside the base's borders....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where they began training for their first deployment.
During her operational history, Attack Squadron 163 made six Pacific Fleet
United States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
cruises, including four combat cruises during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. The first five were with Carrier Air Wing 16 in USS Oriskany
USS Oriskany (CV-34)
USS Oriskany – nicknamed Mighty O, The O-boat, and Toasted O – was one of 24 s completed during or shortly after World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the third US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for the Revolutionary War Battle of Oriskany.The history of...
between 1962 and 1968, and the last with Carrier Air Wing 21 in USS Hancock
USS Hancock (CV-19)
USS Hancock was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the fourth US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress and first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...
in 1968-1969.
In the first three WESTPAC combat cruises to SouthEast Asia (SEA) (1965–68), VA-163 sustained periods of heavy losses, including 14 aircraft destroyed by enemy action, with at least five pilots killed, five captured, and two severely wounded. The 'Saints' also lost two squadron Commanding Officers (CO) to combat action, with the first during the 1965 WESTPAC combat cruise, CDR Harry Jenkins, in November 1965 (shot down, and made a POW). The second was CDR Wynne Foster, who lost an arm to flak in July 1966, but ejected and was rescued. (Foster later recovered, and waged a successful battle to remain on active duty.)
These unit losses were then followed by the tragic at-sea fire aboard their carrier, the USS ORISKANY, in October 1966, which then claimed more unit personnel (among the total 44 men who were lost in the fire).
Among the four total WESTPAC combat cruises that VA-163 completed, the 1967-68 cruise was by far the costliest, in losses of both pilots and aircraft. During this cruise alone, five 'Saints' pilots were Killed In Action, or went Missing In Action, over North Vietnam. (As of mid-2009, of these five lost men, the remains of three have been found and recovered from their loss sites in Vietnam, and identified using DNA analysis. The remaining two men have not yet been accounted for.)
A total of 12 A-4E aircraft were lost during the 1967-68 WESTPAC alone, with ten lost to enemy action, and two as operational losses.
Two notable VA-163 'Saints' pilots who became POWs were then-Commander James B. Stockdale, Commander Air Group of Attack Carrier Air Wing 16 (CVW-16) in 1965 (who as 'CAG', was never actually a VA-163 member, but he was flying a VA-163 A-4E at the time of his loss), and then-Lieutenant Commander John S. McCain, III
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
in 1967.
Amidst the intense air combat of the early war period, and the subsequent losses, the 'Saints' continued to display outstanding courage and bravery, resulting in many awards for valor being issued to many 'Saints' pilots.
Among them, three 'Saints' were awarded the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
for extraordinary combat heroism: Commander Bryan Compton (then squadron CO), and Lieutenant Commanders James Busey and Marvin Reynolds. (Not surprisingly, these three awards were earned during the infamous 1967-68 WESTPAC, with the first two mentioned awards earned during the same mission (a 'Walleye' missile strike on the Hanoi Thermal Power Plant in August 1967).
On April 1, 1969 VA-163 was placed on inactive status, and two years later the squadron officially disestablished on July 1, 1971.
Deployments
| from | to | aircraft | carrier | air wing | tail code | area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07 Jun 1962 | 17 Dec 1962 | A4D-2 | CVA-34 USS Oriskany (CV-34) USS Oriskany – nicknamed Mighty O, The O-boat, and Toasted O – was one of 24 s completed during or shortly after World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the third US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for the Revolutionary War Battle of Oriskany.The history of... |
CVG-16 | AH-3xx | WestPac Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World... |
| 01 Aug 1963 | 10 Mar 1964 | A-4B | CVA-34 USS Oriskany (CV-34) USS Oriskany – nicknamed Mighty O, The O-boat, and Toasted O – was one of 24 s completed during or shortly after World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the third US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for the Revolutionary War Battle of Oriskany.The history of... |
CVW-16 | AH-3xx | WestPac Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World... |
| 05 Apr 1965 | 16 Dec 1965 | A-4E | CVA-34 USS Oriskany (CV-34) USS Oriskany – nicknamed Mighty O, The O-boat, and Toasted O – was one of 24 s completed during or shortly after World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the third US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for the Revolutionary War Battle of Oriskany.The history of... |
CVW-16 | AH-3xx | Vietnam War Vietnam War The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of... |
| 26 May 1966 | 16 Nov 1966 | A-4E | CVA-34 USS Oriskany (CV-34) USS Oriskany – nicknamed Mighty O, The O-boat, and Toasted O – was one of 24 s completed during or shortly after World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the third US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for the Revolutionary War Battle of Oriskany.The history of... |
CVW-16 | AH-3xx | Vietnam War Vietnam War The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of... |
| 16 Jun 1967 | 31 Jan 1968 | A-4E | CVA-34 USS Oriskany (CV-34) USS Oriskany – nicknamed Mighty O, The O-boat, and Toasted O – was one of 24 s completed during or shortly after World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the third US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for the Revolutionary War Battle of Oriskany.The history of... |
CVW-16 | AH-3xx | Vietnam War Vietnam War The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of... |
| 18 Jul 1968 | 03 Mar 1969 | A-4E | CVA-19 USS Hancock (CV-19) USS Hancock was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the fourth US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress and first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts... |
CVW-21 | NP-3xx | Vietnam War Vietnam War The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of... |
See also
- History of the United States NavyHistory of the United States NavyThe history of the United States Navy divides into two major periods: the "Old Navy", a small but respected force of sailing ships that was also notable for innovation in the use of ironclads during the American Civil War, and the "New Navy", the result of a modernization effort that began in the...
- List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons