Fighter squadron VF52

Comments: Would like to hear from anyone in VF 52 during this time frame.

Keywords: VF52 aboard Valley Forge 1952/53 Air department

Fighter squadron VF52

Comments: Would like to hear from anyone in VF 52 during this time frame.

Keywords: VF52 aboard Valley Forge 1952/53 Air department

VF52 1951 to 1954

Comments: I was a plane captain and check crew member. I would like to hear from old shipmates who sailed with me. To James Webb and Frank Vjota's son, I say hello. I know that Frank passed away. Got a chance to talk to him and your mother. He was a good man.

Keywords: USS Valley Forge CVA42 1951/52 Korean Cruise

USS Boxer CVA 21 Korean Cruise 1953

Would like to hear from shipmates

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VF-52 1957-1959

Comments: I was an AE2. Worked on Banshees and Crusaders. After active duty I flew as a Radioman in the reserves out of Oakland, CA. I did a Far East cruise in '58-'59 on the Ticonderoga. Stopped in Hawaiii,Subic Bay/Cubi Point, Hong Kong, Okinawa, Yokosuka. After the navy I went to college, became a commercial pilot and flew the Vietman airlift from mid '60's to end of VN war. I'd especially like to make contact with anyone that was in VF-52 at the time that I was there.

Keywords: VF-52, VF-91, VP-876, Bennington, Ticonderoga, NAS Alameda, Banshee, Crusader and P2V

Looking for old friends

Comments: I would like to communicate with anyone who was in VF-52 from 1952 to April 1954. I was an Aviation Machinist Mate (P.O. 3) and serviced F9F-3s and 5s. I sailed with the squadron on the Boxer and Valley Forge. Both still had the straight decks. I still have my Cruise Books from those cruises and can look up anyone who might answer.

Keywords: VF-52, Valley Forge, Boxer.

To Gail Lynch

Comments: Gail Lynch, Thank you so much for your comments. I'm sorry it's taken me this long to see them. The 'Harry Dean' I believe that you are referring to was Grant Dean. He lives in the Portland, OR area now and I visited him with my dad there some time ago. As an Ensign, or JG, Dean was one of the few combat experienced pilots still in the squadron from it's previous tour in Korea. Deacon Barker has since passed away while living in Mississippi.

Still looking for color pictures/scans of a Sea Lancer patch if anyone has one.

I still remember my dad telling me about the required response from any squadron member when asked, "Are you a Sea Lancer?" being, "You bet your sweet ass I am!!"

Randy Erwin

Keywords: VF-52, ATG-1, USS Wasp CV-18

Does anyone remember Harrel Davis

Comments: I would like to visit with anyone who was in VF-52 during Lexington's Ichiban cruise.

My brother was an ordinance man on Banshees. He talked frequenly about his Navy experiences.

Keywords: My brother was an ordinance man. VF 52 USS Lexington Circa 1955

VF 52 Info

Comments: I was assigned to VF-52 in September of 1955. The squadron was located at Alameda Naval Station. I was a reservist on 2 years active duty, checked in as an Airman Apprentice. My rate was switched (by me) to Seaman Apprentice and I was assigned to the office. CDR Barker was the C.O. and Clifford N. Seaver was X.O., became C.O. in early '56. I worked for LT Harry Hites, Personnel Officer. We did a 6 month deployment on the U.S.S. LEXINGTON CVA16. She had just come out of Bremerton, WA and was the first angled deck carrier to go into service. We left in May of 56 and returned in December of 56. Aircraft assigned were 52H3 Banshees. The airgroup also had a squadron of F7U Cutlasses (known as the ensign killers). We deployed with 13, came back with 6 if my memory is correct. I left the squadron in September of 57 as a YN2 and stayed in the active reserve until I completed 20 years.

Keywords: USS LEXINGTON - CVA16

VF-52 Korea - Valley Forge

Comments: Was there a cruisebook for the Valley Forge's 1950 Korean cruise? I would be interested in scanned images from that one - I have the cruisebook from the third Korean cruise - with ATG-1 including VF-52 aboard. If anyone would like scanned images from it, I should be able to provide them.

Keywords: VF-52 Korea Valley Forge

Member VF-52 2-12-54 3-25-55

Comments: To: Randy Erwin,I was an AEM3 in your fathers Sq from early'54-early'55 on that last cruse you spoke about in your comments. I remember Lt Cmr. Budnick,Deacon Barker and I beleive Lt. Harry Dean at that time. If I'm not mistaken Mr Dean was from Okla City,Ok which was my home town. I recall when your father was made Full Cmdr in the spring of '54 and we had a party at NAS El Centro with baseball game and gallons of beer. He was presented with his new Cover with the Scrambled Eggs on the brim. What a proud and humbeled man he was and I was proud to have him as my Skipper. Back to the cruise for a moment,it was my first and only cruise and I have many memories of the many ports we visited including Manila,Hong Kong and Yokasuka,also we were in a violent tropical storm in the So China sea. We also spent several weeks at Atsugi NAS while The flight deck of the old Wasp CVA-18 was being repaired. Also during that stay in Japan we had another Sqd party at some big hotel in I think Tokyo where one of the officers cut his hand badly trying to break a glass by squezing it in his hand. I still keep in touch with a couple of friends form our Sqd,but most are gone or not to be located. Really glad to be able to hook up with someone who remembers old VF-52 as I've been searching for several years.

Keywords: VF-52 Sealancers 2-12-54/3-25-55

VF-52 Info

Comments: My father was skipper of VF-52 during their third, or fourth cruise to Korea aboard the Wasp. I think that it was prior to this deployment that the Sea Lancers helped to make the movie "Bridges Over Toko Ri", and "Men of the Fighting Lady"

Some of the pilots I remember from those days were Jim Holloway (future CNO), Deacon Barker ('Uncle' to me and my brother), Larry Budnick (XO), and Harry Dean. I have his cruise book from the wasp for this tour.

He was previously XO of VF-193 flying F8Fs and ADs.

I am most anxious to obtain color pictures of the squadron patches of both VF-52, and VF-193 from that period.

Keywords: VF-52 1953

VF52 & VF91 NAS ALAMEDA '57-'59

Comments: I was an AE. Checked into VF-52 March of '57 and stayed until squadron and air group (ATG-1) disbanded in Feb of '59. My bosses were CPO Vaughn and CPO Milton Hurst. Both of these guys were later commissioned and moved on to bigger and better things. The squadron flew Banshees which were a nightmare for us electricians since most everything that moved on the plane was electrical, including flaps and gear. We always were the last maintenance people to secure each night because we had the most maintenance discrepancies to work off to get the planes airworthy for the next day, no small task considering that we had Banshees. I'd like to hear from anybody else that was in these squadrons at the time I was there. Dwight Small dsmall@cableone.net

Keywords: VF-52, VF-91 1957-'59, NAS Alameda, Westpac cruise on Ticonderoga '58-'59. Skippers CN Seaver, Volpi, Gaudi

Air group 5 VF52

Comments: I was the storekeeper for VF52 from 1949 until we returned from Korea in December 1950. Joined VF52 before F9F came in and pilots were flying army F-80. We were on a world tour when and in Hong Kong when the Korean War started, VF51 Pilots mad the first war time Jet naval airstrikes in History on July 3, 1950. Our Co, Lt Cmdr William Lamb was one of the few who shot down Migs. Anybody interested send email;

Keywords: Korean war

VF-52 @ NAS Alameda

Comments: I was an AE. Checked into VF-52 March of '57 and stayed until squadron and air group (ATG-1) disbanded in Feb of '59. My bosses were CPO Vaughn and CPO Milton Hurst. Both of these guys were commissioned and moved on to bigger and better things. The squadron flew Banshees which were a nightmare for us electricians since most everything that moved on the plane was electrical, including flaps and gear. We always were the last maintenance people to secure each night because we had to get the planes airworthy for the next day, no small task considering that we had Banshees. I'd sure like to hear from anybody else that was in this squadron at the time I was there. Dwight Small small.dwight@att.net

Keywords: VF-52, 1957-'59, NAS Alameda, Westpac cruise on Ticonderoga '58-'59. Skipper CN Seaver/Volpi

DOES ANYONE KNOW MY FATHER FRANK VOJTA

Comments: My dad Frank Vojta was an F9F mechanic and then crew chief with the VF-52 serving in the early 1950s on board the USS Boxer and Valley Forge.

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VF-52 November 1950

Comments: I am trying to gather information about the air combat operations of USN squadrons in Korea. In case of VF-52 I am especially interested in encounters with MiG’s during the November 1950 strikes on the Yalu bridges. Official archival information mentions VF-52’s victory over a MiG 18 November, but with little detail. Any further information on this or other MiG encounters by any sdn in Valley Forge/CVG-5 at that time, first hand or not, would be helpful.

Keywords: units, aircraft

Comments: LOOKING FOR GUYS WHO KNEW MY DAD

Keywords: EUGENE (JEEP) MAILLET FROM MONTANA NIGHT CARRIER PILOT FRANKLIN ENTERPRISE ETC.

1950-51 VF-52

Comments: 1950-51 VF-52

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VF-52 info

Comments: Thought I would add a few bits of info about Fighting 52 before old age takes it away from me. I had the privilige of being an AT3 during the last months of the Korean Conflict aboard the USS Boxer. My job was to install, service and repair the communications/radar gear in the a/c. VF-52 was stationed at NAS Miramar. This was before the fancy new buildings were put up. Miramar was a wood with tarpaper typical WW2 facility and was put back into service due to the Korean emergency, at least that's what I was told??? Transportation about the base was by semi-trailer which acted as a bus line. At one time a civilian roadway ran between the Airstrip and the barracks, this was later rerouted. A funny thing that happened @ Miramar was one evening when I was barracks firewatch there was a fire alarm at the church. Being "green" I stupidly woke up the P.O. of the watch, a 20 year salty aviation storekeeper. "Q.K. I said theres a fire at the church. Q.K. opened one eye, looked at me scornfully, and said "holy Smoke" then went peacefully back to sleep. I remember a few names from the Boxer cruise, our leading chief was "Blackie" something or the other. He was real Navy and a good man to know, eventually he became a Warrant Officer. Our 1st Class AT was Falconer, whom I used to bother all the time asking technical questions. AT3 "Al" Allison was with VF-52 on the previous cruise aboard the Valley Forge. ATAN Hugh Beckner was part of the AT's, as was AT3(?) Pat Macormick(?) Afew of the officers were Lt Stokes, Lt Dadisman, Lt Cmdr Kinsella, Lt. Kaiser, Lt. Holloway (his Dad was Admiral Holloway who I believe was Chief of Naval Personnel at the time.) I believe we did our Car-quals on the BonHomme Richard before leaving for Hawaii and then our ORI in Hawaian waters. Left Hawaii for Japan and then took our place on the "LINE" off the coast of Korea. (Will try to add more to this later on)

Keywords: NAS Miramar, NAS Alameda, USS Boxer, USS Wasp, F9F-5 Panther Jets @ Miramar, Banshees @ Alameda

VF-52 info

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