VW 1 Background
On Sat, 04 Dec 1999
thomas bass Email address wrote:
I was assigned to VW-l in Aug 1952 stationed at Barbers Pt. Hawaii and
was discharged in 1955. We flew B-17 reconfigured to carry long range
radar with a CIC for submarine patrol. We also flew missions in Korea,
China, and other areas of the south pacific.
The B-17s were replaced with WV-2 (super connies) in 1954 with better
radar, video transfer capability and an upgraded CIC center with 5
control officers. Flying out of Atsugi, Japan, we conducted missions in
Korea Feb/March, 1953, covered the Tachin Island invasion by China and
filmed the China coast from Shanghi to Hongkong in 1955.
The squadron was decommissioned (I think) in 1956/7 and the WV-2
aircraft reassigned to new squadrons commissioned as weather chasers
stationed in the Mariannas chain. Could you please reseach and post
VW-l in your listings.
A 2nd reunion was held in Branson, Mo. in May, 1997 and the next reunion
is being planned for 2000.
More info:
I dug out some papers I had from Floyd Yancy (He started the reunion
program of VW-1 vets) and found a compiliation of the Airplanes of
Airborne Early Warning Squadron One by Ernest D. Ruff, :USN Ret. who
was LTJG, LT Plank Owner of VW-lat Barbers Pt 1952-3. and later
LT. :CDR , Guam 1958-60.
According to his papers the following history is provided:
Disignated Airborne Early Warning Squadron One,m (VW-1) the squadron was
commissioned at the NAS Barbers Pt,:Oahu, Hawaii on 18 June, 1952.
But the cadre that was to be born as AEWRON ONE began gestation the
1050 at Miramar Naval Aux Air Station, San Diego, Calif with 3 PB-1W
airplanes operating as a Detaachment of Air Development Aquadron Four
(VX-4) based at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.
This organizational structure was revised early in 1950 and the group,
still based at Miramar, became a Detachment of Composite Squadron Eleven
(VX-11) of NAS North Island, San Diego.
In June 1952 VC-11 Miramar Detachment with four PB-1W airplanes moved to
Hawaii and became the commissioning detail for VW-1. The squadron
mission was 1) providing airborne early warning and CIC services to the
Pacific fleet; 2) scouting; 3) anti-submarine warfare support; 4)
electronic countermeasures support; and 5) weather reconnaissance.
In june 1956 the squadron moved to NAS Moffett Field in Calif. and 1957
it moved to NAS Agana, Guam, Marianas, Islands where it was based until
disestablished in July, 1971.
I ran across an E-mail address of John B. Lukasiewicz at
http://www2.wi.net/-the lid/ which gives another followon of the
squadrons history and use of the WV-2 aircraft with good pictures.
Also, while watching the history channel, world at war series, aircraft
of the USA, the Korean conflict segment contained a picture of one of
our WV-2 planes on patrol over Korea.
Hope this helps. Thanks for the opportunity to give you input and
your response.
Tom
