Attack Squadron 54 (VA-54) was an attack squadron of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. Originally established as Bomber Fighter Squadron VBF-153 on 26 March 1945, redesignated Fighter Squadron VF-61A (VF-16A) on 15 November 1946, redesignated VF-152 on 15 July 1948, and VF-54 on 15 February 1950. It was finally redesignated VA-54 on 15 June 1956. The squadron was disestablished on 1 April 1958. It was the second squadron to be designated VA-54, the first VA-54 was disestablished on 1 December 1949. The squadron's insignia changed several times over its lifetime, ending up as a devil's head with naval aviation wings. Its nickname was the ''Copperheads'' until 1951, and ''Hell's Angels'' thereafter.

Operational history

* 29 June 1950: VF-54 was deployed aboard in the Western Pacific when the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

broke out on 25 June. The carrier was ordered north from the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

and the squadron's aircraft conducted a sweep along the western coast of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

due to the concern that the

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

n invasion of

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

might be a prelude to an invasion of that island by the

Chinese Communists The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil W ...

. * 3 July 1950: The squadron participated in its first combat strikes since its establishment in 1945. These strikes were the first made by carrier aircraft in the Korean War. VF-54's F4Us struck targets in

Pyongyang, North Korea Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

. * 15 September 1950: VF-54 provided air support for the

Battle of Inchon The Battle of Inchon (), also called Inchon landing, was an Amphibious warfare, amphibious invasion and a battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations Command (UN). The opera ...

. * 26 July 1954: VF-54's AD-4 Skyraiders were on a

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

mission looking for survivors, rafts or debris from the

1954 Cathay Pacific Douglas DC-4 shootdown The 1954 Cathay Pacific Douglas DC-4 shootdown was an incident on 23 July 1954, when a Cathay Pacific Airways DC-4/C-54 airliner was shot down by Chinese Air Force fighter aircraft. The event occurred off the coast of Hainan Island, where t ...

, when they were attacked by two Chinese LA-7 fighter aircraft. Two of the squadron's AD-4s, along with an F4U, shot down the two LA-7s 13 miles southeast of

Hainan Island Hainan is an island province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally means "South of the Sea ...

. * September 1957: , with VA-54 embarked, operated in the vicinity of

in response to a buildup of Chinese Communist forces on the mainland opposite Taiwan. * Dec 1957: The squadron began the transition from propeller aircraft to jets.

Home port assignments

The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown: * NAS Wildwood – 26 Mar 1945 * NAAS Oceana – 1 Jun 1945 *

NAS Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Ha ...

– 2 Jul 1946 *

NAS Alameda Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station mostly in Alameda, California, with a slight portion of it within San Francisco proper, on San Francisco Bay. NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and ...

– 11 Aug 1946 * NAS Sand Point – 4 May 1948 *

– 28 Jun 1948 *

NAS San Diego Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado (N ...

– 1 Dec 1949 *

NAS Miramar Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force. It is located in Miramar, a commu ...

– 19 May 1952

Aircraft assignment

The squadron first received the following aircraft on the dates shown: * F4U-1 ''Corsair'' – 26 Mar 1945 * F4U-4 ''Corsair'' – 4 Jun 1945 * F6F-5 ''Hellcat'' – 10 Sep 1945 * F8F-1 ''Bearcat'' – 21 Oct 1947 * F8F-2 ''Bearcat'' – May 1949 * AD-4 ''Skyraider'' – 1 Dec 1949 * F4U-4B ''Corsair'' – 14 Dec 1949 * AD-1/4 ''Skyraider'' – Mar 1951 * AD-6 ''Skyraider'' – Dec 1954 * AD-5 ''Skyraider'' – Dec 1954 * AD-7 ''Skyraider'' – Jan 1957 * F9F-8B ''Cougar'' – Dec 1957

References

{{United States Navy Aircraft Squadrons Attack squadrons of the United States Navy Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons

Operational history

Home port assignments

Aircraft assignment

See also

References