Fighter Squadron 53, or VF-53 ''Iron Angels'' was an aviation unit 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 ...

in service from 20 July 1950 to 29 January 1971. Originally established as reserve squadron VF-721 on 20 July 1950, it was redesignated as VF-141 on 4 February 1953 and then redesignated as VF-53 on 15 October 1963. The squadron was disestablished on 29 January 1971. It was the fourth US Navy squadron to be designated as VF-53.

Operational history

Korean War

VF-721 equipped with the F9F-2 Panther was assigned to Carrier Air Group 101 (CVG-101) aboard for a deployment to Korea from 2 March to 24 October 1951. During this deployment the squadron lost 2 aircraft. The squadron deployed on from 11 August 1952 to 17 March 1953. During this deployment the squadron lost 4 aircraft and two pilots killed.

1950s-60s

VF-141 equipped with the F2H-3 Banshee was assigned to Carrier Air Group 14 (CVG-14) aboard for a deployment to the Mediterranean from 3 February to 6 August 1954. VF-141 equipped with the F4D-1 Skyray was assigned to Carrier Air Group 5 (CVG-5) aboard for a deployment to the Western Pacific from 12 July to 9 December 1957. The squadron was assigned to Carrier Air Group 14 (CVG-14) aboard for a deployment to the Western Pacific from 3 January to 27 July 1959. VF-141 equipped with the

F3H Demon The McDonnell F3H Demon is a subsonic swept-wing carrier-based jet fighter aircraft designed and produced by the American manufacturer McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. It was the first swept wing jet fighter and the only single-engined carrier ...

was assigned to CVG-14 for a deployment to the Western Pacific aboard from 14 May to 15 December 1960. The squadron deployed aboard for a deployment to the Western Pacific from 9 November 1961 to 12 May 1962.

Vietnam

VF-53 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 5 (CVW-5) and was deployed to Vietnamese waters aboard three times: 3 January to 15 July 1963; 14 April to 15 December 1964 and 28 September 1965 to 13 May 1966. VF-53 was deployed on the carrier from 5 January to 22 July 1967. On 25 March 1967, a squadron F-8E crashed at sea on a non-combat mission, the pilot Lieutenant j.g. James Hise was killed in action, body not recovered. VF-53 was deployed on the carrier USS ''Bon Homme Richard'' three times: from 27 January to 10 October 1968; from 18 March to 29 October 1969 and from 2 April to 12 November 1970. On 29 July 1968, LCDR Guy Kane flying an F-8E shot down a

Vietnam People's Air Force The Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF; ), officially the Air Defence - Air Force Service (ADAF Service; ) or the Vietnam Air Force (), is the Aerial warfare, aerial, Anti-aircraft warfare, air and Space warfare, space defence service branch of ...

MiG-17 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (; NATO reporting name: Fresco) is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the Soviet Union from 1952 and was operated by air forces internationally. The MiG-17 was license-built in China as the Shenyang J-5 an ...

Home port assignments

NAS Glenview Naval Air Station Glenview or NAS Glenview was an operational U.S. Naval Air Station from 1937 to 1995. Located in Glenview, Illinois Glenview is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, approximately northwest of the Chicago Loo ...

NAS Miramar

Notable former members

* Thomas J. Hudner Jr.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:VF-53 Strike fighter squadrons of the United States Navy