VP-34 was a Patrol Squadron of the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

. The squadron was established as Patrol Squadron 15-F (VP-15F) on 1 September 1936, redesignated Patrol Squadron 15 (VP-15) on 1 October 1937, redesignated Patrol Squadron 53 (VP-53) on 1 July 1939, redesignated Patrol Squadron 73 (VP-73) on 1 July 1941, redesignated Patrol Bombing Squadron 73 (VPB-73) on 1 October 1944, redesignated Patrol Squadron 73 (VP-73) on 15 May 1946, redesignated Amphibian Patrol Squadron 4 (VP-AM-4) on 15 November 1946, redesignated Patrol Squadron 34 (VP- 4) on 1 September 1948 and disestablished on 30 June 1956. It was the second squadron to be designated VP-34, the first VP-34 was redesignated VPB-34 on 1 October 1944.

Operational history

PBY-5As VP-73 returning to Reykavik 1942

1 September 1936: VP-15F was established at NAF Annapolis, Maryland, under the operational control of Base Force with six P3M-2 aircraft. Shortly thereafter, the squadron relocated to NAF Norfolk, Virginia. provided tender support. Over the next three years, the squadron flew to Annapolis in June and remained over the summer months, providing midshipman aviation training. The squadron returned to its permanent home base at NAF Norfolk each September. 1 October 1937: VP-15F was redesignated VP-15 when the Patrol Wing concept was established. Under this concept patrol squadrons were organized under Patrol Wings and VP-15 came under the operational control of PatWing-5. October 1938: VP-15 received twelve P2Y-2 aircraft from

VP-10 Patrol Squadron 10 (VP-10) is a United States Navy Patrol Squadron based at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is nicknamed the "Red Lancers" and is equipped with the Boeing P-8 Poseidon, Boeing P-8A Posei ...

when the latter was refitted with newer replacement aircraft. April 1939: The squadron received the upgraded P2Y-3 4 September 1939: President Roosevelt inaugurated the

Neutrality Patrol On September 3, 1939, the British and French declarations of war on Germany initiated the Battle of the Atlantic. The United States Navy Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) established a combined air and ship patrol of the United States Atlantic co ...

s in response to the German

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

in August. Patrol squadrons 51, 52, 53 and 54 of PatWing-5 and

VP-33 VP-33 was a Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Patrol Squadron 12-F (VP-12F) on 1 November 1935, redesignated Patrol Squadron 12 (VP-12) on 1 October 1937, redesignated Patrol Squadron 51 (VP-51) on 1 July 1939, ...

of PatWing-3 supported Battleship Division 5, Cruiser Division 7, 40 destroyers and 15 submarines in conducting the Neutrality Patrol. VP-53 teamed up with VP-52 and a group of destroyers to cover the waters adjacent to Norfolk. 1 November 1939: VP-53 replaced its P2Y-3s with a mixed bag of spare PBY-1, 2 and 3 seaplanes from other squadrons for commencement of the Neutrality Patrols. There were not enough PBYs to replace all of the P2Ys, so two of the P2Y-3s were retained and flown alongside the PBYs. February 1940: VP-53 was relocated to

NAS Key West Naval Air Station Key West , is a naval air station and military airport located on Boca Chica Key, four miles (6 km) east of the central business district of Key West, Florida, United States., effective 2007-10-25 NAS Key West is an ai ...

, Florida, remaining there until April 1941, when it returned to NAS Norfolk and exchanged its older model aircraft for the newer model PBY-5. 24 May 1941: VP-53 was relocated to

NAS Quonset Point Quonset Point Air National Guard Station is the home base of the Rhode Island Air National Guard 143rd Airlift Wing. Naval Air Station (NAS) Quonset Point was a United States Navy, United States Naval Base in Quonset Point, Rhode Island that was ...

, Rhode Island, to await the completion of the base under construction at

Argentia Argentia ( ) is a Canadian commercial seaport and industrial park located in the Town of Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on the southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula and defined by ...

, Newfoundland. On 9 June 1941, a detachment of six aircraft deployed to NAS Argentia, supported by tender . The detachment returned on 25 June, after VP-52 had moved ashore and assumed responsibility for patrols. 1 July 1941: VP-53 was redesignated VP-73 after the reorganization of the fleet patrol squadrons, and placed under PatWing-7, Support Force. Detachments of VP-71, 72, 73 and 74 began a rotation program to exchange deployed aircrews at NAS Argentia and Reykjavik back to their home ports at NAS Quonset Point and NAS Norfolk. 6 August 1941: Six aircraft of VP-73 and five PBMs of VP-74 arrived at Skerja Fjord, near Reykjavik. provided tender support to the squadrons operating out of Reykjavik. Convoys were covered up to from base and

Anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations ar ...

(ASW) coverage of the Denmark Strait between Iceland and Greenland was provided. The combined air strength of the British and U.S. forces in Iceland consisted of 48 British aircraft and 42 American planes. Crews operating in theextreme conditions of the Arctic Circle became known as "blue noses." 15 January 1942: Winter in Iceland was the worst enemy of the patrol squadrons. The British withdrew their PBY squadron, feeling that the weather was too extreme for operation of the slow patrol aircraft. On the 15th gales reaching 133 mph struck the area, sinking three of VP-73's Catalinas and two of VP-74's PBMs. 20 August 1942: While on convoy escort in Skerja Fjord, near Reykjavik, Lieutenant (jg) Robert B. Hopgood and crew attacked and sank ''U-464''. Hopgood and his crew pressed home the attack even though the crew of the submarine elected to remain on the surface and fight it out with the lightly armed Catalina. rescued 53 survivors. Returning to base, Hopgood sent the following message: "Sank Sub Open Club." Lieutenant (jg) Hopgood was awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

for his heroic action. 28 August 1942: Lieutenant (jg) John E. Odell and crew claimed a

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

kill while on convoy escort near Reykjavik. Postwar examination of German records does not indicate any losses on that date. 5 October 1942: Aircraft 73-P-12 of VP-73 attacked and sank ''U-582'', while on convoy escort near Reykjavik. 25 October – November 1942: VP-73 was transferred to

French Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco, also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco that lasted from 1912 to 1956. The protectorate was officially established 30 March 1912, when Sultan Abd al-Hafid signed the ...

, based at Craw Field, Port Lyautey. The squadron was operational by 11 November. During its operational patrols the squadron encountered Spanish Fiat CR.32 fighters over the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

and German Fw 200Cs near

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

. Convoys were escorted by the southern route, earning crew members the sobriquet of "shellbacks" for crossing the Equator. During this period a detachment was maintained at Ben Sergao Field,

Agadir Agadir (, ; ) is a major List of cities in Morocco, city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Sous River, Souss River flows into the ocean, and south of Casabla ...

. Crews at this location rotated with

VP-92 Patrol Squadron 92 (VP-92) is a former U.S. Navy Reserve patrol squadron. Established on 1 November 1970, it was disestablished on 17 October 2007. It was the second squadron to be designated VP-92, the VPB-92, first VP-92 was redesignated VPB-9 ...

. 16 August 1943: VP-73 was relocated to Ben Sergao Field, Agadir, French Morocco. 4 December 1943: Orders were received relieving VP-73 of duty in French Morocco. The squadron arrived at NAS Norfolk on 25 December. 16 January 1944: After a brief home leave, the squadron was based at

Floyd Bennett Field Floyd Bennett Field is an airfield in the Marine Park, Brooklyn, Marine Park neighborhood of southeast Brooklyn in New York City, along the shore of Jamaica Bay. The airport originally hosted commercial and general aviation traffic before bein ...

, New York. Convoys from England were provided coverage in the approaches to the eastern seaboard of the U.S., and ASW patrols were conducted off the coastline of the East Coast. 30 May 1945: VPB-73 deployed to NS San Juan, Puerto Rico. While assigned to NS San Juan the squadron came under the operational control of FAW-11, Caribbean Sea Frontier. 1 June 1945: VPB-73 deployed a three aircraft detachment to NAS Port Lyautey, French Morocco. A second detachment with one aircraft was sent to

Guantanamo Bay Naval Base Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo as jargon by the U.S. military) is a United States military base located on of land and water on the shore of Guant ...

, Cuba. November 1946: The squadron changed home ports from NS San Juan to NAS Norfolk. 1 September 1948: Following its redesignation from VPAM-4 to VP-34, the squadron began conversion training for the Martin PBM-5S at NAS Norfolk. The squadron's complement was nine PBMs, with 44 officers and 244 enlisted personnel. 15 December 1949: VP-34 conducted one week of cold weather exercises at NAS Halifax, Nova Scotia, supported by tender . VP-34 was the first seaplane squadron to operate from Halifax harbor. VP-34 and

VP-3 VP-3 was a Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Patrol Squadron 16-F (VP-16F) on 2 January 1937, redesignated Patrol Squadron 16 (VP-16) on 1 October 1937, redesignated Patrol Squadron 41 (VP-41) on 1 July 1939, re ...

were the only two patrol squadrons to complete FY 1952 with 100 percent safety marks. VP-34 broke all previous records by flying 3,613 accident-free hours in just six months. In July 1953 Twelve VP-34 aircraft were employed in patrols and long-distance flights between NAS Trinidad and

NAS Corpus Christi Naval Air Station Corpus Christi is a United States Navy naval air base located six miles (10 km) southeast of the central business district (CBD) of Corpus Christi, in Nueces County, Texas. History A naval air station for Corpus Christi ...

, Texas, for six weeks of training exercises. NAS Coco Solo

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...

was selected for reversion to caretaker status during the rounds of base cutbacks after 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 ...

. VP-34 departed NAS Coco Solo on 30 June 1956 and returned to Norfolk for formal disestablishment.

Aircraft assignments

The squadron was assigned the following aircraft, effective on the dates shown: * Consolidated P3M-2 - September 1936 * P2Y-2 - October 1938 * P2Y-3 - April 1939 *

Consolidated PBY Catalina The Consolidated Model 28, more commonly known as the PBY Catalina (U.S. Navy designation), is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft designed by Consolidated Aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. In U.S. Army service, it was designated as the OA- ...

- December 1939 initially with -1, -2, and -3 variants. Replaced with the improved PBY-5 variant in July 1941, the amphibious PBY-5A in 1942 and the PBY-6A in 1945 * Martin PBM-5A Mariner - September 1948, with PBM-5S from June 1949

Home port assignments

The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown: * NAF Annapolis, Maryland - 1 September 1936 *

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 ...

, Virginia - October 1936 *

, Florida - February 1940 * NAS Norfolk - April 1941 *

, Rhode Island - 24 May 1941 * NAS Port Lyautey, Morocco - 25 October 1942 * Ben Sergao Field,

, Morocco - 16 August 1943 * NAS Norfolk - 25 December 1943 * NAS Floyd Bennett Field, New York - 16 January 1944 * NS San Juan, Puerto Rico - 30 May 1945 * NAS Norfolk - November 1946 * NAS Trinidad, British West Indies - October 1950 * NAS Coco Solo Panama Canal Zone - June 1955 * NAS Norfolk - June 1956

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vp-34 Patrol squadrons of the United States Navy Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons

Operational history

Aircraft assignments

Home port assignments

See also

References