VA-2A
What was the official name of VA-15 (U.S. Navy) in Mar 1948?
VA-15 ( U.S . Navy ) Attack Squadron 15 ( VA-15 ) , nicknamed the Valions , was an aviation unit of the United States Navy . It was established as Torpedo Squadron 4 ( VT-4 ) on 10 January 1942 , redesignated VA-2A on 15 November 1946 , and finally redesignated VA-15 on 2 August 1948 . The squadron was disestablished on 1 June 1969 , after 27 years of service . Operational history . World War II . - 10 January 1942 : Torpedo Squadron FOUR ( VT-4 ) was established aboard while the ship was in port at Grassy Bay , Bermuda.The squadron initially flew the TBD Devastator and was assigned to protect the sea lanes between Bermuda and Newfoundland from their homeport of Naval Air Station Quonset Point , Rhode Island . - August 1942 , VT-4 transitioned from the TBD to the TBF Avenger . - 8 August 1943 : Ranger , with VT-4 aboard , met the convoy with the liner Queen Mary , which was bringing Winston Churchill to North America for the Quebec Conference . - August–November 1943 : VT-4 , while deployed aboard Ranger , operated as part of the British Home Fleet . - 4 October 1943 : The squadron participated in Operation Leader and struck at shipping targets around Kunna Head , Norway , while other elements of CVG-4 struck targets at Bodø , Norway . The squadrons TBF-1s , along with its escort of F4Fs , destroyed a German freighter and a small coaster and damaged a troop transport . - October 1943 : VT-4 , flying from Ranger , operated with the British Second Battle Squadron and patrolled the waters of the Norwegian Sea . - 1 May 1944 : CVG-4 reformed as a spare air group with a composition that was designed to include 36 fighter aircraft ( F6F ) , 36 scout-bomber aircraft ( SB2C ) and 18 torpedo aircraft ( TBF/TBM ) . This air group composition was organized to operate from the large deck carriers of the Essex class . Squadrons in CVG-4 included VT-4 , VF-4 and VB-4 . This change also brought an end to Air Group FOURs operations aboard Ranger . - July 1944 : VT-4 and CVG-4 transferred from Atlantic to Pacific Fleet . - 15–21 July 1944 : VT-4 aboard en route to Pearl Harbor from San Diego . - 21 September 1944 : During a pre-dawn sortie involving simulated torpedo tactics , three of the squadrons aircraft collided with each other , resulting in the loss of nine personnel , including the squadrons commanding officer , Lieutenant Commander Homer H . Hutcheson . - 4–17 November 1944 : CVG-4 and VT-4 were temporarily embarked on for operations in support of landings at Leyte . The squadron participated in combat strikes at Ormoc Bay , Cavite and Clark Field . - December 1944 : The squadron participated in combat operations in support of landings on Mindoro . - January 1945 : While operating from , the squadron struck targets on Formosa , Luzon , Hainan and the Ryukyu Island chain as well as in French Indochina ( Vietnam ) . Operations in Vietnam were around Saigon and Camranh Bay . These operations were in support of the continued assault against the Japanese in the Philippines . - 16 February 1945 : The squadron conducted its first strikes against the home islands of Japan , hitting Mawatari airfield on Honshu . Other strikes against targets on Honshu were conducted on 17 and 25 February . - 19–22 February 1945 : CVG-4 provided support for the Battle of Iwo Jima . - 1 March 1945 : The airfield , facilities and shipping at Naha , Okinawa , were hit by squadron aircraft . - 4 March 1945 : VT-4 disembarked from Essex at Ulithi , completing the squadrons last combat cruise during World War II . - 9–23 March 1945 : CVG-4 aboard for passage from Ulithi to Pearl Harbor . VT-4 eventually returned to the States in April 1945 for reforming following its combat cruise . Postwar . - 15 February–15 April 1946 : VT-4 along with other squadrons in CVG-4 participated in s shakedown cruise in the Caribbean Sea following the ships commissioning in December 1945 . - November 1946 : Some squadron aircraft were fitted with sonobuoy gear and personnel were trained in antisubmarine missions as well as their normal torpedo-attack requirements . - March 1949 : the squadron moved to NAS Cecil Field , Florida and transitioned to the AD Skyraider . 1950s . - 22 May 1950 : VA-15 , along with the other squadrons in CVG-1 , were designated as training squadrons and CVG-1 as a training air group . The squadrons primary mission was the training of fleet pilots in attack aircraft . VA-15s training syllabus emphasized glide bombing , dive-bombing , rocket firing , day-and-night tactics and carrier qualifications in the AD Skyraider . - 19 September 1951 : the CNO approved the squadron insignia , which was a modification of an earlier one depicting a lion riding a torpedo . The lion was retained to represent the strong attack capabilities of the squadron and the torpedo was replaced by a missile . - 13–23 September 1952 : VA-15 , while deployed aboard , participated in the first NATO naval operation , Operation Mainbrace , conducted in the North Atlantic . - February 1955 : While deployed aboard , the squadron supported the evacuation of Chinese Nationalist civilians and military personnel from the Tachen Islands which were being bombarded by the Peoples Republic of China . - November–December 1956 : As a result of the Suez Crisis , VA-15 deployed aboard and operated in the vicinity of the Azores . - 12 Sep 1958 : VA-15 was assigned the additional mission of Aerial refuelling . 1960s . - 14–28 November 1960 : VA-15 , temporarily assigned to CVG-10 , deployed aboard to the Caribbean Sea to guard against possible infiltration into Guatemala and Nicaragua by insurgent organizations that were believed to have ties to Cuba . - 21–27 November 1961 : VA-15 , embarked on , operated off the coast of the Dominican Republic to support the newly established democratic government . - March–April 1962 : VA-15 deployed aboard to the Caribbean and participated in the shakedown cruise of the worlds first nuclear powered carrier . - August 1965 : Although scheduled to transition to the A-6 Intruder , VA-15 began training under VA-44 for transition to the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk . - 4 April–21 November 1966 : VA-15 deployed to Vietnam as a component of CVW-10 embarked on . CVW-10 was an all-attack air wing composed of four attack squadrons , two squadrons flying A-4 Skyhawks and two squadrons with A-1 Skyraiders . - 15 May 1966 : The squadron flew its first combat mission since March 1945 when it was designated VT- 4 and a member of Carrier Air Group 4 . - 1967 : VA-15 again returned to Southeast Asia on the USS Intrepid - 1968-9 : the squadron deployed to the Mediterranean on after she was restored from the disastrous fire . Home port assignments . The squadron was assigned to these home ports , effective on the dates shown : - NAS Norfolk – Mar 1942 - NAS Quonset Point – Apr 1942 - NAAF Ayer ( Fort Devens ) – May 1944 - NAS Pearl Harbor – Jul 1944 - NAS Hilo – Aug 1944 - NAS Alameda – Apr 1945 - NAAS Watsonville – 21 May 1945 - NAS Quonset Point – 11 Jul 1945 - NAAF Groton – Aug 1945 - NAS Norfolk – Apr 1946 - NAS San Diego – 15 Jul 1946 - NAAS Cecil Field – 21 Mar 1949 - NAS Jacksonville – 09 Jan 1950 - NAAS Cecil Field – 29 Feb 1952 - NAS Jacksonville – Jul 1957 - NAS Oceana – Apr 1965 - NAS Cecil Field – Aug 1965 Aircraft assignment . The squadron was assigned the following aircraft in the months shown : - Douglas TBD-1 Devastator – Jan 1942 - Grumman TBF-1 Avenger – Aug 1942 - Grumman TBF-1C/TBM-1C Avenger – Jan 1944 - Grumman TBM-3 Avenger – Jan 1945 - Grumman TBM-3E Avenger – May 1945 - Grumman TBM-3Q Avenger – 1946 - Douglas AD-4 Skyraider – 19 Aug 1949 - Douglas AD-4L Skyraider – 08 Mar 1951 - Douglas AD-6/AD-1H Skyraider – May 1954 - Douglas A-4B Skyhawk – Dec 1965 - Douglas A-4C Skyhawk – Dec 1966 - Douglas A-4E Skyhawk – Dec 1967