VA-153
VA-153 (U.S. Navy) was officially named what from Dec 1956 to Sep 1977?
VA-153 ( U.S . Navy ) VA-153 was an Attack Squadron of the U.S . Navy . During a 1949 reorganization of the Naval Air Reserve , a Fighter Squadron at NAS New York ( believed to have been VF-718 ) was redesignated Fighter Squadron VF-831 . It was called to active duty on 1 February 1951 . The squadron was redesignated as VF-153 on 4 February 1953 , and finally as VA-153 on 15 December 1956 . It was disestablished on 30 September 1977 . The squadrons nickname was the Blue Tail Flies from 1953 onward . Operational history . - VF-831 was assigned to Carrier Air Group 15 ( CVG-15 ) , aboard , which was deployed to Korea from 8 September 1951 to 2 May 1952 . - February 1955 : Squadron aircraft flew sorties in support of the evacuation of Chinese Nationalists from the Tachen Islands during the First Taiwan Straits Crisis . - 23 August–9 September 1958 : The squadron flew sorties in the Taiwan Straits during the Second Taiwan Straits Crisis . - January 1961 : , with VA-153 embarked , operated in the South China Sea after Pathet Lao forces captured strategic positions in Laos . - 2 February 1965 : The squadron began participating in operations in Laos . These operations involved Yankee Team , Operation Barrel Roll and Operation Steel Tiger missions . - 7 and 11 February 1965 : The squadron participated in Flaming Dart I and II , reprisal strikes against targets in North Vietnam following a Viet Cong attack on the American advisors compound at Pleiku and the American billet in Qui Nhon , South Vietnam . - March 1965 : The squadron participated in Operation Rolling Thunder , the bombing of military targets in North Vietnam . - 13 August 1965 : The squadrons commanding officer , Commander H . E . Thomas , was killed in action over North Vietnam . - March 1968 : , with VA-153 embarked , operated on station off the coast of Korea following the capture of in January by North Korea . - 21 November 1970 : The squadron flew missions in support of Operation Ivory Coast , an attempt to rescue American prisoners of war at the Son Tay prisoner compound , 20 miles west of Hanoi . - 11–22 February 1973 : Following the ceasefire with North Vietnam the squadron flew combat missions in Laos until a ceasefire was signed with that country on 22 February 1973 . - February 1973 : Commander D . R . Weichman , the squadrons executive officer , completed his 625th combat mission of the Vietnam War . He maintains the record for the highest number of combat missions for a Navy fixed-wing pilot during this conflict . - November 1973 : , with VA-153 embarked , departed from operations in the South China Sea to relieve on station in the Arabian Sea due to the unsettled conditions following the Yom Kippur War . Home port assignments . The squadron was assigned to these home ports , effective on the dates shown : - NAS New York ( Floyd Bennett Field ) – assigned here prior to the squadrons recall to active duty on 1 February 1951 . - NAS Alameda – 01 Apr 1951 - NAS Moffett Field – 5 May 1952 - NAS Lemoore – 21 Aug 1961 Aircraft Assignment . The squadron first received the following aircraft on the dates shown : - F6F Hellcat * - F9F-2 Panther – 06 Feb 1951 - F9F-5 Panther – Aug 1952 - F9F-6 Cougar – Oct 1953 - FJ-3 Fury – Mar 1955 - F9F-8 Cougar – Nov 1955 - F9F-8B Cougar – Apr 1956 - A4D-1 Skyhawk – 12 Feb 1957 - A4D-2 Skyhawk – 27 Oct 1958 - A4D-2N Skyhawk – 20 Jun 1961 - A-4E Skyhawk – Jan 1967 - A-4F Skyhawk – Apr 1968 - A-7A Corsair II – 14 Sep 1969 - A-7B Corsair II – May 1973 <NOWIKI>*</NOWIKI> While in a reserve status from September 1949 to January 1951 , the squadron was most likely utilizing F6F pool aircraft assigned to NAS New York .