page_title: VP-8
section_title: 1950–1959
hierarchical_section_title: VP-8 / Operational history / Cold War / 1950–1959
caption_attribution_description: English: View ot the U.S. Navy Task Group ALFA: Formation portrait of the Atlantic Fleet anti-submarine group's ships and aircraft, taken during exercises in 1959 with Secretary of the Navy William B. Franke embarked. The ships include the group flagship, the aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge (CVS-45) in center, two submarines, and seven destroyers. Identifiable among the latter are USS Eaton (DDE-510) at left front, USS Beale (DDE-471) following Eaton, USS Waller (DDE-466) in the center foreground, and USS Conway (DDE-507) at right front. Aircraft overhead include two four-plane formations of Grumman S2F-1/-2 Trackers and three Sikorsky HSS-1 Seabat helicopters from the Valley Forge air group, plus one shore-based Lockheed P2V Neptune.
context_page_description: Patrol Squadron Eight is a U.S. Navy land-based patrol squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida. VP-8 is tasked to undertake maritime patrol, anti-submarine warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The Squadron is equipped with the Boeing P-8A Poseidon.
  The squadron was originally established as Patrol Squadron 201 on 1 September 1942, redesignated Patrol Bombing Squadron 201 on 1 October 1944, redesignated Patrol Squadron 201 on 15 May 1946, redesignated Patrol Squadron, Medium Seaplane 1 on 15 November 1946, redesignated Patrol Squadron, Medium Landplane 8 on 5 June 1947 and redesignated Patrol Squadron 8 on 1 September 1948. It is the second squadron to be designated VP-8, the first VP-8 was redesignated VP-24 on 1 July 1939.
context_section_description: VP-8 made its first deployment to NAS Argentia with it new P2V-5F aircraft July 15, 1955 Detachments from the squadron operated out of Goose Bay, Frobisher Bay, and Thule, Greenland, providing air cover to supply convoys for Distant Early Warning (DEW) radar installations.
  In April 1958, VP-8 transferred to its new home base at Chincoteague, Virginia, and began operating with Task Force Alfa, a Hunter-Killer (HUK) group created to develop improved ASW tactics and technology by integrating carrier-based ASW aircraft, land-based patrol aircraft, refitted destroyers, and hunter-killer submarines into a single task force structure.
  During the next two years, VP-8 actively participated in the evolution of antisubmarine warfare, to including the development and evaluation of new tactics and equipment.
caption: Task Force Alfa (1959)
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