page_title: VP-22 (1943-94)
section_title: Operational history
hierarchical_section_title: VP-22 (1943-94) / Operational history
caption_attribution_description: Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive
context_page_description: VP-22 was a long-lived Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy, nicknamed the Dragons from 1944-1950, and the Blue Geese from 1951-1994. It was established as Bombing Squadron VB-102 on 15 February 1943, redesignated Patrol Bombing Squadron VPB-102 on 1 October 1944, redesignated VP-102 on 15 May 1946, redesignated Heavy Patrol Squadron VP-HL-2 on 15 November 1946, redesignated VP-22 on 1 September 1948 and disestablished on 31 March 1994. It was the third squadron to be designated VP-22, the first VP-22 was disestablished, merged with VP-101 on 18 April 1942 and the second VP-22 was redesignated VPB-22 on 1 October 1944.
context_section_description: 15 February 1943: VB-102 was established at NAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, from half of the squadron assets and personnel of VP-14. It operated under the operational control of FAW-2 during its formation and training period. The squadron continued flying the PBY-5A Catalinas from VP-14 as additional crews and ground personnel were brought aboard. As the squadron was designated for conversion to the landplane PB4Y-1 Liberator, the crews began transition training as the new aircraft were received over the next two months. VB-101 was the first squadron to fly the new landbased bomber, and VB-102 was the second.
  28 February 1943: Single aircraft detachments (PBY-5As) were sent to Canton, Midway and Johnston Islands to provide patrol sector coverage. By 1 March 1943, similar patrols were being conducted in the vicinity of the Hawaiian islands by the squadron at Kaneohe flying the newly assigned PB4Y-1 Liberators.
  7 April 1943: The squadron suffered its first operational loss when Lieutenant (jg) Herbert S. Bonn flew into the water during a night takeoff.
  22 April 1943: All of the Liberators received for squadron use were the early model Army versions (B-24D) without a powered nose turret. Reports from the combat zone showed that Liberator squadrons with 30-caliber nose guns were sustaining very high casualty rates. Newer models of the Liberator destined for Army use (B-24H with Emerson or Consolidated turrets) did not come off the assembly lines until June 1943. PB4Y-1 Liberators destined for Navy use did not get the refit at NAS San Diego with ERCO 250SH-1 powered turrets with twin 50-caliber gun mounts until after May 1943. VB-102 was scheduled to go into combat before any of the refitted models could be obtained. In a flash of inspiration, Commander Chick Hayward, who was in command of the newly established Patrol Service Wing at Kaneohe, decided that tail gun turrets (Consolidated versions) in the slow and unwieldy PB2Y-2 Coronado seaplanes then sitting on the ramp awaiting maintenance or cargo runs to the mainland—would be more useful in the noses of the PB4Y-1s which were going into combat. A few days later the commander of the PB2Y squadron walked down on the ramp to find all the tail turrets of his aircraft missing! They had been put in the noses of the VB-102 aircraft.
  22 April 1943: VB-102 received its first combat assignment at Carney Airfield, Guadalcanal, under the operational control of FAW-1. A five-aircraft detachment was maintained at Espiritu Santo. Daily search sectors of 800 miles were conducted in conjunction with VB-101, which had arrived at Carney Field prior to VB-102. The squadron's primary mission was to protect the southern Solomons from invasion and to intercept enemy shipping. During one such mission a squadron Liberator was heavily damaged during an attack on the enemy seaplane base on Greenwich Island.
  7 July 1943: The commanding officer of VB-102, Lieutenant Commander Bruce A. Van Voorhis, and his entire crew were killed during a daytime attack on enemy positions on the island of Kapingamarangi. Lieutenant Commander Van Voorhis received the Medal of Honor for this action and his co-pilot, Lieutenant (jg) Herschel A. Oehlert, Jr., was awarded the Navy Cross. All of the other crew members were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Official accounts of the action describe it as a long-distance bombing mission (700 miles) against enemy positions on the Japanese-occupied Greenwich Islands chain. Van Voorhis made six bombing runs against a radio station and several strafing runs against three seaplanes and shipping in the lagoon. It was reported that on his last run his aircraft was “too low and too slow” and was caught in its own bomb blast. An enemy account found after the war, however, claimed that the bomber was shot down by one of the floatplanes. The bomber crashed in the lagoon with no survivors.
  9 July 1943: Lieutenant Shiley and crew were shot down by Japanese night-fighters over Kahili Airfield on Bougainville. There were no known survivors.
  August 1943: Lieutenant (jg) Haskett and his crew wer
caption: VP-22 P-3C in 1991
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