Carrier Air Wing Seventeen Carrier Air Wing Seventeen ( CVW - 17 ) , is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore , California . The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier USS " Carl Vinson " . Mission . To conduct carrier air warfare operations and assist in the planning , control , coordination and integration of eight air wing squadrons and one detachment in support of carrier air warfare including ; Interception and destruction of enemy aircraft and missiles in all - weather conditions to establish and maintain local air superiority . All - weather offensive air - to - surface attacks , Detection , localization , and destruction of enemy ships and submarines to establish and maintain local sea control . Aerial photographic , sighting , and electronic intelligence for naval and joint operations . Airborne early warning service to fleet forces and shore warning nets . Airborne electronic countermeasures . In - flight refueling operations to extend the range and the endurance of air wing aircraft and Search and rescue operations . Subordinate units . CVW - 17 consists of nine Squadrons History . World War II . Carrier Air Group Seventeen ( CVG - 17 ) was established as CVG - 82 on 1 April 1944 during World War II and was assigned to the aircraft carrier . CVG - 82 consisted of Fighting Squadron 82 , flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat , Bombing Squadron 82 ( Curtiss SB2C Helldiver ) , Torpedo Squadron 82 ( Grumman TBM Avenger ) and the two USMC fighter squadrons VMF - 112 and VMF - 123 ( Vought F4U Corsair ) . After training on the U . S . East Coast , " Bennington " reached the U . S . 5th Fleet on 7 February 1945 . Nine days later . CVG - 82 attacked targets in the Tokyo area , mainly the airfields at Nachijo Jima , Nanpo Shoto , Mikatagahara , and Hamamatsu . From 20 to 22 February , the wing supported the landings on Iwo Jima . This was followed by attacks on targets in the Japanese Inland Sea and on Okinawa in March . On 7 April , aircraft from CVG - 82 participated in the sinking of the batleship Yamato . The Air Group then supported U . S . troops on Okinawa until June . On 17 June 1945 , CVG - 82 was replaced aboard " Bennington " by CVG - 1 , and was transported to the US aboard USS White Plains ( CVE - 66 ) . During its deployment , CVG - 82 was credited with the destruction of 167 Japanese aircraft in the air and 220 on the ground . However , CVG - 82 lost 40 pilots and 13 crewmembers , 25 % of its regular strength . 1940s and 1950s . Following the war the Air Group was re - assigned to the United States Atlantic Fleet . CVG - 82 began its first deployment to the Atlantic Ocean area in October 1946 aboard " Randolph " . During that deployment CVG - 82 was redesignated " Carrier Air Group Seventeen ( CVAG - 17 ) " on 16 November 1946 . Until 1953 , CVG - 17 made eight deployments to the Mediterranean Sea aboard " Randolph " , " Midway " , " Franklin D . Roosevelt " and " Coral Sea " . Between September 1953 and May 1954 , CVG - 17 circumnavigated the world aboard " Wasp " . In 1955 CVG - 17 deployed again aboard " Coral Sea " , followed by three deployments with " Franklin D . Roosevelt " until March 1958 . In November 1956 , " FDR " and " Forrestal " were rushed to the Mediterranean Sea to join " Randolph " und " Coral Sea " during the Suez Crisis , to prevent any Soviet interverntion . Finally , CVG - 17 was decommissioned on 16 September 1958 . 1960s . Carrier Air Wing Seventeen ( CVW - 17 ) was reactivated on 1 November 1966 and assigned to the USS " Forrestal " . Although an Atlantic Fleet carrier , " Forrestal " ´s first deployment with CVW - 17 was to Vietnam , from June to September 1967 . After only four days on the line with 150 sorties flown , a Zuni rocket was accidentally fired on the flight deck on the morning of 29 July 1967 . It hit the fueled and armed aircraft . In the resulting fire 134 crewmembers were killed and 62 injured . 26 aircraft were destroyed and 40 were damaged . 1970s . After a refit , " Forrestal " made eleven deployments to the Mediterranean Sea with CVW - 17 , the last in 1982 . In 1974 , CVW - 17 guarded the evacuation of U . S . citizens during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus . In 1976 , the U . S . President Gerald R . Ford commenced the celebrations of the United States Bicentennial aboard " Forrestal " . On 15 January 1978 " Forrestal " was operating 60 km off the Florida coastline , when an LTV A - 7 Corsair II from VA - 81 crashed during landing . The aircraft hit another A - 7 and an Grumman EA - 6 Prowler . Two crewmen were killed , 10 were wounded . In March 1981 , CVW - 17 was in the Mediterranean Sea , when two F - 14A Tomcat fighters from " Nimitz " shot down two Libyan fighters . 1980 - 1999 . When the " Forrestal " entered a three - year Service Life Extension Program ( SLEP ) in November 1982 , CVW - 17 crossdecked to the USS " Saratoga " and made six deployments aboard her until 1994 . On 10 October 1985 F - 14A Tomcats of VF - 74 " Be - Devilers " and VF - 103 " Sluggers " intercepted a Boeing 737 carrying terrorists , who had hijacked the Italian liner MS Achille Lauro . Aboard which Leon Klinghoffer was murdered . The fighters forced the airliner to land at Naval Air Station Sigonella , Italy . The terrorists were then flown non - stop to Norfolk aboard a S - 3 Viking from VS - 30 " Diamondcutters " to face Justice . In April 1986 , aircraft of CVW - 17 participated in Operation El Dorado Canyon , the bombing of Libya . CVW - 17 joined forces with aircraft from the United States Air Force ( USAF ) ; Carrier Air Wing Thirteen from " Coral Sea " ; and Carrier Air Wing One from " America " . In 1991 , CVW - 17 was taking part in Operation Desert Storm , flying missions for 43 consecutive days . CVW - 17 ' s aircraft dropped 1 , 800 tons of ordnance , but lost an F / A - 18C Hornet from VFA - 81 , a F - 14A Tomcat from VF - 103 , and an A - 6E Intruder from VA - 35 . During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm , CVW - 17 comprised the following squadrons : VAQ - 132 Scorpions , VF - 74 " Be - Devilers " , VF - 103 " Sluggers " , HS - 3 " Tridents " , VFA - 81 " Sunliners " , VFA - 83 " Rampagers " , VS - 30 " Diamondcutters " , VAW - 125 " Tigertails " , and VA - 35 " Black Panthers " . In 1988 , CVW - 17 operated for a few weeks from " Independence " , and from " Constellation " in 1993 . In 1992 , the Wing ' s aircraft took part in Operation Deny Flight and Operation Provide Promise in Yugoslavia , and in Operation Southern Watch over Iraq . In June 1994 CVW - 17 was transferred to USS " Enterprise " , homeported in Norfolk , VA . The following September , CVW - 17 moved its headquarters to NAS Oceana , Virginia . Due to the BRAC closure of NAS Cecil Field . In 1998 CVW - 17 was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea aboard the . Starting in 2000 , the Wing then made three deployments ( 2000 , 2002 and 2006 ) aboard . Only in 2004 , CVW - 17 joined the for her final deployment before her decommissioning . 2000 - Present . In 2003 , aircraft from the air wing played key roles in supporting ground forces during the Iraq War , especially the operations in Fallujah , that began 7 November . CVW - 17 joined USAF and United States Marine Corps ( USMC ) aircraft in striking key positions . During the height of operations , CVW - 17 aircraft flew an average of 38 missions a day in support of ground troops . Together , the squadrons of CVW - 17 flew 8 , 296 sorties for a total flight time of 21 , 824 hours . Of that total , 4 , 396 sorties and 11 , 607 flight hours were in direct support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . In all , CVW - 17 dropped 24 , 500 kg of ordnance . During these operations , VFA - 34 dropped the U . S . Navy ’ s first two 227 kg Joint Direct Attack Munitions over Iraq . In 2008 , CVW - 17 accompanied " George Washington " from Norfolk , Virginia to San Diego , California , although all fighter squadrons came from CVW - 7 , these keeping their " AG " tail code . CVW - 17 was then scheduled to be assigned to the , as part of Carrier Strike Group One , which underwent a Refueling and Complex Overhaul ( RCOH ) until July 2009 . From January to April 2010 , " Carl Vinson " operated off Haiti , following the 2010 Haiti earthquake . CVW - 17 mainly consisted of detachments of six helicopter squadrons which were active in humanitarian relief operations . CVW - 17 began its first regular deployment on the " Vinson " to the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean on 30 November 2010 and returned on 15 June 2011 . CVW - 17 completed a second deployment on CARL VINSON from November 2011 to May 2012 . In October 2012 , CVW - 17 completed a home port change from NAS Oceana , VA to NAS Lemoore , CA . < ref name = DNS - 33 / 12U102092 > < / ref >