| Carrier Air Wing Seventeen | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Active | 1 November 1966 – Present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Navy |
| Type | Carrier Air Wing |
| Part of | Carrier Strike Group 11 |
| Garrison/HQ |  NAS LemooreUSS Nimitz |
| Tail Code | NA |
| Engagements | Vietnam War Achille Lauro hijacking Operation El Dorado Canyon Operation Desert Shield Operation Desert Storm Operation Southern Watch Operation Deny Flight Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation Inherent Resolve |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | CAPT Brent Jaquith |
| Deputy Commander | CAPT Joshua M. Ales |
| Command Master Chief | CMDCM. Virginia L. Horton |
Carrier Air Wing Seventeen (CVW-17), is aUnited States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based atNaval Air Station Lemoore,California. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrierUSS Nimitz.[1]
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.
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CVW-17 consists of eight squadrons and one detachment:[2]
| Code | Insignia | Squadron | Nickname | Assigned Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VFA-22 |  | Strike Fighter Squadron 22 | Fighting Redcocks | F/A-18F Super Hornet |
| VFA-94 |  | Strike Fighter Squadron 94 | Shrikes | F/A-18E Super Hornet |
| VFA-137 |  | Strike Fighter Squadron 137 | Kestrels | F/A-18E Super Hornet |
| VFA-146 |  | Strike Fighter Squadron 146 | Blue Diamonds | F/A-18E Super Hornet |
| VAW-121 | _insignia_2015.png) | Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 121 | Bluetails | E-2D Hawkeye |
| VAQ-139 |  | Electronic Attack Squadron 139 | Cougars | EA-18G Growler |
| HSC-6 | _patch_2015.png) | Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 6 | Indians | MH-60S Seahawk |
| HSM-73 |  | Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 | Battlecats | MH-60R Seahawk |
| VRM-30 | _insignia%2c_in_2018.png) | Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron 30 Detachment 1 | Titans | CV-22 Osprey |
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Carrier Air Wing Seventeen (CVW-17) was established on 1 November 1966 and assigned toUSS Forrestal. Although an Atlantic Fleet carrier,Forrestal's first deployment with CVW-17 was toVietnam, from June to September 1967. After only four days on the line with 150 sorties flown, aZuni rocket was accidentally fired on theflight deck on the morning of 29 July 1967. It hit the fueled and armed aircraft. In the resultingfire 134 crewmembers were killed and 161 injured. 21 aircraft were destroyed and 40 were damaged.[3]
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 theTurkish invasion of Cyprus. In 1976, the U.S. PresidentGerald R. Ford commenced the celebrations of theUnited States Bicentennial aboardForrestal.
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On 15 January 1978Forrestal was operating 60 km off theFlorida coastline, when anLTV A-7 Corsair II fromVA-81 crashed during landing. The aircraft hit another A-7 and aGrumman EA-6 Prowler. Two crewmen were killed, 10 were wounded. In March 1981, CVW-17 was in the Mediterranean Sea, when twoF-14A Tomcat fighters fromNimitz shot down twoLibyan fighters.[4]
WhenForrestal entered a three-year Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) in November 1982, CVW-17 cross-decked toUSS Saratoga and made six deployments aboard her until 1994. On 10 October 1985 F-14A Tomcats ofVF-74Be-Devilers andVF-103Sluggers intercepted aBoeing 737 carrying terrorists, who had hijacked the Italianocean linerMS Achille Lauro. The fighters forced the Boeing 737 to land atNaval Air Station Sigonella, Italy. In April 1986, aircraft of CVW-17 participated inOperation El Dorado Canyon, the bombing of Libya. CVW-17 joined forces with aircraft from theUnited States Air Force (USAF);Carrier Air Wing Thirteen fromUSS Coral Sea; andCarrier Air Wing One fromUSS America. In 1991, CVW-17 was taking part inOperation Desert Storm, flying missions for 43 consecutive days. CVW-17's aircraft dropped 1,800 tons of ordnance, but lost anF/A-18C Hornet from VFA-81, a F-14A Tomcat from VF-103, and anA-6E Intruder from VA-35. During OperationsDesert Shield andDesert Storm, CVW-17 comprised the following squadrons:VAQ-132 Scorpions, VF-74Be-Devilers, VF-103Sluggers, HS-3Tridents, VFA-81Sunliners, VFA-83Rampagers, VS-30Diamondcutters, VAW-125Tigertails, and VA-35Black Panthers.
In 1988, CVW-17 operated for a few weeks fromUSS Independence, and fromUSS Constellation in 1993. In 1992, the Wing's aircraft took part inOperation Deny Flight andOperation Provide Promise inYugoslavia, and inOperation Southern Watch over Iraq.[5]
In June 1994 CVW-17 was transferred toUSS Enterprise, homeported inNorfolk, Virginia. The following September, CVW-17 moved its headquarters toNAS Oceana,Virginia.[1] Due to the BRAC closure of NAS Cecil Field.
In 1998 CVW-17 was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea aboardUSS Dwight D. Eisenhower. Starting in 2000, the Wing then made four deployments (2000, 2001, 2002 and 2006) aboardUSS George Washington. Only in 2004, CVW-17 joinedUSS John F. Kennedy for her final deployment before herdecommissioning.
In 2004, aircraft from the air wing played key roles in supporting ground forces during theIraq War, especially the operations inFallujah, that began 7 November. CVW-17 joined USAF andUnited 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 ofOperation Iraqi Freedom. In all, CVW-17 dropped 24,500 kg (54,000 lb) of ordnance. During these operations,VFA-34 dropped the U.S. Navy's first two 227 kg (500 lb)Joint Direct Attack Munitions over Iraq.[1]
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In 2008, CVW-17 accompaniedGeorge Washington from Norfolk, Virginia to San Diego, California, although all fighter squadrons came fromCVW-7, these keeping their "AG" tail code. CVW-17 was then scheduled to be assigned toUSS Carl Vinson, as part ofCarrier 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 the2010 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 onCarl 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 onCarl Vinson from November 2011 to May 2012. In October 2012, CVW-17 completed a home port change from NAS Oceana, VA to NAS Lemoore, California.[6]
On 22 August 2014,Carl Vinson and CVW-17 began a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility.[7]
On 11 September 2014 at 17:40 hrs local time, two F/A-18Cs from CVW-17 crashed in the western Pacific Ocean whilstCarl Vinson was in her area of operations in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. The planes where attached to Strike Squadron 94 and Strike Fighter Squadron 113 and collided 7 miles from the carrier, an area approximately 290 miles west of Wake Island.USS Bunker Hill,USS Gridley, and helicopters assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 15 (HSC 15) and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 (HSM 73) assisted in the search for the pilots. Whilst one pilot was recovered alive soon after the crash, the second pilot could not be located. The Navy continued its search for the second pilot until 13 September 2014, when the search was abandoned.
Carl Vinson returned to San Diego on 6 June 2015. Over the course of the deployment, supporting strike operations in Iraq and Syria, CVW-17 successfully flew 12,300 sorties, including 2,382 combat missions and dropped more than half a million pounds (230 tons) of ordnance against ISIS.[8]
In 2016, CVW-17 was reassigned toUSS Theodore Roosevelt.[1]
In 2019, CVW-17 was reassigned toUSS Nimitz.[1]
There were two Carrier Air Groups designatedCarrier Air Group SEVENTEEN (CVG-17). Neither group shares a lineage with CVW-17 as the first was the forerunner ofCVW-6 and the second was disestablished eight years before CVW-17 was established.
OPNAVNOTE 5400 Ser DNS-33/12U102092 dated 19 June 2012.
