VP-23, Patrol Squadron 23, known as the Seahawks, was aU.S. Navy fixed-wing, anti-submarine and maritimepatrol squadron based atBrunswick Naval Air Station,Brunswick, Maine, United States. It was established as Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Three (VPW-3) on 17 May 1946, redesignated as Meteorology Squadron Three (VPM-3) on 15 November 1946, redesignated Heavy Patrol Squadron (Landplane) Three (VP-HL-3) on 8 December 1947 (as the second squadron to be assigned the VP-HL-3 designation), and to Patrol Squadron Twenty Three (VP-23) on 1 September 1948 and disestablished on 28 February 1995.[1] It was the second squadron to be designated VP-23, thefirst VP-23 was redesignated Patrol Bombing Squadron 23 (VPB-23) on 1 October 1944 and disestablished on 25 January 1946.[2]
17–21 May 1946: VPW-3 was established as a weather reconnaissance squadron under FAW-14 atNAAS Camp Kearney, California, for duty in the Caribbean. Its aircraft and personnel were drawn from VPW-2. Four days after its establishment, the new squadron departed for its assigned home base atNAS Miami, Florida, where the crews began flying thePB4Y-2M Privateer fitted with radar for weather reconnaissance. When the squadron arrived at NAS Miami it came under the operational control of FAW-5.
15 November 1946: VPW-3 was redesignated VPM-3, continuing to serve as a weather/meteorology squadron still based at NAS Miami.
8 December 1947: VPM-3 was redesignated VP-HL-3 after another squadron with that same designation had been disestablished on 22 May 1947. Although designated as a Heavy Patrol Squadron (Landplane), it continued to provide weather reconnaissance and hurricane surveillance flights for the East Coast.
15 January–September 1948: VP-HL-3 was relocated to a new home port atNAS Atlantic City, New Jersey, but their stay at the new station was cut short by an order on 29 March 1948 to base atNAS Patuxent River, Maryland, however, the move to Patuxent River never occurred. The squadron deployed from NAS Atlantic City on 15 April 1948 forNaval Station Argentia,Newfoundland, with a detachment at NAS Miami. The entire squadron joined the detachment at Miami at the close of the1948 Atlantic hurricane season for the filming of the movieSlattery’s Hurricane.
1 January 1949: After the Navy sequences for the movie were completed at NAS Miami, preparations for the squadron's transfer to NAS Patuxent River were halted and VP-23 was permanently assigned to NAS Miami under the operational control of FAW-11.
1 June–11 November 1949: VP-23 broke all records for hurricane surveillance by Navy patrol squadrons, entering the "eyes" of 33 hurricanes during the1949 Atlantic hurricane season. The squadron then ended its career in weather and converted to theAnti-submarine warfare (ASW) role effective 15 November 1949. The squadron’s aircraft were redesignated PB4Y-2S and were retrofitted with theAPS-15 ASW radar.
4 December 1949: VP-23 began its new role as a patrol squadron, with ASW as its primary mission, and deployed toNewfoundland andGreenland for cold weather training. RON (Remain/Over Night) visits were made to remote air bases atCFB Goose Bay,Labrador andNarsarsuaq Air Base, Greenland, carrying mail. During the deployment extensive use was made ofLORAN gear.
1 July 1950: VP-23 surveyed theGulf Stream in Operation Cabot, in support ofUSS San Pablo. The squadron recorded color changes in the gulf, took APS-15 radar signatures, and noted LORAN fixes on surface and subsurface features. During the operation at least one aircraft was designated to provide weather reconnaissance for the surface vessels participating in the project.
9 May 1952: VP-23 was transferred from NAS Miami, to a new permanent home base atNAS Brunswick, Maine, under the operational control of FAW-3. Although the squadron was transferred, 7 officers and 109 enlisted personnel remained at NAS Miami to formVJ-2, a weather squadron that took the place of VP-23. Shortly after the transfer, the squadron was equipped with PB4Y-2 aircraft that were soon redesignated P4Y-2S, fitted with antisubmarine radar.
19 May 1952: VP-23 deployed to NAS Argentia for three months of advanced base training in cold weather operations, relievingVP-24. The squadron flew long-distance reconnaissance flights over the Labrador,Davis Strait andBaffin Bay. A four-aircraft detachment was maintained atThule Air Base, Greenland.
January 1953: VP-23 deployed to the Spanish Air Base atReus, Tarragona, Spain, for one week of training withSpanish Air Force personnel. At the end of the week the squadron flew toNaval Air Station Port Lyautey, French Morocco. The operations in Spain represented the first formal cooperation with the Spanish armed forces since before World War II.
June 1953: VP-23 deployed to NAS Argentia, with a detachment at Thule AFB. The detachments charted ice conditions in the surface shipping lanes between Newfoundland and Greenland, moved urgent supplies to remote bases, conducted research for theHydrographic Office in Washington, transported personnel and dropped mail to fleet units at sea and ashore. Routine ASW patrols were also flown by the Argentia detachment.
7 May 1954: One of the VP-23Neptunes, MA-5, crashed on takeoff fromNassau, Bahamas during exercises with theAtlantic Fleet, killing the entire crew.
29 July 1954: A squadron Neptune, MA-7, developed engine trouble during an operational readiness flight nearNAS Qounset Point, Rhode Island. The crew ditched with no casualties and were pulled from the water after one and a half hours.
April 1955: VP-23 transitioned to the jet-assisted P2V-7 Neptune. At the end of the month the squadron received operational training in the new aircraft during its deployment to NAS Bermuda. A three-aircraft detachment was maintained atLajes Field,Azores. Exercises were conducted in ASW techniques with fleet submarines, surface units, other patrol squadrons and blimp squadrons.
1 January 1961: VP-23 had just deployed to NAS Argentia, when they were put on alert for thehijacked Portuguese linerSanta Maria. The search for the missing vessel took five of the squadron’s aircraft toBarbados,Trinidad andRecife, Brazil, before the liner was found. This detachment remained at San Juan until March, when it rejoined the squadron at Argentia. The remaining months of the deployment were spent in shipping surveillance and evaluation testing of theTIROS-2 weather satellite.
1 May 1961: The squadron established a new endurance record for the P2V-7 Neptune during their deployment to NAS Argentia, remaining in the air for 22 hours and 54 minutes. The flight was planned in honor of the 50th anniversary of Naval Aviation.
8 August–November 1962: VP-23 deployed toNaval Air Station Sigonella,Sicily, relievingVP-16. Detachments were maintained atNaval Base Rota, Spain;Elmas,Sardinia; andSoudha Bay,Crete. On 30 September two detachments of four aircraft each were put on standby atBen Guerir Air Base, Morocco, and Lajes Field, for theMercury-Atlas 8 space mission. The mission concluded successfully and the detachments returned to NAF Sigonella on 5 October. From 21 October to 21 November 1962, the squadron was put on alert during theCuban Missile Crisis, flying round-the-clock surveillance and ASW missions in support of theSixth Fleet. Soviet surface units were kept under surveillance during transit of the Mediterranean Sea.
February 1963: While preparing to return from Operation Springboard exercises in Puerto Rico in late February, the squadron was tasked to locate the hijackedVenezuelan cargo vesselAnzoátegui. Searches were conducted in the South Atlantic and Caribbean before the ship was discovered by VP-23 in the mouth of theAmazon River.
April 1963: VP-23 was tasked with the futile search for survivors or debris from theUSS Thresher disaster. On 30 May a squadron aircraft dropped a wreath over the site of the sinking.
6 September 1963: VP-23 deployed a seven-aircraft detachment toNAS Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, relievingVP-45. Numerous patrols were conducted in support of Cuban refugees adrift at sea.
November 1966-May 1967 VP-23 deployed to NAF Sigonella, Sicily, with a detachment deployed to Souda Bay, Crete, supported byUSS Tallahatchie County.
3 December 1967: A squadron aircraft, LJ-4 with crew 11, crashed in adverse weather off the end of theOtis AFB runway. The crew egressed safely, but the aircraft was totally consumed by fire.
15 April–August 1968: VP-23 deployed to NAF Sigonella, Sicily. On 1 August, a detachment deployed to Souda Bay, Crete, supported byUSS Tallahatchie County.
1 November 1968: The squadron had been scheduled for disestablishment on this date, but the decision was rescinded at the last moment by the Secretary of Defense.
27 June–August 1969: VP-23 deployed to NAF Sigonella, Sicily, relievingVP-21. During the deployment squadron aircraft made contacts on 37 Soviet Bloc submarines in the Mediterranean Sea.
November 1969–June 1970: The squadron received its firstP-3B Orion, completing transition training on 15 June 1970. VP-23 was the last remaining active duty patrol squadron to fly the SP-2H, retiring its last Neptune on 20 February 1970.
13 June–July 1974: VP-23 deployed to NS Rota, with a detachment maintained at NAF Lajes. Three aircraft were sent to NAF Sigonella on 20 July, during theCyprus unrest in case the need arose to evacuate U.S. citizens. The detachment returned to Rota on 23 July.
23 March–April 1978: VP-23 deployed to NS Rota, with a four-aircraft/five-crew detachment maintained at Lajes. On 26 April 1978, aircraft LJ-04, BuNo. 152724, crashed at sea on landing approach to Lajes, killing seven. The cause of the accident was undetermined due to inability to recover aircraft remains from the extreme depths.
18 July 1979: VP-23 became the first Navy patrol squadron to fire the newHarpoon antiship missile. VP-23 was the first operational fleet patrol squadron to make an operational deployment with the Harpoon.
1 January 1980: VP-23 deployed from Keflavik, Iceland, to Diego Garcia and made its first operational flight out of theIndian Ocean base within 10 days after receiving orders, demonstrating its rapid deployment capability.
12 June–October 1983: The squadron deployed to NAS Bermuda, with detachments inPanama; Lajes, Azores; andRoosevelt Roads Naval Station, Puerto Rico. On 28 October 1983, VP-23 transported a film crew to observeSoviet submarine K-324 that had been forced to surface after developing problems with its propulsion system after snagging the towed sonar array cable ofUSS McCloy.
29 October–3 November 1983: VP-23 provided a three aircraft detachment at Puerto Rico for patrols in the vicinity ofGrenada during Operation Urgent Fury, the U.S.Invasion of Grenada.
16 January–April 1986: VP-23 deployed to NS Rota, with a detachment at Lajes, Azores. During the period from 24 March to 15 April 1986 the Rota detachment supported the Sixth Fleet’sstrikes against Libya.
10 May 1990: VP-23 deployed to NAS Bermuda, with a detachment at NAS Roosevelt Roads. The Puerto Rico detachment set a record when CAC-1 Combat Aircrew, Lt. Jason Lilly Mission Commander, located and tracked a Venezuelan vessel in the territorial waters of the Dominican Republic transporting a 1,400-kilo batch of cocaine, which in coordination with D.E.A. and the United States Coast Guard, led to the seizure of the vessel and confiscation of its drug cargo, a record for that year.
1 November 1991: VP-23 deployed to NAS Sigonella. During the deployment a detachment was maintained at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in support of the UN embargo against Iraq.
1994: VP-23 operated from NAS Sigonella, on its last deployment. The squadron provided NATO forces in Bosnia with real-time tactical reconnaissance in support ofOperation Deny Flight. The squadron’s P-3Cs, armed withAGM-65 Maverick missiles, flew more than 300 armed sorties in support ofOperation Sharp Guard in theAdriatic Sea.
7 December 1994: The squadron held a disestablishment ceremony at NAS Brunswick.
28 February 1995: VP-23 was disestablished at NAS Brunswick.[1]
United States Navy
