| Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 55 (VR-55) | |
|---|---|
_insignia%2c_1976.png) | |
| Active | 1 April 1976 – present[1] (48 years, 11 months) |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Navy |
| Type | Fleet Logistics Support Squadron |
| Role | Medium Airlift |
| Part of | United States Navy Reserve |
| Stationed | NAS Point Mugu, California |
| Nickname(s) | Minutemen |
| Colors | Red/White/Bllue |
| Decorations | 2003Navy Unit Commendation 2005Humanitarian Service medal - Hurricane Katrina relief effort 2011Humanitarian Service Medal Operation Tomodachi Tsunami Relief 1996Armed Forces Service Medal 1991Navy E Ribbon 2004Navy E Ribbon 2009Navy E Ribbon 2012Navy E Ribbon 2013Navy E Ribbon 2017Navy E Ribbon 1994Meritorious Unit Commendation 2006Meritorious Unit Commendation[2][failed verification] |
| Insignia | |
| Tail Code | Romeo Uniform |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Transport | Lockheed C-130T Hercules Lockheed KC-130T-30 Lockheed KC-130T Hercules |
Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 55 (VR-55) is areserve aviation unit of theUnited States Navy. The squadron was established in April 1976 and is based atNaval Air Station Point Mugu,California. It is equipped with theLockheed C-130T Hercules.[3]
In September 1974, 30 reserve personnel from NARU Alameda and Fleet Tactical Support Squadron 30 embarked on a pilot program to gauge the feasibility of expanding Navy Reserve Air Force logistics capabilities. Dubbed the “Naval Air Reserve C-9B Transport Reinforcement Program,” the official command history noted the “harmonious interaction of regular and reserve personnel was a singular contribution with results far exceeding expectations.”[4]
The Navy's Pacific Fleet established Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 55 (VR-55) on 1 April 1976 at a ceremony held in its home base ofNAS Alameda, California. Captain Richard Hendel, USN Ready Reserve, took command of threeC-9 Skytrain aircraft and 220 personnel of the squadron that would be nicknamed “The Minutemen” due to its establishment during theUnited States Bicentennial celebration.The “Bicentennial Minutemen” operated the Navy's first reserve jet squadron, conducting both logistical operations as well as pioneering the Navy's “pathfinder” program. Utilizing its unique and technologically superior navigational capabilities, the Minutemen played a vital role in the execution of Operation Key Joint, escorting sixA-6 Intruders of VA-96 fromBarbers Point, Hi. toNAS Cubi point in the Philippines.[4]
In its first (partial) year of operations, the Minutemen recorded 3,030.7 flight hours, transporting 55,507 passengers and 2.8 million pounds of cargo.[4]
In 1983, VR-55 extended its mission from the Pacific Rim to reach the Mediterranean Sea and Central America. The squadron augmented EUCOM logistics for the first time in November 1983, while another detachment participated in the humanitarianProject Handclasp, transporting supplies to Honduras on 3 November.[4]
In 1986, VR-55 added VIP transport to its list of missions, carrying aDACOWITS (Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Service) contingent on a 14-day fact-finding tour throughout military installations in the Western pacific. With its aircraft appointed in a relatively spartan manner, members of the command donated their own time and money to procure furnishings from a major airline special equipment sale to prepare for the luminaries. “I’ve seen Vice President Bush’s C-9, and it’s not as nice as this” remarked one committee member after the trip.[5]
The ensuing decades presented a new theme for the Minutemen: maintaining operational readiness while undergoing major transitions. The first taste of this came in October 1989, when the 6.9-magnitudeLoma Prieta Earthquake damaged the runways and facilities at NAS Alameda. The squadron subsequently moved its operations toOakland International Airport and managed to fly 105% of its projected flight hours for the year.[4]
The following year saw a sudden outbreak of war in the Middle East. In the span of just four days, VR-55 marshalled its resources to deploy toSembach Air Base, Germany, in support ofOperation Desert Storm.[4]
During the war, VR-55 operated planes from Germany as well asFujaira, UAE and a maintenance detachment atNSA Souda Bay, Crete. From 26 December 1990 to 8 April 1991, the squadron achieved a 100% mission completion rate, flying 4,327 passengers and 2.8 million pounds of cargo under “the most rigorous conditions ever encountered by a VR squadron.” VR-55 earned its first Noel DavisBattle Efficiency award (“Battle ‘E’”) for the effort in 1991.[4]
During the Gulf War, VR-55 set records for the most monthly and quarterly hours flown by a squadron, logging 794 hours in January 1991 and 2,178 hours for the second quarter of FY 1991.[6]
In March 1992, the Minutemen flew a C-9 intoConstanta, Romania, only the third US military aircraft ever to do so. This came as the squadron began to wind down C-9 operations to transition to the C-130T.[4][6][7]
In September 1993, VR-55 delivered the last of its C-9s to the Fleet Logistics Support Wing and took delivery of six C-130T airframes. In addition to the platform change, September also saw the Minutemen move operations from Alameda to Hangar #1 atMoffett Federal Air Field.[6]
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There, C-130 operations proved so vital to fleet logistics that a move to relinquish scheduling authority to aJoint Operational Support Airlift Center (JOSAC) was turned down in favor of Naval Air Logistics Office (NALO), which remains the scheduling authority to this day.[4]
Operational highlights of the period between Gulf Wars included the delivery of a pallet of donated toys to the children ofMostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina the week before Christmas in 1997, operational support of the aftermath of the crash ofAlaska Airlines flight 261 onAnacapa Island and the Navy's first C-130 around-the-world flight in 2001.[4]
On 21 December 1998, VR-55 began yet another move, this time 350 miles south to its current home ofNaval Air Station Point Mugu, California atNaval Base Ventura County, just outside Oxnard and 45 miles (72 km) north of Los Angeles.
In April 2003, the Minutemen helped kick off Operation Iraqi Freedom, deploying three planes and 13 crews. They flew 122 sorties, 937.7 hours and moved 1,040 passengers and 2.68 million pounds of cargo in theater.[4]
In September 2004, the Minutemen sent a detachment to Willow Grove, Pa. to assist in transitioning VR-64 (formerlyVP-64) from theP-3 Orion to the C-130T. VR-55 donated one of its aircraft to the cause as well.
As combat flights continued in support of joint operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan, the focus at home turned to humanitarian crises. The Minutemen participated in efforts in the wake ofHurricane Katrina (2005),Typhoon Melor (2009) and Tsunami relief in Haiti (Operation Unified Response, 2010) and Japan (Operation Tomodachi, 2011).[4]
In 2013, VR-55 took delivery of two KC-130T-30 aircraft, capable of flying an enhanced cargo load over the normal C-130T. This further augmented the squadron's logistics capabilities. 2014 saw the replacement of its 3 C-130Ts with USMC KC-130T airframes.
As of the end of FY 2018, VR-55 has flown 41 years and 177,177 accident-free flight hours. The Minutemen operate five aircraft in support of operations in the Pacific, Mediterranean, Middle East, Europe, Africa, Oceania and the Americas.[6] VR-55 has 275 Training and Administration of the Reserve (TAR) personnel and Selected Reservists (SELRES), including 35 pilots.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Electronic Attack (VAQ) | |||||
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| Carrier Airborne Early Warning (VAW) | |||||
| Strike Fighter (VFA) | |||||
| Fleet Air Reconnaissance (VQ) | |||||
| Fleet Fighter Composite (VFC) | |||||
| Fleet Logistics Support (VR) | |||||
| Carrier Fleet Logistics Support (VRC) | |||||
| Carrier Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission (VRM) | |||||
| Patrol |
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| Unmanned (VUP) | |||||
| Training (VT) | |||||
| Helicopter Mine Countermeasures (HM) | |||||
| Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) | |||||
| Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) | |||||
| Helicopter Training (HT) | |||||
