VA-165 (U.S. Navy)

A-6E Intruder from VA-165 Boomers aboard USS Constellation (CV-64) in 1990. Note the non-standard camouflage paint.

VA-165, nicknamed the Boomers, was a long-lived Attack Squadron of the U.S. Navy. It was established on 1 September 1960, and disestablished 35 years later on 30 September 1996.^[1][2] The squadron operated in the region of Vietnam, Laos, and Korea during the 1960s and early 1970s. VA-165 transferred to the Persian Gulf after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and also served near the Philippines during the late 1970s. During the 1980s, VA-165 was moved from the Middle East to Central America, particularly Nicaragua, back to Iran in the Middle East, off to South Korea, and then to the Middle East again for Kuwait. During the 1990s, the squadron worked in the United States, the Middle East, and Taiwan.

History

1960s

• 1 September 1960: squadron created.
• November 1963: USS Oriskany, with VA-165 embarked, operated in the South China Sea during a crisis in South Vietnam and the coup that overthrew President Diem.
• February 1965: The squadron began participation in combat operations over Laos.
• 4 April 1966: VA-165 deployed to Vietnam as a component of CVW-10 embarked on USS Intrepid. This was the first all attack air wing and the first to deploy. Two squadrons flew the A-1 Skyraider and the other two squadrons flew the A-4 Skyhawk.
• 26 January 1968: USS Ranger, with VA-165 embarked, while operating on Yankee Station, was ordered to the Sea of Japan following the capture of USS Pueblo on 23 January by the North Koreans. Ranger and VA-165 operated in the area until relieved on 5 March 1968.
• April 1969: Following the shooting down of a Navy EC-121 aircraft by the North Koreans on 15 April, Ranger, with VA-165 embarked, left Yankee Station and proceeded to the Sea of Japan for operations off the coast of Korea.

1970s

• 26 May 1970: The squadron’s commanding officer, Commander F. M. Backman, flew the newest update version of the A-6 Intruder, the A-6C, into combat for the first time.
• April 1972: The squadron participated in Operation Freedom Train, tactical air sorties against military and logistic targets in the southern part of North Vietnam. It also provided support for forces in South Vietnam following a massive invasion by North Vietnam on 1 April 1972.
• May 1972: The squadron participated in the early phase of Operation Linebacker I, heavy air strikes against targets in North Vietnam above 20 degrees north latitude.
• November 1974: VA-165, part of the CVW-9 team embarked on USS Constellation, operated in the Persian Gulf. This was the first time in 26 years that an American carrier had entered and operated in the Persian Gulf.
• March 1979: Constellation, with VA-165 embarked, was ordered to make a high speed transit to the Indian Ocean from the Philippines in response to the conflict between North and South Yemen.

1980s

• October 1981: The squadron was the first operational A-6 unit to deploy with a Harpoon missile capability.
• July–August 1983: USS Ranger, with VA-165 embarked, was ordered to operate off the coast of Nicaragua in response to the possible invasion of Honduras by Nicaragua.
• October 1983–January 1984: Ranger, with VA-165 embarked, was extended on station in the Arabian Sea due to the threat by Iran to block oil exports from the Persian Gulf.
• September 1988: USS Nimitz, with VA-165 embarked, operated in the Sea of Japan in support of the Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
• November 1988: Squadron aircraft participated in Operation Earnest Will, the escorting of reflagged Kuwaiti tankers through the Persian Gulf.^[1]
• 1989: While deployed near the United States, participated in the filming of Flight of the Intruder.

1990s

• 1991: post-hostility Desert Storm deployment to the Persian Gulf (and Western Pacific) region.
• 1993: Operation Southern Watch, again in the Middle East.
• 1994: stationed in Nellis AFB, then Roswell AFB.
• 1996: sorties in Iraq.
• Mar 1996: deployed off the coast of Taiwan.

Home port assignments

The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown:^[1]

• NAS Jacksonville – 01 Sep 1960
• NAS Moffett Field – 07 Sep 1961
• NAS Alameda – 10 Mar 1964
• NAS Whidbey Island – 01 Jan 1967

Aircraft Assignment

The squadron first received the following aircraft on the dates shown:^[1]

• AD-6/AD-1H Skyraider – 04 Oct 1960
• A-1J Skyraider – Jun 1963
• A-6A Intruder – May 1967
• A-6B Intruder – Nov 1969
• A-6C Intruder – 27 Feb 1970
• KA-6D Intruder – 28 Mar 1971
• A-6E Intruder – 20 Jan 1975

See also

• Attack aircraft
• List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons
• History of the United States Navy

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons.

Further reading

• Lt Cmdr Richard R. Burgess (USN ret.) (Summer 2011). "Spads Forever: A-1's Fly out with a Bang in Southeast Asia" (PDF). Naval Aviation News. 
• Richard R. Burgess (2009). US Navy A-1 Skyraider Units of the Vietnam War. 

External links

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