VF-52

Fighter Squadron 52
Fighter Squadron 52
Active	1 May 1945 – 23 February 1959
Country	United States
Branch	United States Navy
Role	Fighter aircraft Ground Attack Close Air Support
Part of	Inactive
Nickname(s)	Sealancers
Engagements	Korean War
Aircraft flown
Fighter	F4U-4 Corsair; TO-1 Shooting Star; F9F-2 Panther; F2H-3 Banshee

Fighter Squadron 52 or VF-52 was an aviation unit of the United States Navy. Originally established as Bombing Fighting Squadron 5 (VBF-5) on 8 May 1945, it was redesignated Fighting Squadron 6A (VF-6A) on 15 November 1946, redesignated as Fighter Squadron 52 (VF-52) on 16 August 1948 it was disestablished on 23 February 1959. It was the third US Navy squadron to be designated as VF-52.^[1]

Operational history

VF-52 TO-1s in 1948

VF-52 F9F-2 on USS Valley Forge in 1950

VF-52 F2H-3s prepare to launch from USS Ticonderoga in 1958

VF-52 was the only Navy squadron equipped with the TO-1 Shooting Star, a version of the Air Force's F-80C that was acquired to familiarise Navy pilots with jet aircraft due to delays in developing naval jets.

VF-52 was assigned to Carrier Air Group 5 (CVG-5) on board the USS Valley Forge and was deployed to the Western Pacific and Korea from 1 May to 1 December 1950. VF-52 along with VF-51, where the first Navy jet squadrons to see combat.^[2] On 18 November 1950 VF-52 pilot LtCom William E. Lamb was credited with shooting down a Korean People's Air Force MiG-15, this was the Navy's second jet vs jet kill.^[3]

VF-52 served its second Korean War deployment assigned to Air Task Group 1 (ATG-1) aboard the USS Valley Forge from 15 Oct 1951 to 3 July 1952.

VF-52 served its third Korean War deployment assigned to Air Task Group 1 (ATG-1) aboard the USS Boxer from 30 Mar 1953 to 28 Nov 1953.

VF-52 embarked on the USS Wasp for a WestPac deployment as part of ATG1 from 1 Sep 1954 to 11 Apr 1955.

VF-52 embarked on the USS Lexington for a Western Pacific deployment from 28 May to 20 December 1956.

VF-52 embarked on the USS Ticonderoga for a Western Pacific deployment from 4 October 1958 to 16 February 1959.

Home port assignments

NAS North Island

Aircraft assignment

F2H-3 Banshee

Notable former members

James L. Holloway III {[LT John Howard Thayer]} Deceased

References

^ "Lineage for Fighter Squadrons" (PDF). Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
^ Burgess, Colin (2013). Moon Bound: Choosing and Preparing NASA's Lunar Astronauts. Springer Science and Business Media. p. 265. ISBN 9781461438557.
^ Thompson, Warren (2012). Naval Aviation In The Korean War. Pen & Sword Aviation. p. 174.

External links

[1] "Lineage for Fighter Squadrons" (PDF). Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 6 October 2016.

[2] Burgess, Colin (2013). Moon Bound: Choosing and Preparing NASA's Lunar Astronauts. Springer Science and Business Media. p. 265. ISBN 9781461438557.

[3] Thompson, Warren (2012). Naval Aviation In The Korean War. Pen & Sword Aviation. p. 174.

[1]

[2]

[3]