The year 1968 was pivotal for the future of the Naval Air Reserve, for on 23 January of that year, the spy ship USS Pueblo was seized by North Korea in international waters.  In response, President Lyndon Johnson ordered the immediate recall to active duty of six tactical fighter and attack squadrons of the Naval Air Reserve.  Although these reservists were willing to serve their country in its time of need, their motivation and patriotism were not enough.  The recall proved to be a dismal failure, and all six squadrons were released from active duty on 16 September 1968.

 

Tom Hildreth caught SP-2E 128379 at Bradley Field, CT in 1964 minus its fin cap. The 7Z tail code was shared by NAS South Weymouth's num- rous Neptune units at the time

 

In analyzing the reasons for the failure, the following conclusions were reached:  (1) the Naval Air Reserve was assigned obsolete aircraft that were not combat ready, were difficult to maintain and support, and were not compatible with the fleet; (2) enlisted personnel with suitable backgrounds and training to support a full mobilization were not assigned to the squadrons in sufficient numbers; (3) Reserve squadrons typically operated away from their active-duty counterparts and were not familiar with current fleet procedures; (4) Reserve training was not realistic and up-to-date, constrained in many cases by lack of modern equipment; and (5) sufficient funding had to be provided to allow Reserve aviators enough flight time to maintain their qualifications.

 

Although no Naval Air Reserve VP squadrons were recalled to active duty during the Pueblo crisis, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that, had they been, they would have shared the same fate as the tactical fighter and attack squadrons.

 

It was obvious that a complete reorganization of the Naval Air Reserve would be required if it was to become a viable organization.  This reorganization took place during 1970 and established two Naval Air Reserve carrier air wings (CVWR), two anti-submarine warfare groups (CVSGR), four transport squadrons (VR), and twelve maritime patrol squadrons (VP). 

 

In a major change from past practices, each squadron of the Naval Air Reserve would have “ownership” of the aircraft assigned to it.  Having to share aircraft with other squadrons, as had been standard practice, would be a thing of the past.  Each squadron would also be provided with sufficient full-time personnel to keep it operating when the squadron’s Reserve personnel were not present.  The new force structure would mirror the structure of the active-duty forces in terms of total manpower, number of aircraft assigned to a squadron, maintenance and reporting procedures, funding, etc.

 

The twelve new VP squadrons established included VP-60 at NAS Glenview, Illinois; VP-62 at NAS Jacksonville, Florida; VP-64 at NAS Willow Grove, Pennsylvania; VP-65 at NAS Los Alamitos, California; VP-66 at NAS Willow Grove; VP-67 at NAS Memphis, Tennessee; VP-68 at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland; VP-69 at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington; VP-90 at NAS Glenview; VP-91 at NAS Moffett Field, California; VP-92 at NAS South Weymouth, Massachusetts; and VP-94 at NAS New Orleans, Louisiana.  Each squadron was formed using the personnel and equipment assets of older-style VP squadrons, all of which were disestablished at the time the new squadrons came into being.

 

VP-92 was, as noted, officially established at NAS South Weymouth on 14 November 1970 from the assets of VP-63Z1, VP-63Z2, VP-63Z3, and VP-11Z4.  It was initially equipped with 12 examples of the Lockheed SP-2H Neptune, the final standard production version of this long-serving aircraft type. 

SP-2H 141250 photographed by Tom Hildreth on final approach to NAS Sowey's 6000 ft runway 08 on 11 March 1973

Each aircraft carried the squadron’s assigned “LY” (Lima Yankee) tail code on each side of its vertical stabilizer.  A crew of nine was typically carried, consisting of two officers (the pilot and copilot) and seven enlisted personnel.  VP-92 normally operated with a complement of over 200 part-time reservists supplemented by approximately 120 full-time personnel.

 

A variety of sensors equipped the SP-2H for use in carrying out its mission of ASW.  These sensors included surface search radar, an identification friend or foe (IFF) system, a magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) used for detecting disturbances in the earth’s magnetic field caused by a submerged submarine, active and passive sonar equipment, electronic sensing measures (ESM) equipment, and a powerful wing-mounted searchlight for illuminating a target at night.

 

Like all Reserve VP squadrons, VP-92 undertook most of its training missions near the squadron’s home base, in this case NAS South Weymouth.  However, each squadron was also required to perform an annual two-week active-duty period, sometimes at an overseas location, during which time they would typically work with active-duty units. 

 

VP-92 undertook its first overseas deployment during 1971, operating for two weeks from NS Rota, Spain.  From there, ASW missions were flown over the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean Sea.  Subsequent annual two-week active duty training periods during the first half of the 1970s were staged from NAS Jacksonville, Florida in 1972 and 1973 and from NAS Patuxent River, Maryland in 1974.  These training periods involved participating in ASW exercises, simulator sessions, and other types of activities.

 

During 1975, VP-92 transitioned from the SP-2H Neptune to the more modern DELTIC version of Lockheed’s P-3A Orion, a four-engine turboprop maritime patrol aircraft that offered many advantages over the Neptune that it replaced. 

P-3A 151373 photographed on approach to Westover ARB by Tom Hildreth on 20 May 1977

These advantages included greater speed, a far roomier cabin that was pressurized, updated sensor equipment, etc.  Although a vast improvement over the Neptunes, the P-3A Orions operated by the Reserve squadrons were, nonetheless, hand-me-downs from active-duty squadrons that had themselves upgraded to more advanced versions of the Orion, namely the P-3B and the P-3C.  The DELTIC P-3As typically carried a crew of 12, with nine aircraft typically being assigned to a squadron at any one time.

 

VP-92’s first deployment with the P-3A took place in 1976 when it operated from NAS Bermuda and NAS Willow Grove, Pennsylvania for its annual two-week active duty period.  These same two bases were also utilized for the 1977 deployment, followed by NS Rota, Spain in 1978 and NAF Lajes in the Azores in 1979.  Lajes was again the site of the squadron’s deployments in 1980, 1982, and 1983, with NAS Jacksonville being the base of operations in 1981.  ASW missions predominated during these deployments.

 

The squadron upgraded to the TACNAVMOD Update version of the P-3B Orion during 1984.  These aircraft featured considerably improved sensor capabilities when compared with the DELTIC P-3As previously operated by the squadron.  They also had more powerful engines than those used on the P-3As. 

 

Squadron deployments during their annual two-week active-duty periods continued following the transition to the P-3B TACNAVMOD.  NAS Bermuda was the site of the 1984 deployment, followed by NAF Lajes in 1985 and 1986, and NS Rota, Spain in each year from 1987 through 1990. 

P-3B 153435 photographed at NAS South Weymouth by Tom S. Cuddy on 29 December 1984

In both 1989 and 1990, VP-92 was also selected to participate in the annual UNITAS exercises with Latin American Navies.  During 1991, VP-92 was chosen to be the first Naval Air Reserve P-3 squadron to assume full responsibility for all operational commitments at NAS Bermuda during its active-duty period.  Prior to this event, the Reserve squadrons typically deployed to Bermuda to supplement an active-duty squadron deployed there at the same time.

 

The year 1991 also saw VP-92 transition into the Update II version of the P-3C Orion.  The P-3C differed substantially from the earlier P-3A and P-3B in terms of its electronic equipment and interior layout.  These features enabled it to operate with a crew of only 10 in comparison with the crew of 12 required by earlier models of the Orion.

 

In 1992, VP-92 took its new aircraft to Colombia and Panama to participate in that year’s UNITAS exercises.  The year 1993 saw VP-92 operate from NAS Sigonella, Sicily for the first time.  From there they flew full combat patrols over the Adriatic Sea in support of Operation Sharp Guard.  These patrols were undertaken under the authority of United Nations Resolution Number 820 to help prevent weapons being smuggled to the various factions of the former Yugoslavia.  VP-92 returned to NAS Sigonella in 1994 to once again participate in Operation Sharp Guard.  During that same year, other VP-92 aircraft operated from NS Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico to support Operation Support Democracy.  This latter operation was in response to United Nations Resolution Number 841 mandating the restoration of the President of Haiti, who had been overthrown in a coup staged by that country’s military.  Another VP-92 aircraft and crew that busy year participated in the annual UNITAS exercises, operating from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Operations in 1994 provide a good example of how far-flung operations by Reserve maritime patrol squadrons had become in support of the needs of the Regular Navy and how the Reserve forces had seamlessly integrated with their active-duty counterparts.

 

NAS Sigonella again served in 1995 as the location for VP-92’s continuing participation in Operation Sharp Guard.  However, other VP-92 crews and aircraft deployed to NS Roosevelt Roads, where they undertook counter-narcotics missions for the first time.  With the dismemberment of the former Soviet Union several years earlier, ASW missions had declined in importance, while the anti-drug-smuggling missions would play an increasingly important role for VP-92 in the coming years.  VP-92 was also selected in 1995 to participate in the International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, England.  This annual air show is the largest such military event in the world.

 

The year 1995 was also significant for VP-92’s future, for during that year the Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted to close NAS South Weymouth, the squadron’s long-time home.  As a result, VP-92 relocated to NAS Brunswick, Maine during June and July of 1996.  NAS Brunswick was already home to several active duty VP squadrons operating the P-3C version of the Orion. 

 

Because of the distance involved in traveling to NAS Brunswick for their drill periods, many of VP-92’s Reservists chose not to make the move and, instead, chose to affiliate with other units closer to home or to take an “early out” from their military commitment.  To help counteract this loss of personnel and to help retain those members who elected to make the move to Brunswick, an “airlift” program that originally began at South Weymouth continued in operation at NAS Brunswick.  On drill weekends, one or two flights, with one usually covering the Northeast Corridor from Washington DC northward and the other from Detroit, Michigan eastward would bring Reservists from airfields near their homes to NAS Brunswick.  Reservists were brought to Brunswick on Friday nights and returned home on Sunday nights.  Many Reservists who took advantage of these flights were former members of other Reserve VP squadrons that had previously been disestablished when their Bases closed.

 

VP-92 began operating the P-3C Update II.5 aircraft type shortly before the move to Brunswick was made.  This version of the Orion featured improved acoustic sensor processing systems and various other new and updated equipment. 

 

As if the move to Brunswick and the transition to a new aircraft were not enough in 1996, VP-92 also deployed to NAS Keflavik, Iceland, where open-ocean ASW patrols were conducted, as well as to NS Roosevelt Roads for counter-narcotics operations. 

P-3C 161404 photographed at NAF Keflavik by Baldur Sveinsson on 6 August 1997

This pattern of operations continued to the same two locations in 1997, as well as to Howard AFB in Panama.  In 1998, the Keflavik deployment was dropped, although those to NS Roosevelt Roads and Howard AFB continued.

 

Another change in aircraft type occurred during the latter part of 1998 and into 1999 when the P-3C Update III began to be allocated to VP-92.  This version of the Orion was the most advanced P-3 model produced and was the type flown by most of the active-duty squadrons a that time.  Its main attribute was an entirely new acoustic sensor system.  In addition, it included many other improvements over the capabilities of earlier models of the Orion.  The squadron deployed to NS Roosevelt Roads in 1999.

 

A return to NAS Keflavik for ASW patrols in the Atlantic was made in 2000, along with what had become a regular deployment to NS Roosevelt Roads for counter-narcotics operations.  One squadron aircraft also deployed on short notice to NS Rota, Spain to participate in a multi-national Naval exercise.

 

As the decade wore on, each year seemed to get busier for VP-92 than the year before.  No less than eight locations worldwide were sites of VP-92 deployments in 2001.  These locations consisted of Ecuador, NAS Key West, NS Roosevelt Roads, NAS Keflavik, NS Rota, NAF Kadena on the island of Okinawa, NAF Misawa in Japan, and MCAS Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii.

 

The year 2002 was also extremely active for VP-92.  Deployments were made to Brazil, Chile, NAS Jacksonville, Germany, NAS Sigonella, RAF Kinloss in Scotland, NS Roosevelt Roads, and El Salvador.  The Reserves truly had become one with the active-duty forces.

 

El Salvador and Ecuador were visited once again in 2003, as was NAS Jacksonville.

 

VP-92 received examples of the P-3C Update III AIP aircraft during 2004 and 2005.  These aircraft featured equipment that allowed them to better operate in the anti-surface warfare (ASUW) mission.  Deployments in 2004 were to El Salvador, the Dutch Antilles, and Ecuador.  NAS Jacksonville was the deployment site in 2005.  El Salvador was visited again in 2006.

 

In 2005 the Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted to close NAS Brunswick, with all of its active-duty squadrons to move to NAS Jacksonville.  These squadrons are currently scheduled to make their move during 2008.  Unfortunately, the decision to close NAS Brunswick has also resulted in the decision to disestablish VP-92 on 30 November 2007, as NAS Jacksonville already has its own Reserve P-3 squadron (VP-62) stationed there.  Thus, after 37 years of service to the Navy, the end of VP-92 is in sight.

 

Although disestablishment looms in the near future, VP-92 continues to serve the country’s needs.  In February and March of 2007, the squadron sent crews to El Salvador to supplement the crews of VP-5 in the continuing anti-narcotics mission.  However, in June of 2007, the squadron’s last aircraft was transferred to another squadron.  Now, preparations are underway for the disestablishment ceremony at NAS Brunswick.

 

Over the years, VP-92 was the proud recipient of numerous awards and commendations, including:

 

·        One Meritorious Unit Commendation in recognition of excellent performance in anti-submarine warfare

·        One Joint Meritorious Unit Award in recognition for the squadron’s participation in Operation Sharp Guard and Operation Support Democracy

·        One Joint Meritorious Unit Award in recognition of the squadron’s work with the Coast Guard, Customs Service, and other government agencies in counter-narcotics operations

·        Three Battle Readiness Awards (“Battle E”) in recognition of sustained superior performance in an operational environment (serves as an indicator of a squadron’s readiness to perform its assigned tasks in wartime)

·        Seven Commander Reserve Patrol Wing Atlantic Retention Excellence Awards (“Golden Helm”) in recognition of superior personnel re-enlistment rates)

·        Six AVCM Donald M Neal Maintenance Awards (“Golden Wrench”) in recognition of the highest degree of excellence in performing aircraft maintenance

·        Five CNO Aviation Safety Awards (“Safety S”) in recognition of being able to demonstrate exceptional levels of commitment to all aspects of aviation safety and operational risk management

·        Three Commander Reserve Patrol Wings Administrative Excellence Awards in recognition of the squadron’s superior record keeping

·        Three Commander Reserve Patrol Wing Atlantic Bloodhound Awards in recognition of the squadron’s high scores in torpedo delivery exercises.

 

Note:  The source for much of the material in this short history of VP-92 is a book

            entitled The Minutemen of VP-92 by Marc J. Frattasio.