A CONCISE HISTORY OF U. S. NAVY HEAVY PHOTOGRAPHIC RECONNAISSANCE
WRITTEN BY VAPPERS
Compiled by
Jim D. Haynes PHCM(AC) RET
The History of VAP – edition I August 2005
FOREWORD
I have been asked by the uninitiated, uneducated and unbelieving what VAP stands for. I thought this might be a good place to render a definition.
The U.S. Navy’s methodology for designating its air squadrons is fairly straightforward. The first letter designates the type of aircraft. V is for heavier than air (fixed wing); L = lighter than air (dirigibles); h = Helicopters etc.
The second letter designates the type of mission; Attack (bombers), Fighter, Cargo etc.. A third letter further defines the mission. P= photographic, Q = electronic countermeasures, etc.
The numbers differentiate between squadrons of the same type and typically the odd numbered units are west coast or Pacific theater and even numbered outfits east coast, Atlantic and European.
So…
V – Fixed wing A – Attack (bombers) P – Photographic 61 – Pacific
and
V – Fixed wing A – Attack (bombers) P – Photographic 62 – Atlantic
Of course as with any rule in the military there are exceptions…
OKAY Vappers,
Here is the initial time line history of the outfit. Most of the dated skeleton is from the Dictionary of American Aviation Squadrons. The history notes are from Reader’s Digest Great Events of the 20th Century. Some of the notes and a lot of the pictures are from Naval Fighters Number Forty Five and Forty Six by Bruce Cunningham and Steve Ginter.
I received a couple of inputs from some of the guys. They are far from complete and, in some cases, accurate so what I need from you now is to fill in the gaps. At the end of this you will find the VAP history input form. Look this over and jog your memories (or in my case what’s left of one, second thing to go, right?) and fill in the input form and send it back to me I will try to put it in where it belongs. What? You remember more than one fact or sea story? Good! Send them in. Please dig out those old logbooks and memorabilia
I pulled some excerpts from the 2003 Whidbey tapes and they are fascinating. I need copies of the 2001 Pensacola tapes. I know there were a lot more interview hours on that one and some of those souls are no longer aboard.
On August 8, 1969 VAP-61 lost a plane in Cambodia enroute from Danang to Bangkok. It was basically a taxi run for our H.R.B. Singer rep Ed Brock and a photomate from the lab. Commander Jim Berry was in the left seat. Ltjg Chris Overton was in the right. They usually had Gary Roth as a rear view mirror but he wasn’t there this trip. Who was the photomate? Details, anyone?
We lost a bird and crew off the coast of Guam. Details?
When were the Dets established? Where were they? 61 had permanent dets in Bangkok and Danang. They had temporaries in Korea and Australia. When?
62 guys, I know Rota was your European staging Det. Others? Who, what, when, where?
Keep sending the stuff in, folks, and I will try to get it in one sock.
Sincerely,
Jim Haynes
THE HISTORY OF VAP
VAP’s roots go back to the nineteen forties. Photographic Squadron 5 (VD5) was established on 1 June 1944 and became Patrol Squadron Photographic One (VPP-1) on 15 November 1946. Did you know that 95% of all intel gathered in WWII was aerial photography OSS, MI5, James Bond et al not withstanding. VPP-1 became VP-61 on September 21, 1948 only to survive the bureaucracies for a short 13 months. It was disestablished on January 17 1951. Personnel and assets were transferred to VC-61 which was …
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NAS Miramar – June 1960
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January 20, 1951
Established as Patrol Squadron SIXTY ONE (VP-61).
Homeport NAAS Miramar
Commanding Officer: CDR Jesse L. Pernnell
Aircraft PB4Y-1P / P4Y-1P (PB4Y-1P redesignated P4Y-1P in 1951)
Mission: Aerial reconnaissance and cartographic mapping. It deployed detachments around the world.
Air Wing FAW-14 – Tail Code EF changed to PB in 1953
Unit Awards
Meritorius Unit Commendation 02 Jan 68 – 28 Feb 70
Navy Unit Commendation 01 Jun 64 – 01 Jun 68 & 02 Aug 64 – 05 Aug 64
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal 22 May 61 – 04 Jun 61 & 13 Apr 69 – 15 Jun 69
1951 NOTES: Regular commercial color TV in U.S.- Power steering in automobiles – Jan 4 North Korean and Chinese communist troops capture Seoul. March 14 U.N forces recapture Seoul and establish positions along 38th parallel by March 31. April 11 Truman Fires Gen. MacArthur for publicly opposing administration policy in Korea. September / Japan signs WWII peace treaty with 48 nations.
March 1951
VP-61- A squadron detachment was ordered to photograph the Mississippi Delta and adjacent coastline.
May1951
VP-61 - A squadron detachment was ordered to Alaska in connection with mapping Alaska for the U. S. Army Map Service.
1952 NOTES: Cinerama 3-D films (U.S.) - Transistor hearing aids & tranquilizers marketed – Hydrogen Bomb tested (U.S.) – Commercial Jet Service introduced (Brit.) – Queen Elizabeth II ascends to throne – Dwight D. Eisenhower (Rep) elected President
March 5, 1952
Redesignated Photographic Squadron SIXTY ONE (VJ-61)
April 1, 1952
NAAS Miramar redesignated NAS Miramar
April 10, 1952
Photographic Squadron SIXTY TWO (VJ-62) Established at NAS Jacksonville, Commanding Officer LCDR D. C. McNeil (acting)
Aircraft PB4Y-1P / P4Y-1P (PB4Y-1P redesignated P4Y-1P in 1951)(received in May 1952) Mission: Aerial reconnaissance and cartographic mapping. It deployed detachments in the Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea and other areas as required.
Air Wing: COMFAIRJACKSONVILLE – Tail Code TP
April 30, 1952
VJ-62 - Command Assumed by CDR J. Kennedy, Jr.
July 19,1952
VP-61 - Commanding Officer: CDR John S. Harris
Sept. 1–19, 1952
VJ-62 - A squadron detachment was deployed to Dahran Air Force in Saudi Arabia
September 1952
VJ-62 – Received AJ-2P aircraft
September 14,1952
VP-61 - AJ-2P New assigned aircraft
October 20, 1952
VJ-62 – Homeport changed to NAAS Sanford, Florida
1953 NOTES: Stalin dies at age 73 – Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden elected U.N. Secretary General – Tito becomes president of Yugoslavia – Mt. Everest scaled by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa guide Tenzing Norkay – first successful cardiopulmonary bypass
May 1953
VJ-62 – Received F7F-4N aircraft
June 1953
VP-61 - Commanding Officer CDR Herbert L. Salyer
June 1953
VJ-62 – Commanding Officer – CDR H. S. Klenk
1954 NOTES: Mass Salk Polio Vaccination – First successful kidney transplant – First successful artificial heart valve for humans – supersonic jet fighter – first practical atomic power station (USSR) - silicon solar battery – French stronghold at Dienbienphu falls to Communist Vietminh after 55 day siege – Geneva Accords divide Vietnam at 17th parallel
May 1954 VP-61 - Commanding Officer CDR David L. Soper
July 1954 VJ-62 – Commanding Officer – CDR J. A. Goodwin
1955 NOTES: Hovercraft patented (Brit.) – First atomic powered submarine (USS Nautilus) – nonstick saucepans marketed. - Vietnimh insurgents rebel against Premier Ngo Dinh Diem’s regieme – 7 months later Vietnam declared a republic – Allied occupation of West Germany ends and it’s sovereignty restored – Dr. Martin Luther King leads civil rights bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama
1955
VP-61 – Air Wing changed to COMFAIRSANDIEGO Tail Code PB
June 1955
VP-61 - Commanding Officer CDR Gilbert B. Jansen, Jr.
July 1955
VJ-62 – Homeport changed to NAS Norfolk, Virginia.
Air Wing – COMFAIRNORFOLK
Tail code – TP
1956 NOTES: First video tape recorder (U.S.) – first transatlantic telephone cable (U.S. – Brit.) – Egypt, Saudi Arabia & Yemen sign military alliance – Nassar elected president of Egypt – President Eisenhower re-elected – President Nassar nationalizes Suez Canal after U.S. & Britain decline aid for Aswan High Dam – Hungarian Revolution / Soviets put own revolt / casualties estimated at 25,000 Hungarians and 7,000 Soviets – Israel attacks Egypt with British and French assistance.
January 1956
VJ-62 – Commanding Officer – CDR E. B. Johnson, Jr.
April 1956
VAP-61 redesignated Heavy Photographic Squadron SIXTY ONE (VAP-61)
July 2, 1956
VAP-62 - Redesignated Heavy Photographic Squadron SIXTY TWO (VAP-62) from VJ-62
July 1956
VAP-61 - Homeport changed to NAS Agana, Guam.
Air Wing COMHATWING-2 Tail Code PB/SS (probably changed 1 July)
VAP had one ongoing project in the South Pacific. The Trust Territories Project. We mapped Guam, Saipan, Tinian, Palau, Ponape, Truck and most of the Carolines from Maug to Guam. There were side trips jobs. We once tried to identify Red Tide Starfish with color Infrared film.
November 1956
VAP-61 - Commanding Officer CDR Sy E. Mendenhall
1957 NOTES: Sputnik launched – First SAM (USSR) – portable electric typewriter (U.S.) – European Common Market established
July 12, 1957
VAP-62 – Commanding Officer – CDR Henry W. Drum
August 15, 1957
VAP-62 – Homeport changed back to NAS Jacksonville, Florida.
Air Wing – COMFAIRJACKSONVILLE Tail code – TP changed to GB in July 1957
October 14, 1957 VAP-62 – Received A3D-1P aircraft
1958 NOTES: First stereo records out – transatlantic commercial jet service (Brit.) – ICBM’s (USSR) – Explorer 1 / first U.S. satellite launched – U.S. Marines land in Beirut – Egypt and Syria form UAR – De Gaulle elected President of New Republic in France.
September 1958
VAP-61 - Commanding Officer CDR Jerry F. McDaniel
November 10, 1958
VAP-62 – Commanding Officer – CDR Charles W. Hollinshead
1959 NOTES: First nuclear powered merchant ship Savannah launched – first IUD marketed – Synthetic penicillin created (U.S.) – Castro’s rebels take over Cuba.
January 1, 1959
VAP-61 – Air Wing COMFAIRPHILIPPINES Tail Code SS
July 1, 1959
Redesignated Composite Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron SIXTY ONE (VCP-61). The squadron mission was to provide aerial photographic intelligence for naval operations and cartographic mapping in the Pacific, providing detachments for deployments aboard carriers as well as land facilities.
VAP-61 had two permanent land based detachments, one in Danang South Viet Nam and the other at Don Maung International Airport at Bangkok, Thailand. We had two semi permanent dets going. One in Osan South Korea and the other in Townsville, Queensland, Australia and a couple of occasional jobs in Japan, Okinawa and the Philippines. Of course if you were bored and wanted to stay on Guam you could always work on the Trust Territories Project.
The Yankee Team Missions out of Danang were two types. Day missions and night missions. The day missions were target acquisition maps, post strike damage assessment, and camouflage detection among others. Night missions were low level thermal infrared target detection.
August 1959
F8U –1P assigned (VCP-61)
September 1959
A3D-2P/RA-3B (61) (A3D-2P REDESIGNATED RA-3B in 1962)
144830 at NAS Miramar on September 12, 1959.
October 19, 1959
VAP-62 – Received A3D-2P aircraft (redesignated RA-3B in July 1962)
November 10, 1959
VAP-62 – Commanding Officer – CDR Charles T. Frohne
December 1959
VCP-61 - Commanding Officer CDR Ralph W. Spuhler
