By Michael Alberich, CW4 US Army (ret)
WWII (era)
25 Nov 1943: VP-62 departed NAS Whidbey Island Wash., for Dutch Harbor, Aleutians, headquarters of FAW-4, arriving on 30 November. The squadron received its assignment and departed for NS Adak, Alaska, the next day.
(Source: Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons Vol 2)
10 Dec 1943: VP-62 was temporarily based ashore at Amchitka, Alaska, for familiarization flights (source: Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons Vol 2)
12 Oct 1944: VPB-62 was relieved by VPB-43 for return to NAS Seattle, Wash. All 12 aircraft and associated ground crew personnel returned to NAS Seattle, Wash. On 10 November 1944, all hands were given orders and home leave. (Source: Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons Vol 2)
1 Dec 1944: VPB-62 was reformed at NAS Whidbey Island, Wash., under the operational control of FAW-6.
Training was conducted for long range patrol and bombing (source: Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons Vol 2)
.Korean War (era)
Oct 1950 31 (Jul–Oct 1950): VP-812 settled into its new home port at NAS Whidbey Island and began training for
transition to the new P2V-2 Neptune patrol bomber. By October 1950 the squadron had received nine new Lockheed aircraft from the factory. (Source: www.History.Navy.Mil)
Nov 1950— 8 Nov 1950: VP-812 deployed on its first operational assignment since its recall to active duty, arriving at NAS Kodiak, Alaska, with nine P2V-2 Neptunes.
26 Dec 1951: A VP-6 Lockheed P2V-3 Neptune, buno 122972 ditched at night, at sea off Atsugi, Japan (3905N 13011E) in bad weather during a night weather reconnaissance mission due to a runaway prop. Two crew members were lost: CDR R.J. Perkinson PPC & ALCA K.K. Hathor (source VP-6.org)
Vietnam War (era)
15 November 1967: VP-40 The last flight of a SP-5B took place, marking the move of the squadron from NAS San Diego to NAS Moffett Field, California, and the transition to the land-based P-3B Orion. The ceremonial flight closed an era of Navy seaplane operations that had begun in 1911. (Source: Wikipedia)
4 Dec 1964: A squadron P-3A, BuNo. 150508, and crew were lost over the South China Sea after a flare ignited a fire inside the aircraft. (Source: Wikipedia)
Post-Cold War (era)
13 November 1992: VP-40 began a multi-site deployment with detachments at NAS Adak; Howard AFB, Panama; and Acapulco, Mexico. The detachments at the latter sites were in support of the drug interdiction program in the Central America region, Joint Task Force Four. During the deployment the squadron began replacing all of its P-3C UIII aircraft with P-3C UII.5 versions from VP-31. The change was necessitated by the pending change of home base from NAS Moffett Field to NAS Brunswick, Maine, where all of the patrol aircraft were the UII.5 version. (Source: Wikipedia)
