VA-55 Warhorses

Photograph Album



One Fury of VA-55, aboard CVA-33 in 1958, is about to launch on the port cat, and another is maneuvering forward to the starboard one. You can just make out the NF tail code on the nearest jet.
Rick Albert, Ships Company provided photo. Rick worked the cat bridles.

1958: FJ-4B Fury of VA-55 (tail code NF) on the aft starboard elevator and an old-style "Angel" helicopter partially hidden by a radio antenna. Hard tell if it is a Dragonfly or Retriever. This was taken in the spring of 1958, possibly from the Surface Aft lookout station aboard USS Kearsarge, CVA-33.
Rick Albert.

01 APR 1962 China Lake: VA-55 Warhorse pilots at China Lake. back row: LCDR Fuller, LCDR Fenton, CDR Godfrey, LTJG Sproat, LTJG Powelson, LCDR Clarke; front row: LT Schmidt, LTJG Thomas, LT Cook, LT Peters, LTJG Gunter & LTJG Madden
Navy Photo

1962 Lemoore: Warhorses ground crew prepares to turn up a Skyhawk NF-505 after a maintenance check at Lemoore.
Naval Aviation News Photo

1962 Ticonderoga: Chief McAnaly inspects J-65 work in hangar bay #3 aboard the Tico.
Naval Aviation News Photo

03 DEC 1962 Lemoore: Warhorses Skyhawk BuNo 149551, NF-500, as LTJG L.O. Cox exits after taxiing into the high speed refueling pits.
U.S. Navy photo by PHC J.E. Eldridge

1963: BuNo.150032, right side in flight view of Warhorses Skyhawk NF-502, with a pair of drop tanks and a Bullpup missile.
Courtesy of Tom Bispo.

1963: Warhorse A-4C Skyhawks BuNos. 149608 & 149551
A VA-55 section, with Lieutenant Junior Grade Bob Krall in A-4C BuNo. 149608 side number NF 503 on the wing of A-4C BuNo. 149551 side number NF 00, flies past United States Ship Ticonderoga (CVA 14) during the CVG-5 WestPac cruise from January 3, to July 15, 1963.
Photograph by RF-8 Crusader probably from VFP-62 via Bob Krall.

Circa 1963 Unknown VA-55 Warhorse Skyhawk trapping aboard a carrier.
U.S. Navy photo via Tom Bispo

18 JAN 1963 Tico: Warhorse Skyhawk landing on board, after a simulated strike on "enemy" forces during an operational readiness inspection. A VAH-4 A-3 & VF-54 F-3 are parked at left & another A-3 is in the upper left making its approach.
US Navy Photo, Gary Verver.

16 SEP 1963: Warhorses Skyhawk BuNo 150032, NF-502, with Bullpup missiles on the the outboard pylons and an MBER with six iron bombs on the centerline.
Douglas Aircraft

1963-64 Lemoore: right side view of Warhorses Skyhawk BuNo 150039, NF-509, parked next to Lemoores R4D.
Photographer Unknown

1964: A VA-55 Warhorse A-4 "leads the way" as she is launched from the U.S.S. Ticonderoga.
Navy Photo from Gary Verver.

AUG 1966: Warhorses Skyhawk insignia on one of the squadrons A-4F's.
Nick Williams

1967 SE Asia: Warhorses Skyhawk BuNo 147678, NK-500, parked on the ramp with damage to the vertical fin.
U.S. Navy

1967 SE Asia: Warhorses insignia on Skyhawk BuNo 147678, NK-500.
U.S. Navy

1967 BuNo 149523 as she recovers aboard an unknown carrier.
Tailhook Association.

1968 BuNo 154977, NP-513, parked on the ramp.
Photo by B. Trombecky, G. Verver collection.

1968 or later: Skyhawk BuNo 155010, NP-500, parked on the ramp.
Jim Brady

1968 or later: Skyhawk BuNo 155037, NP-513, parked on the flightline.
Jim Brady

1968 or later: Warhorses Skyhawk NP-515 aboard the Hanna. VA-55 was on the Hancock 18 July 1968 to 20 October 1975 on 6 WestPac Cruises.
Randy Wilson

1968: newly aquired F model Skyhawks over the Sierras. From top: NP-582, NP-581, NP-583 and NP-584.
Naval Aviation News Photo

1968: Warhorse officers who earned awards for action during the 1967 Constellation war cruise pose in front of an unknown squadron Skyhawk.
Naval Aviation News Photo

1968: Westpac deployment aboard the Hancock, three Warhorse Skyhawks fly over the carried in San Francisco Bay. Top to bottom are probably NP-581, NP-583 & NP-584.
Naval Aviation News Photo

1968-69: although it looks like this deck crewman has found a way to beat the cold, he was caught off guard when this unknown Warhorse Skyhawk, NP-517, made an unexpected turn.
Naval Aviation News Photo

LT Neal Evans (LDO)was the Maintenance Officer with the Warhorses in the 1968-69 timeframe during the Hancock WestPac.
LT Canup was with the Warhorses in the 1968 timeframe.
Fred Rhodes, ATC with the Warhorses 1967 to 1970.

1968 or later: A-4F Skyhawk BuNo. 155035 NP-502 assigned to the USS Hancock.
The photograph is from Michael Klaver.

1968-69: Warhorse A-4F BuNo155017
VA-55 A-4F NP 507 of CVW-21 in the shadow of Hancock's island during the July 18, 1968 to March 8, 1969 combat cruise. The AT is doing maintenance on the ECM "ALQ" in the "Hump." The squadron deployed with a new ECM receiver (APR-25) that gave audio and visual indicators of radar controlled threats.
David Weber.

1968-69: Warhorse A-4F BuNo155017
NP-507 waits behind Hancock's JBD (jet blast defector) for its turn on the catapult. The A-4E Skyhawk on the catapult is with VA-163. These Skyhawks are going to war.
David Weber.

1969-70: VA-55 Warhorse over the Gulf of Tonkin.
George L Landrum.

Warhorses & Ghost Riders Skyhawks line the Hanna's deck edge. L-r: VA-55 NP-514, VA-164 NP-412, NP-402, NP-411 and Lady Jessie NP-401.
Art Tarver, AQF2 of VF-24.

A Russian Trawler "Fishing" along side the USS Hancock during the 69-70 WestPac.
Photograph courtesy of George L Landrum.

1969 Hancock: Warhorse A-4F BuNo.154989 NP-514 from the Hancock visits NAS New York (Floyd Bennett Field). Rear view of BuNo. 154989.
Photograph from Don Bender.

1970: Warhorse BuNo 155046, NP-501, in formation with Warhorse BuNo 155048, NP-502.
U.S. Navy photo via Tailhook Association

1970: Warhorses Skyhawk BuNo 154977, NP-513.
Naval Aviation News

21 DEC 1970: A-4F Skyhawk BuNo.154205 NP-502 from the Hancock, approaching to land at NAS Atsugi, Japan.
Color photograph by and from Takafumi Hiroe of Yokohama, Japan.

19 Oct 1970 NAF China Lake: VA-55 A-4F BuNo 154200. The name on the plane is LT Max Schranz
Photo courtesy of Gary Verver

JUL 2004: BuNo.154200 was restored by students of the New Jersey Academy of Aviation Science, a public school that teaches airframe and powerplant, Dennis Pierce coordinator.
Photo by Terry Wolf

Circa 1970 Skyhawk BuNo 154205, NP-502, and BuNo 15504x, NP-501, flying past Mt. Fuji.
Navy Photo via Tailhook Association.

Circa 1970 right side in flight view of Warhorses Skyhawk BuNo 154205, NP-502, and BuNo 15504x, NP-501, flying past Mt. Fuji.
Navy Photo via Tailhook Association.

1970-71 USS Hancock VA-55 Warhorses AE3 Kneipshield (left) and AE-3 Coffey (right) & VA-212 Rampant Raiders AE-3 Jim Polen (center) atop a Warhorses Skyhawk.
Photo from Jim Polen.

1970-71 USS Hancock at Hong Kong.
VA-164 Ghost Riders Skyhawk NP-414 on deck (left), VA-212 Rampant Raiders Skyhawk (middle) & VA-55 Warhorses Skyhawk (right) on deck while docked in Hong Kong.
Photo by Jim Polen.

1971: Warhorse pilots at the end of the 1970-71 WestPac aboard the USS Hancock. C.O. Dick Hendricks in the cockpit of an unidentified Warhorse A-4F.
Courtesy of Denny Sapp.

17 Nov 1972 BuNo.155000 - The "Warhorses" of VA-55 made no fewer than eight war cruises to the Gulf of Tonkin, one aboard the USS Ticonderorga (CVA-14) with A-4Es, one aboard the USS Ranger (CVA-61) also with A-4Es, one aboard the USS Constellation (CVA-64) with A-4Cs, and five aboard the USS Hancock (CVA-19)with A-4Fs. BuNO 155000 was photographed at NAS Lemoore on 17 November 1972 shortly after the fourth deployment aboard Hancock.
Picture and information from Randy Bob Wilson.

APR 1973 Rampart Raiders Skyhawk BuNo 154975, NP-307, and Warhorses Skyhawk BuNo.155000, NP-511, parked on the flight line at NAS North Island. Doug Siegfried via Tailhook Association.

APR 1974: BuNo.155048, LT Eliot Tozer's A-4F parked on the ramp.
Gary Verver Collection

March 1974 Warhorses Skyhawk BuNo 154989, NP-505, moments from touchdown.
Centurian Enterpises via Tailhook Association.

Nov 1974 BuNo 154203, NP-512, parked on the ramp.
Tailhook Association.

JAN 1975 Skyhawk BuNo 154989, NP-505, taxiing by the photographer.
Jan Jacobs via Tailhook Association.

JAN 1975 BuNo 154989, NP-505, taxiing by the photographer.
Jan Jacobs via Tailhook Association.

JAN 1975 BuNo 154989, NP-505, taxiing by the photographer.
Jan Jacobs via Tailhook Association.

08 June 1975 Skyhawk BuNo 154173, NP-500, taxiing alongside NP-514 at Kadena AB.
Photo by Masumi Wada, G. Verver collection.

1975 left front view of Warhorses CAG Skyhawk BuNo 154173, NP-500, parked on the ramp.
Photo from Tailhook Association.

1975 BuNo.155008, NP-510, parked on the ramp.
Tailhook Association.

1975: Warhorses CAG Skyhawk BuNo 154173, NP-500, parked on the ramp.
Photo from Tailhook Association.

Aug 1975 BuNo.154194, NP-514, parked on the flight line.
Doug Siegfried via Tailhook Association.

Aug 2005 BuNo.154200 on the ramp at MAAFM Museum in NJ.
Photo by Terence T. Finn via "Boom" Powell.



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