The VC-7 Redtails


Patch courtesy Richard E. Dellwo


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The Squadron Duty Officer is the squadron contact point, who communicates
with former squadron members about squadron information, sea stories,
squadron pictures, scuttlebutt, and gathers information about squadron buddies.
Please contact the Squadron SDO as listed here.

The Table Of Content:
Patch:
Handle:
Aircraft:
Date Type First Received - - - - - - Type of Aircraft:
Heritage:
  • 4 December 1942 - VJ-1 established.
  • 1946 - VJ-1 Redesignated VU-7
  • 2 July 1965 - VU-7 redesignated VC-7
  • 30 September 1980 - VC-7 disestablished.

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Commanders:
  • Date Assumed Command - - - - - - - Commanding Officer
  • DEC 1942-OCT 1943................... LT W. R. LIPSCOMB
  • OCT 1943-JUL 1944................... CDR P. K. WILL
  • JUL 1944-FEB 1945................... LT H. B. SOMERVILLE
  • FEB 1945-MAY 1946................... LCDR L. H. MILLER
  • MAY 1946-MAR 1947................... LCDR C. N. MAKER
  • MAR 1947-JUN 1947................... CDR R. L. ELDRIDGE
  • JUN 1947-JUL 1947................... CDR R. C. STARKEY
  • JUL 1947-JUN 1948................... CDR R. M. PRAY
  • JUN 1948-MAY 1949................... CDR W. H. WESTON
  • MAY 1949-AUG 1950................... CAPT C. F. GREBER
  • AUG 1950-AUG 1950................... CAPT J. G. LEWIS
  • AUG 1950-JUN 1951................... CDR E. G. REED
  • JUN 1951-DEC 1952................... CDR N. R. LINCOLN, JR.
  • DEC 1952-JUN 1954................... CDR A. M. ELLINGSON
  • JUN 1954-JAN 1955................... CDR R. B. FORWARD
  • JAN 1955-MAR 1957................... CDR R. L. CENTNER
  • MAR 1957-APR 1957 .................. CDR R. F. WOLFE (Acting)
  • APR 1957-AUG 1958................... CDR H. E. BELEW
  • AUG 1958-MAR 1959................... CDR W. A. COMER
  • MAR 1959-MAR 1960................... CDR G. C. BURKEY
  • MAR 1960-OCT 1960................... CDR K. P. REHNBERG, JR.
  • OCT 1960-OCT 1961................... CDR M. W. VINEYARD
  • OCT 1961-OCT 1962................... CDR D. S. BEDSOLE, JR.
  • OCT 1962-OCT 1963................... CDR H. G. DERSAM
  • OCT 1963-OCT 1964................... CDR W. J. ENNIS
  • OCT 1964-OCT 1965................... CDR N. E. HECKERT
  • OCT 1965-OCT 1966................... CDR W. M. EARLEY, JR.
  • OCT 1966-OCT 1967................... CDR B. TESCH, JR.
  • OCT 1967-OCT 1968................... CDR R. F. MCLAUGHLIN
  • OCT 1968-OCT 1969................... CDR J. W. BRANNON, JR.
  • OCT 1969-OCT 1970................... CAPT. B. W. HALL
  • OCT 1970-OCT 1971................... CDR H. D. AVERYT
  • OCT 1971-OCT 1972................... CDR G. M. DEMPSEY
  • OCT 1972-OCT 1973................... CDR G. L. VANDEWATER, JR
  • OCT 1973-OCT 1974................... CDR D. W. CASWELL
  • OCT 1974-OCT 1975................... CAPT J. F. BELL
  • OCT 1975-OCT 1976................... CDR E. W. WINGERTER, JR.
  • OCT 1976-DEC 1977................... CDR R. E. DELLWO and Change of Command
  • DEC 1977-MAR 1979................... CDR D. P. GAUTHIER
  • MAR 1979-JUN 1980................... CDR G. D. MERRIMAN
  • JUN 1980-SEP 1980................... CDR D. J. CAREY

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Home Ports:
  • Date - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Location:
  • 4 December 1942 - NAS Alameda, CA
  • Feb 1943 - NAS San Diego, CA (Now North Island) Squadron Detatchments were commissioned as:
    • VU-12 at Tougue Point, OR - 1943
    • VU-13 at Tougue Point, OR - 1943
    • VU-14 at South San Francisco Airport, CA - 1943
  • 1943 - Dutch Harbor, AK (Detacthment)
  • July 1944 - NAS Pearl Harbor, HI
  • 1946 - NAS San Diego, CA
  • April 1949 - Naval Auxilliary Air Field Miramar, CA
  • September 1951 - Auxilliary Landing Field, Ream, San Ysidro, CA (the present OLF Imperial Beach)
  • June 1952 - NAS San Dielg, CA
  • February 1955 - NAAS Brown Field, Chula Vista, CA
  • April 1961 - NAS North Island, CA
  • 30 October 1964 - AS Miramar, CA

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Air Wings:
Date - - - - - - - - - - - - Tail code - - - - - - - Air Wing
  • No info yet
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Deployments:
Departure & Return - - - - - - - - Air Wing - Carrier - Aircraft - - Area of Operations:
  • 11 January to 13 June 1950 - USS Boxer (CV-21) - TBM-3U - B-XXX - ??
  • 28 May 1955 to 22 November 1955 - USS Intrepid (CV-11) - AJ-2 - F-XX - ??
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Photograph Albums:
Squadron Photograph Album
Squadron Off-Duty Album (empty)
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Events:
  • 4 December 1942 - VJ-1 (Fleet Composite Squadron SEVEN) was commissioned at NAS Alameda, CA to provide fleet combat units on the West Coast the essential training services
    they required. Target towing for aircraft & ships, tracking runs, & simulated attacks on
    submarines & destroyers, photographic & mapping and anti-aircraft gun crew training missions.

  • 1943 - Added training of Photographic Mates on the West Coast until Utility Squadron SEVEN (VU-7) absorbed the Fleet Air Photographic Laboratory which was part of the squadron for 15 years.

  • 1943 - A detatchment of SNJs was located at Dutch Harbor, AK setting up towing facilities for the Anti-Aircraft Training Center there when the Japanese bombed the airfield in July 1943.

  • 1945 - Saw the addition of electronic warfare missions, radar jamming and tests with captured Japanese radar for radar countermeasures and experimentation.

  • 1945 - Had search radar, LORAN navigation equipment, VHF radios, radio altimeters, and identification equipment installed in the JM-1s.

  • 1946 - Redesignated VU-7 - Serving under the Commander, Utility Wing Pacific Fleet (Decommissioned 1965)

  • 1947 - Added launching and recovering drone targets

  • 1948 - The squadron became a surface as well as an aviation unit with the addition of 60 foot AVR boats to aid in the recovery of drones.

  • 1947 - Utility Squadron EIGHT (VU-8) was decommissioned and became a permanent detatchment of VU-7 at NAS Santa Ana, CA, performing all the squadron's target drone operations.

  • December 1948 - The drone detatchment is commissioned as VU-3.

  • 1948 - Detatchment Able was formed at NAS Barbers Point, HI when VU-1 was disestablished.

  • 1949 - Detatchment Baker was established from VU-9 at NAS Agana, Guam

  • January to June 1950 - Detatchment of two TBM-3Us, two officers and twelve enlisted were deployed aboard USS Boxer (CV-21) for WestPac cruise to provide target towing for the air wing. This was the last shipboard deployment for VU-7.

  • August 1950 - Detatchment Baker formed the Nucleus of Fleet Utility Squadron FIVE (VU-5) commissioned at NAS Agana, Guam.

  • July 1951 - Detatchment Able reestablished as Fleet Utility Squadron ONE (VU-1) at NAS Barbers Point, HI

  • 1951 - VU-7's KD drone units transferred to VU-3.

  • 1952 - 25 seperate detatchemnts to various West Coastlocations.

  • 30 October 1964 - All prop driven aircraft transfered out.

  • 2 July 1965 - VU-7 redesignated Fleet Composite Squadron SEVEN (VC-7) and placed under the command of Commander, Fleet Air Miramar.

  • VC-7 1977 Roster1977 Roster
  • April 1980 - Received notice of disestablishment effective 30 September 1980.

  • 27 June 1980 - The squadron's final mission was flown, towing DART targets for VMFA-513's AV-8 Harriers, while completing its last detatchment at NAF El Centro, CA. The squadron's 37 years and 7 months of service had ended.

  • 30 September 1980 - Decommission seremonies.VC-7 Decommissioning


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Awards:
Sources of information:
  • Richard E. Dellwo
  • John Gabbard
  • Torg Anderson
  • Scott Van Aken

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