VA-172 (U.S. Navy)

VA-172 was an Attack Squadron of the U.S. Navy. It was established as Bomber Fighter Squadron VBF-82 on 20 August 1945, redesignated as Fighter Squadron VF-18A on 15 November 1946, as VF-172 on 11 August 1948, and as VA-172 on 1 November 1955. The squadron was disestablished on 15 January 1971. Its nickname was the Checkmates from 1846-1950, and the Blue Bolts thereafter.

Significant events

 * 28 Jan 1949: Squadron aircraft, while secured to the flight deck and engines running, were used to assist in berthing USS Midway (CVB-41) in Augusta, Sicily. This procedure is known as operation Pinwheel.


 * 23 Aug 1951: The squadron participated in its first combat sortie. This also marked the first use of the F2H-2 in combat.


 * 25 Aug 1951: The squadron’s F2H-2 aircraft, along with F9Fs from VF-51, provided escort for 30 U.S. Air Force B-29 bombers raiding the marshalling yards at Rashin, North Korea.


 * Nov–Dec 1956: USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42), with VA-172 embarked, was ordered to deploy and operate off the coast of Spain as a result of the Suez crisis.


 * Sep–Oct 1957: A detachment of squadron’s F2H-2 aircraft were embarked in USS Tarawa (CVS-40) to provide fighter support for the antisubmarine warfare (ASW) carrier during a NATO exercise in the North Atlantic.


 * Nov 1961: VA-172, embarked in Roosevelt, operated off the coast of the Dominican Republic to support the newly established democratic government.


 * May 1963: Roosevelt, with VA-172 embarked, deployed to the Caribbean and operated off the coast of Haiti in response to a rebel attempt to overthrow the Haitian government.


 * Jul–Sep 1963: A detachment from the squadron was deployed aboard USS Randolph (CVS-15) to provide fighter coverage for the ASW Task Group during operations in the Caribbean Sea.


 * 8–29 Aug 1964: Roosevelt, with VA-172 embarked, was ordered to operate in the vicinity of Cyprus after fighting escalated between Turkish and Greek forces on the island.


 * Aug 1966: The squadron commenced combat operations in Vietnam. These were its first combat sorties since the Korean War in 1952.


 * 2 Dec 1966: The squadron’s commanding officer, Commander Bruce A. Nystrom, was lost in a night reconnaissance mission over the Red River delta area in North Vietnam.

Home port assignments
The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown:
 * NAS Alameda – 20 Aug 1945
 * NAS Quonset Point – 15 Jan 1946
 * NAAS Cecil Field – 04 Mar 1949
 * NAS Jacksonville – 24 Mar 1950
 * NAS Cecil Field – 22 Feb 1958

Aircraft Assignment
The squadron first received the following aircraft on the dates shown:
 * F6F-5 Hellcat – Aug 1945
 * F4U Corsair – 06 Sep 1945
 * F8F Bearcat – 1946
 * FH-1 Phantom – Mar 1949
 * F2H-1 Banshee – May 1949
 * F2H-2 Banshee – 21 Jun 1950
 * F2H-4 Banshee – 13 Jan 1956
 * F2H-2B Banshee – Sep 1956
 * A4D-1 Skyhawk – 16 Dec 1957
 * A4D-2 Skyhawk – May 1958
 * A4C Skyhawk – 06 Sep 1961