Carrier Air Wing Fifteen

Carrier Air Wing Fifteen (CVW-15) is a former United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing that was decommissioned on March 31, 1995.[1] It was previously known as Carrier Air Group Fifteen (CVG-15) before 1963 before being renamed in December of that year.[2]

Carrier Air Wing Fifteen
Active	20 December 1963 - 31 March 1995 (As CVW-15)
Country	United States
Branch	United States Navy
Type	Carrier Air Wing
Engagements	Korean War (as CVG-15) Vietnam War Cold War Operation Formation Star

History

Early Years and Vietnam War

Carrier Air Group 15 was established on April 5, 1951 and was deployed to the Korean War in September of that year on board the USS Antietam.[3] The squadron was made up of reserve squadrons during the two cruises during the Korean War. Starting in 1960,[3] CVG-15 would begin a two decade long attachment with the USS Coral Sea that would continue when in 1963,[4] all CVGs were re-designated as Carrier Air Wings.[5] With this, CVG-15 became Carrier Air Wing 15. CVW-15 however did deploy with the USS Constellation only once in 1966 during the Vietnam War. During the evacuation of Saigon in 1975, CVW-15's aircraft covered the helicopters used to rescue the civilians feeling the Invasion.[6]

CVW-15 aircraft at NAS Alameda in 1974. USS Coral Sea is in the background.

Post Vietnam

CVW-15 made their final deployment on board the Coral Sea in 1977. This cruise was the only time that the F-4J Phantom and EA-6A Electric Intruder part of CVW-15. After this, in 1979, CVW-15 deployed for the first on a different carrier than Coral Sea in around 13 years when they deployed with USS Kitty Hawk and with new F-14A Tomcat and S-3A Viking.

A VS-29 S-3A Viking of CVW-15 landing on the USS Kitty Hawk in 1981 with an F-14A of VF-111 and VF-51 in the background.

In 1983, CVW-15 deployed on the new Nimitz Class Carrier USS Carl Vinson's first post shakedown cruise.[7] This cruise was significant as it was an around the world cruise that involved stops in St. Thomas, Monaco, Abidjan, Perth, Subic Bay, British Hong Kong, Sasebo, Pusan, Pearl Harbour and the moving the Vinson's homeport from Norfolk, Virginia on the west coast to Alameda, California in the San Francisco Bay Area.[8] During their time with the Carl Vinson, they took part in RIMPAC 84' and 86'.[4] During the 1986 to 1987 cruise in the North Pacific, VF-51 and VF-111 carried the multiple tail codes of other Carrier Air Wings to confuse Soviet Naval Aviation patrols which carrier VF-51 and 111 was assigned to.[9]

2 F-14A Tomcats of VF-111 operations aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) in 1987. Note the lighter camouflage of the F-14A with number 200 which wears the tail code "NG" of CVW-9 and the name of CVW-9's (then) parent carrier, USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63). The rudders, however, show the markings of VF-111.

In July 1988, during the Olympics in Seoul, CVW-15 embarked onboard Carl Vinson and operated off the coast of South Korea.[10] In 1989, they also took part in the large naval exercise PACEX 89.[7][4]

Post Cold War and Final years

In 1990, CVW-15 made their last cruise with the Carl Vinson before moving back to the Kitty Hawk for the rest of their remaining service in the US Navy.[1] This cruise was also the last cruise for the A-7 Corsair in CVW-15 before VA-27 and VA-97 converted to the F/A-18A as well as for the SH-3 Sea King in HS-4.[4]

On January 13, 1993, VFA-97's CDR. Kevin J. Thomas led a night air strike of 110 coalition aircraft including 35 aircraft from the Kitty Hawk against Iraq SAM Command and Control sites in Southern Iraq. This in response to Iraqi violations of U.N. resolutions. On the 18th, an airstrike made of 29 aircraft including F/A-18As and F-14As and E-2Cs in support from CVW-15 was called off when Iraq moved mobile SAM sites into Southern Iraq.[11] On the 23rd, another incident occurred when Iraqi AAA fired on an A-6E Intruder from VA-52 and two F/A-18As from CVW-15 over Southern Iraq. In response, the Intruder attacked the AAA site with a 1,000 pound bomb.[11]

Between June and December 1994, CVW-15 made their last deployment before being inactivated in 1995 along with many squadrons that were part of CVW-15.[4] During that deployment, the air wing participated in the "first anti-submarine warfare prosecution of Chinese Han class sub contact" as well as the tracking of the larger Oscar II Class Submarine between July 7 and 8,[11] of which were designed to attack American Carrier Battlegroups.

Carrier Air Wing Fifteen at the time of their last deployment
Cruise Date	Carrier	Squadron		Aircraft	Area
June 24, 1994 - December 22, 1994	USS Kitty Hawk CV-63	VF-51 Screaming Eagles		F-14A Tomcat	West Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean
		VF-111 Sundowners		F-14A Tomcat
		VFA-97 Warhawks		F/A-18A Hornet
		VFA-27 Royal Maces		F/A-18A Hornet
		VA-52 Knightriders		A-6E TRAM Intruder
		VAW-114 Hormel Hogs		E-2C Hawkeye
		HS-4 Blacknights		SH-60F/HH-60H Oceanhawk
		VAQ-134 Garudas		EA-6B Prowler
		VS-37 Sawbucks		S-3B Viking
		VQ-5 Seashadows Detachment C		ES-3A Shadow
		VRC-30 Providers Detachment A* (VRC-30 is a Carrier Onboard Delivery Squadron only. This means it doesn't stay with the ship at all times.)		C-2A Greyhound

References

1. "CVW-15 Carrier Air Wing 15 CARAIRWING FIFTEEN - US Navy". www.seaforces.org. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
2. "Air Wings of the US Navy". www.wings-aviation.ch. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
3. "CVG-15(2)". gonavy.jp. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
4. "CVW-15(NL)". gonavy.jp. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
5. "Appendix 15 Evolution of Carrier Air Groups and Wings". web.archive.org. 2015-01-23. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
6. "USS Coral Sea Tribute Site - USS CORAL SEA". usscoralsea.net. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
7. "CVN-70". gonavy.jp. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
8. "USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) - History". web.archive.org. 2007-07-05. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
9. Tillman, Barrett (2012). Aviation Elite Units - VF-11/111 'Sundowners' 1942-95. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781782006626.
10. Grossnick, Roy A (1995). Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons Volume 1. Washington D.C.: Department of the Navy.
11. "Kitty Hawk II (CVA-63)". public1.nhhcaws.local. Retrieved 2020-07-10.