VF-53

Fighter Squadron 53
	VF-53 squadron insignia
Active	20 July 1950 – 29 January 1971
Country	United States
Branch	United States Navy
Role	Fighter aircraft
Part of	Inactive
Nickname(s)	Iron Angels
Engagements	Korean War; Vietnam War
Aircraft flown
Fighter	F-9F-2 Panther; F2H-3 Banshee; F4D-1 Skyray; F3H Demon; F-8 Crusader

Fighter Squadron 53, or VF-53 Iron Angels was an aviation unit of the United States Navy in service from 20 July 1950 to 29 January 1971. Originally established as reserve squadron VF-721 on 20 July 1950, it was redesignated as VF-141 on 4 February 1953 and then redesignated as VF-53 on 15 October 1963. The squadron was disestablished on 29 January 1971. It was the fourth US Navy squadron to be designated as VF-53.[1]

Operational history

Korean War

VF-721 F-9F-2 Panthers over Korea in 1951

VF-721 equipped with the F-9F-2 Panther was assigned to Carrier Air Group 101 (CVG-101) aboard USS Boxer for a deployment to Korea from 2 March to 24 October 1951.[2] During this deployment the squadron lost 2 aircraft.[2]^:88

The squadron deployed on USS Kearsarge from 11 August 1952 to 17 March 1953.[2] During this deployment the squadron lost 4 aircraft and two pilots killed.[2]^:88

1950s-60s

VF-141 F2H-3 Banshee aborts a landing on USS Randolph in 1954

VF-141 F4D-1 Skyray and VF-51 FJ-3 on USS Bon Homme Richard in 1957

VF-141 F3H Demon landing on HMS Victorious (R38) in 1961

VF-141 equipped with the F2H-3 Banshee was assigned to Carrier Air Group 14 (CVG-14) aboard USS Randolph for a deployment to the Mediterranean from 3 February to 6 August 1954

VF-141 equipped with the F4D-1 Skyray was assigned to Carrier Air Group 5 (CVG-5) aboard USS Bon Homme Richard for a deployment to the Western Pacific from 12 July to 9 December 1957. The squadron was assigned to Carrier Air Group 14 (CVG-14) aboard USS Ranger for a deployment to the Western Pacific from 3 January to 27 July 1959.

VF-141 equipped with the F3H Demon was assigned to CVG-14 for a deployment to the Western Pacific aboard USS Oriskany from 14 May to 15 December 1960. The squadron deployed aboard USS Lexington for a deployment to the Western Pacific from 9 November 1961 to 12 May 1962.

Vietnam

VF-53 F-8J Crusader in 1970

VF-53 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 5 (CVW-5) and was deployed to Vietnamese waters aboard USS Ticonderoga three times: 3 January to 15 July 1963; 14 April to 15 December 1964 and 28 September 1965 to 13 May 1966.[3]

VF-53 was deployed on the carrier USS Hancock from 5 January to 22 July 1967.[3] On 25 March 1967, a squadron F-8E crashed at sea on a non-combat mission, the pilot Lieutenant j.g. James Hise was killed in action, body not recovered.[4][5]

VF-53 was deployed on the carrier USS Bon Homme Richard three times: from 27 January to 10 October 1968; from 18 March to 29 October 1969 and from 2 April to 12 November 1970.[3] On 29 July 1968, LTCDR Guy Kane flying an F-8E shot down a Vietnam People's Air Force MiG-17.[3]^:101. On May 15th, 1970, LTJG Lloyd G. Howie's aircraft went down in the Gulf of Tonkin. CDR Dean E Kaiser disappeared over the Gulf of Tonkin while flying to Cubi Point in the Philippines on June 14th, 1970.

Home port assignments

NAS Glenview NAS Miramar

Notable former members

Thomas J. Hudner Jr.

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gollark: It's also very hard to patch over all the possible ways to regain access to the old `fs` API, like `getfenv`, `debug`, and sometimes `load`.

References

"Fighter Squadron Lineage". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
Thompson, Warren (2014). F9F Panther Units of the Korean War. Osprey Publishing. p. 87. ISBN 9781782003502.
Mersky, Peter (2012). F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War. Osprey Publishing. p. 102. ISBN 9781782006527.
"LTJG James Hamilton Hise". The Virtual Wall. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
"U.S. Unaccounted-For from the Vietnam War (Sorted by Name) Prisoners of War, Missing in Action and Killed in Action/Body not Recovered" (PDF). Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Retrieved 28 December 2015.

External links

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[1] "Fighter Squadron Lineage". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 6 October 2016.

[Thompson-2] Thompson, Warren (2014). F9F Panther Units of the Korean War. Osprey Publishing. p. 87. ISBN 9781782003502.

[Mersky-3] Mersky, Peter (2012). F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War. Osprey Publishing. p. 102. ISBN 9781782006527.

[4] "LTJG James Hamilton Hise". The Virtual Wall. Retrieved 28 December 2015.

[5] "U.S. Unaccounted-For from the Vietnam War (Sorted by Name) Prisoners of War, Missing in Action and Killed in Action/Body not Recovered" (PDF). Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Retrieved 28 December 2015.