| Attack Squadron 12 | |
|---|---|
VA-12's insignia |
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| Active | 12 May 1945 – 1 October 1986 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Type | attack |
| Part of | Inactive |
| Nickname | Flying Ubangis |
| Motto | Kiss of death |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | A-4 Skyhawk A-7 Corsair II |
| Fighter | F4U Corsair F8F Bearcat F2H Banshee F7U Cutlass |
VA-12, Attack Squadron 12 (ATKRON 12) was an attack squadron of the United States Navy that was active during the Cold War. Nicknamed the "Flying Ubangis," they were based out of Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Florida. The squadron flew two combat tours during the Vietnam War. VA-12 was deactivated on October 1, 1986.
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The squadron was established on May 12, 1945 as fighter-bomber squadron "VBF-4". It was redesignated "VF-2A" on 15 November 1946, "VF-12" on 2 August 1948, and was finally attack squadron "VA-12" on 1 August 1955.
In 1960, VA-12 was part of airwing of the USS Shangri-La when that carrier was deployed to counter Cuban infiltration into Guatemala and Nicaragua. The next year, the squadron returned to the area aboard USS Franklin D. Roosevelt to support the government of the Dominican Republic. In 1963 the squadron was deployed in detachments to the USS Essex and USS Intrepid for anti-submarine warfare exercises. In August of the next year, the squadron was again on board the Roosevelt when the carrier was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean in response to trouble between Greeks and Turks on the island of Cyprus.
The squadron saw combat in Vietnam twice, in 1966 and 1971. Later in 1971, the unit relinquished the A-4 for the A-7 Corsair. 1973 and 1974 saw further trouble in the Mediterranean. 1973 saw the Yom Kippur War and 1974 the assassination of the American ambassador to Cyprus. In 1980, the Iranian hostage crisis saw the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower with the squadron on board. The ship remained at sea for 254 days continuously. Trouble in Lebanon flared in 1983, and the squadron supported the peacekeeping force in the country.
On 1 October 1986, the squadron was disestablished, ending 31 years of service as an attack unit, and ten years prior to that as a fighter unit.