VP-23

Patrol Squadron 23
VP-23 Patch (1953-1985)
Active	1 JUL 1930 - 1 OCT 1944 17 MAY 1946 - 28 FEB 1995
Country	United States
Branch	U.S. Navy
Type	Squadron
Role	Anti-Submarine and Maritime Patrol
Part of	Patrol Wing (PatWing) Five
Garrison/HQ	Brunswick Naval Air Station, Brunswick, Maine
Nickname	Seahawks
Decorations	Navy Unit Commendation - 5 Sep 1979 to 4 Mar 1980 Meritorious Unit Commendation - 9 Sep 1970 to 31 Oct 1970 Meritorious Unit Commendation - 15 Feb 1981 to 29 Jul 1981 Meritorious Unit Commendation - 5 May 1990 to 10 Nov 1990 Navy Expeditionary Medal - 1 Oct 1976 to 30 Sep 1977 Navy Expeditionary Medal - 21 Nov 1979 to 1 Dec 1979 Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal - 23 Oct 1983 to 21 Nov 1983 Southwest Asia Service Medal - 2 Oct 1990 to 10 Nov 1990 Joint Meritorious Unit Award - 15 Aug 1990 to 12 Oct 1990 Battle "E" (1976)
Aircraft flown
Patrol	Martin T4M Consolidated P2Y PBY Catalina PB4Y-2 Privateer P-2 Neptune (P2V) P-3 Orion

VP-23, Patrol Squadron 23, known as the Seahawks, was a U.S. Navy fixed-wing, anti-submarine and maritime Patrol Squadron based at Brunswick Naval Air Station, Brunswick, Maine, USA. She was disestablished on February 28, 1995.

History

History Pre-1946

VP-10S - Established - 01JUL30
VP-10F - Redesignated - 17JUL33
VP-10 - Redesignated - 01OCT37
VP-25 - Redesignated - 01JUL39
VP-23 - Redesignated - 01AUG41
VPB-23 - Redesignated - 01OCT44
VPB-23 - Disestablished - 25JAN46

History 1946 to 1995

PB4Y-2 "Privateer" of VP-23

VPW-3 - Established - Weather Reconnaissance Squadron THREE (VPW-3)-17MAY1946.
VPM-3 - Redesignated - Meteorology Squadron THREE (VPM- 3)-15NOV46.
VP-HL-3 - Redesignated - Heavy Patrol Squadron (Landplane) THREE (VP-HL-3)-8DEC1947 (the second squadron to be assigned the VP-HL-3 designation).
VP-23 - Redesignated - Patrol Squadron TWENTY THREE (VP- 23)-1 September 1948 (the third squadron to be assigned the VP-23 designation).
VP-23 - Disestablished - 28FEB1995.

Deployments

[under construction—see official history below and feel free to pitch in]
19 May 1952: VP-23 deployed to Argentia, Newfoundland, for three months of advanced base training in cold weather operations, relieving VP-24.

Jan 1953: VP-23 deployed to the Spanish Air Base at Reus, Tarragona, Spain, for one week of training with Spanish Air Force personnel. At the end of the week the squadron flew to Port Lyautey, F.M.

Jun 1953: VP-23 deployed to Argentia, Newfoundland, with a detachment at Thule AFB, Greenland.

Apr 1955: VP-23 deployed to Bermuda with new jet-assisted A/C. A three-aircraft detachment was maintained at Lajes, Azores.

1970/71 Oct70 to March71 VP-23 Deployed to Suda Bay, Crete; Sigonella, Sicily, Rota, Spain and Lajes, Azores 1974 - 13JUN74 to 14NOV74: Naval Station Rota, Spain and NAF Lajes (Lajes Field), Azores
1975 - 2JUL75 to 17DEC75: Naval Air Station Bermuda, Bermuda and (Lajes Field), Azores
1976 - 1DEC76 to 5MAY77: Naval Station Rota, Spain and NAF Lajes (Lajes Field), Azores
Mar1978 - Sept1978 Naval Station Rota, Spain and NAV Lajes (Lajes Field), Azores
Sept1979 - Mar1980 Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland in February 1980 split deployment to Diego Garcia, Indian Ocean in response to the 1980 Iran Hostage Crisis
1981 - 15FEB81-29JUL81: Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland
1982 - Naval Station Rota, Spain and NAF Lajes (Lajes Field), Azores
1983 - Naval Air Station Bermuda
1984 - Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily 1986 - Naval Station Rota, Spain/Lajes Field, Azores 1987 - Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland 1988-89 - Naval Station Rota, Spain and NAF Lajes (Lajes Field), Azores
1990 - Naval Air Station, Bermuda; UNITAS: Roosevelt Roads, PR,Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil
1992 - 1993 Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily and Operations Desert Shield and Southern Watch

[under construction—see official history below and feel free to pitch in]

Famous alumni

• Austin Boyd, Author.^[1]
• Michael Foreman, Mission Specialist on STS-123 and STS-129.
• Rear Admiral Jeffrey Lemmons ^[2]
• Michael McKinnon, CEO of ^[3]
• Rear Admiral Mark Skinner ^[4]

See also

• History of the United States Navy
• List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons
• List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons

References

• VP-23 Home Page from VP Navy.Org
• "Third VP-23" DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN NAVAL AVIATION SQUADRONS—Volume 2 (from VP-23.org)

External links

• VP-23 Pages from Military.Com
• Patrol Squadron 23 - Primarily from '50s and before
• History Page from VP Navy.Org
• Official VP-23 History from DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN NAVAL AVIATION SQUADRONS—Volume 2, Chapter 3, pgs. 141-152
• Squadron History from Dave's Warbirds
• VP-23 Patch History
• Biography of Francis H. Clifton, VP-23/VPB-23, USN
• Photo of the crew of the Patrol Squadron 23 (VP-23) PBY-5A that found the approaching Japanese fleet's Midway Occupation Force

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