CARRIER AIRBORNE EAR Y WARNING SQUADRON I IS

ADMIN : PA0 : pr 5750 Ser C1 1 m c h 1976

(Unclassified upon of enclosure (1) )

Fram: Carre- Officer, Carrier Early Warming Squadron O N E J 3 u r m a D m

To: Chief of Naval Operations

Subj: Cmmand History (OPNAV Report15750-1); submission of I

Ref: (a) OPNAVINST 5750.12B I I

Encl: (1) Caurrier Airborne Ear Squadron ONE HUNDFED FIETE;EN Cornnand History for

1. In acc:ordmce with reference (a) (, enclosure (1) is sulmitted.

q. E. WARD Copy to: Director of NaW ist tory (OP-09~9) 1

Classified by CO, VAW-115 SUBJECT !CD GDS OF E.O. 11652 AlJ'mMATI(:uY DECLASS7FIED ON 31 DE02NBER 1982

PART I: W T C HISTORY

A: C m ORGANIZATION 1 B: SUMMARY OF OPIBATIONS

C: SPECIAL TOPICS I

PART 11: EKUIENTARY ANNEXES

A: OVEBALL SQUADRON HI

B: AWARDS AND

C: OFFICER R o s r n

D: l3NLISTED ROSTER

Enclosure (1)

E: BIOGRAPHY OF CDR J. S.

F: BIOGRAPHY OF CDR C. E.

BALMrJIN

WARD

G: BIOGRAPHY OF LCDR D.

P A R T I B A S I C H I S T O R Y

I 3 Enclosure (1)

A. (U) - C m m d Organization

1. CDR J. S. WWIN, USN, 3 1 0 : 1 January t o 25 M c h 1975.

2. CDR C. E. WARD, USN,-~20: 26 March t o 31 December 1975.

3. 'The squadronf s primar ion uti l izing four E-2B aircraft i s t o provide the (Officer i n Tactical C (OTC) with Airborne Early Warning (AEM) data on targets entering the surr airspace. A n Airborne Tactical Data System (ATDS) uni t i s incorporat E-2 t o accomplish th i s mission. In addition, the A'IDS un i t is capab forming many secondary command ard control functions.

4. Carrier Airborne ONE HUNDRED FIFTEEN was embarked on 'USS MIDWAY (CV-41), Station Yokosuka, Japan, in connectio:n with the Overseas mgram.

5. 'During the year the squadr n reported t o Comnander, Attack Carrier Air W i n g FIVE and COMFIT-GPAC. 7

6. 1W standard organiz e for VAW aviation conrrands was maintained by the squadron t year. A n average of twenty-two (22) officers and one hundred f i is ted men were assigned. Twenty-five (25) f l ight crew personnel (10) aviators, eleven (11) mval f l ight officers, and four (4) f l ight t cians) comprised four crews for operation of four E-2B ai rcraf t . ntenance officer was assigned.

B. (C) flnrargry of Operations

1. Calendar Year 1975 was into four major periods as follows :

a. Period I - From 1 t o 30 Mwch the squadron was e-ked USS MIDWAY trainin@; i n the Japan, O k l n a w a , and Subic Operating an3 interservice exercises were conducted during this period.

in the Japan, Okinawa, and Philippine Vietnamese contingency

c . Period I11 - From O? June t o 11 September the squadron was embarked aboard USS MDWAY (CV-41) onducting type training i n the Japan an3 0kin;twa Operating Areas. Sever& fket, interservice, , international exercises were conducted during t s period.

d. Period N - From 1 Septarber t o 31 Dec-er the squadron was embarked aboard USS MIDWAY (CV 41) conducting type trainfng in the Japan,

lippine, O l n a w a , and Indian Oc an @crating Areas. Several significant g e t , intersenrice, and internati n a l exercises were conducted during this period. i

2. (C) Detailed Schedule 1 I

Period I : I I

01 JAN - 12 JAN 1 13 JAN - 22 JAN 1 23 JAN - 01 FIB I

0 2 F E E 3 - 0 4 m I 05 FEB - 11 FEB 12 FEB - 14 FEB 15 FE33 - 16 FEB

17 Em 18 FEB - 1 0 MAR 11 MPLR - 12 MAR 13 MPR - 1 4 MAR 15MAR-17MAR 18MAR-ZOMAR 21MAR-3OMAR 1

Inport Yokosuka Subic Ops ikport Subic Ehroute Subic Philippine Ops READEX 1-75 OZdnawa Area Opr W o u t e Yokosuka Inport Yokosuka Yokosuka Area Ops O k i n a w a Area Opr rnTIPLEX I11 - 75 &route Yokosuka Inport Yokosuka

Period 11: I

I 31 MAR - 02 APFi 03 APR - 04 APR

05 ApR 06 APR 07 APR

Yokosuka Area Ops Okinawa Ops Ehmute Subic Philippine Ops Ehroute Vietnam

08 APR - 12 APR 13 APR 1 4 APR

15 APR - 18 APR 1 g APR

20 APR - 28 APR 29 APR - 30 APR 01 MAY - 05 MAY 06 MAY - 10 MAY

11 MAY 12 MAY - 15 MAY 16 MAY - 19 MAY 20 MAY - 22 MAY 23 MAY - 25 MAY

26 MAY 27 MAY - 29 MAY 30 MAY - 06 JWN

Period 111:

07 JUN - 08 JrJN 09 JUN - 1 4 JUN

15 JUN 16 JUN - 06 JUL 07 JUL - 09 JUL 10 JUL - 19 m

20 JUL 21 JUL - 03 AUG 04 AUG - 12 AUG 13 AUG - 1 4 AUG 15 AUG - 17 AUG 18 AUG - 21 AUG 22 AUG - 11 SEP

Period N:

12 SEP - 21 SEP 22 SEP - 03 OCT

04 OCT 05 OCT - 06 OCT

07 OCT 08 OCT 09 0CI'

l o om - 13 m 14 OCT - 19 OCT 20 OCT - 26 OCT 27 OCT - 28 OCT 29 OCT - 11 NOV 12 NOV - 16 mv 17 NOV - 28 NCN 29 NCN - 06 DEC 07 DEC - 08 DEC

Vietnam Ops Enroute Subic Philippine Ops Inport Subic Enroute Vietnam Vietnam Area Vietnam Evacuation G u l f ' of Thailand Enroute Guam Aircraft Offload Guam Enroute Philippines Philippine Ops Inport Subic Philippine Ops Okinawa Ops Enroute Yokosuka Inport Yokosuka

Yokosuka Area Ops Okinawa Ops Earoute Yokosuka Inport Yokosuka Yokosuka Ops Okinawa Ops Enroute Yokosuka Inport Yokosuka Oldnawa Area Ops Yokosuka Area Ops Inport Yokosuka Yokosuka Area Ops Inport Yokosuka

Y o k o s ~ s a w a Area Ops Inport Yokosuka Yokosuka Area Ops Enroute Oklnawa Okinawa Ops Enroute Philippines Subic Area Ops Inport Subic Ehroute Singapore Inport slngapore Transit S t ra i t s of M a c c a Indian Ocean Ops Inport Karachi MIDIJNK 75 Exercise Indian Ocean Ops Transit S t ra i t s of Ivblacca

og DEc - 10 DEc 1 m u t e p h i l i p p i n e s 11 DEC - 13 DEC 1 Inport Subic 1 4 DEC - 18 DEC Enroute Yokosuka 19 DEC - 31 DEC ) w o r t yokosuka

Period I Sunanary

a. (U) General. The days of this period were primarrily designated for preparations for as w e l l as representing VAW-115's

- -

recovery *om a period of In ret&spect, this period culminated in a rapid standard of operational efficiency following res t and relaxation. Participat'ion in a by m b l e operationdl of calendar year 1975

In additio; t o & scheduling of AIC ," SSSC , and AAWEX' s ," the LLberty Bells" were tasked with primary TCMC T and alternate PIRAZ responsibilit ies dur* t h i s period.

PI ,

b. (C) Operations 1 JAN - 22 Jan-, the sauadron f'ulfilled a

Following an inport at Subic Bay, RP, the period of 2-11 February was utilized i n f ina l ions fo r READEX 1-75. During READEX 1-75 the l1Uberty Bells1' estab sq-on first by flying a t o t a l of 71.7 hours i n support of the e , providing continuous coverage f'rom 0600, 12 February t o 1800, 1 4 y 1975. The exercise also afforded VAW-115 t h e opportunity of t h the combined CORAL SEA/MDWAY embarked exe~c ise during a environment.

I

1 4 w. A t sea during the period 13- hemw schedule with only four fbll crews.

Routine cyclic operations in the Okinaula Yokosuka which enabled the

and training.

M c h 13-17 found the participating in aFr operations off O k i n a ~ r a , where the llLLberty ass- significant

performd CAP control, SSSC, and cornrand and aontrol 111-75. Squadron crews

AEM. functions within this t r i p l e threat war- at-sea e n v i m m n t . I

Returning t o Flower exercise was conducted. The l1L&be~?tygV' targets defended by the

exercise. Inter- examples of VAW-115

readily t o the advantages become densonstrations of

both prof:lciency and implacability. I

The inport period this period t o its completion offered Overseas Family and relaxation (a particularly unique experience), as t o complete necessary maint- enance an3 training ev e act iv i t ies were supplemental t o the

Ehclosure (1) 1 7 -

events of 25 M c h 197 E. Ward relieved CDR JokKl S. Baldwin as Comnanding Officer Early W a r n i n g Squadron ONE HUNDRED m. t r a d i t i Id aboard USS MIDWAY (CV-41) at Yokosuka, Jagan with CAFT Richarrd J. SchuLte, Cormanding Officer USS MIDWAY as guest 13peaker. I

4. Period I1 Sunnary l

MIDWAY was enroute t o waters off South TTiefSnam cyclic operations were

South Vietnam. With reasons, all-NFO backend

AAWM missions prior t o retw?nirg t o the Philippines.

a. (C) General. ext nded at-sea periods and three inport periods are included in the sumnatio of Period 11. Initial operational expectations were cast aside in Ugh of the situation i n South Vietnam. A multitude of operational and schedul changes emerged i n association with Vietnamese contingency and ref'ugee e cuatlon operations. Although at-sea for sixty days during this period, bient factors limited the A i r Wing t o 15 ml flying days (nine or m r e IIO i s). A combination of excellent air- craft a w l a b i l i t y and judicious sch&uling permitted the maintenance of

I

b. (C) Operations 31 MAR - 06 &TI. A i r Wing carrier refresher

On 19 April, the MIDWAY was

contingencic~s . Concurrently, F-5 and i~-37 a i rcraf t f'rom Sattahip, Thailand were added t o the already crowded f l i deck of the MIDWAY. The remaining Vietnamese refugees and a l l transient were unloaded at Guam on May 11.

landings were conducted on 1 April ir. anticipation of a 50-day deployment. A l l "Uberty" pi lo ts were refreshed a t o t a l of 27 traps were logged by the squadron. Four war-at-sea sce s were conducted uti l izing the 6 2 as the primary cornnand and contra form prior t o onloading over 30 Marine heLLcopters off Okinawa . licopters were transferred t o the USS HANCOClt on 06 April.

I

e. (C) Operations 1 2 MAY - a-, ImwAy/cvw-5 conducted cycldc

06 W. Returming t o CV status once oma t ions in the Philippine m a .

These "ref're~her'~ operations were fo lowed by a well-deserved l iberty period in Subic . A s operations r e s d on 4 May, the "Liberty Bells" provided c ~ c a t ; i o n s coordination and rang surveillance for a successful AAMEX off Pop Point;. When an A-7 CHAMP a i rc ft (413) fFom MDIAY squadron VA-56 experienced control d i f f icul t ies and ejection af ter bombing one of the small boy spars,, the "Ubertyll crew on s t a ion was the first t o verif'y an emrgency I and control a MIDWAY helicopter t o a successful pickup of the pilot . Ful l day cyclic operations occupied the tvansit t o Yokosuka and an eagerly awaited homeport period of res t . In addition t o r e s t and relaxation, the inport period included four NATOPS check fl ights FCLS periods for a l l squadron pi lots ,

5. Period I11 Sumnary

a ~ l i e s t portion of this period is e m of consistency and f f icul t ies encountered

Order. Despite the highest personnel turnover rate of i ts participation i n the Overseas Family Residency Program, the squadron t o optimize both crew training and professional p e r f o m c e i n series of War-At-Sea Exercises (WASEX) . The positive results of C s semi-annual MaintenanceNt e r i a l

of the squadronls PMntenance Departmnt, and maint hued t o demnstrate their resilience and professional competence during $he transfer of aircraft .

I

the resultant cancellation of som $chedded air operations. Two Anti-Air Warfare Exercises were conducted by the ltLLberty Bells1' on 11 June, and a successfiLl War-At-Sea Exercise was bonducted against USS WORDEN (DE-18) on 15 June. The 16 June - 06 July inp rt period was marked by the continuance of the squadlronT s aggressive damage co k trol PQ,S program.

b. (C) Operations 07 JUN

c. (C) @eratiom 07 & - 03, AUG. This period comnenced auspicio~~sly with an outstanding Ca$xcier Qualification ref'resher period during

- 06, JUL. Four days of the 7-15 June

which Liberty pi lo ts logged 28 trapb and 4 touch and goTs. War-AtSea Exercises were conducted nearly ev other day, as the E-2 utilized SSSC assets t o detect the threat and dir ? c t str ike group attacks. The repetition of these exercises culminated in t adoption of increasingly sophisticated tact ics by both defensive and thre 2 elements. The llLLberty Bells" also controlled W aircraf t for surface lsurveillance missions, and on 18 July, a P3 on a SSG mission under llLibertdll control visually located the Soviet AGI AMPEMETEli t ra i l ing the Task Group. The E 2 also acted as the primary control agency for three AAMEXT s during thds period, and during the return t o Yokosuka "Uberty"' crews participated se A i r Self Defense Force/F'IFTH Air b r c e Cope Chemy Air defense se, providing c o ~ c a t i o n s relay and track c o ~ ~ d i n a t i o n t o particip Japanese GCI s i t e s while simultaneously providbs bogey dope t o CVW-5 ssorl' &craft.

operational schedule were devoted t9 the &midance of inclemnt weather, with I

d. (C) Operations 04 A$G - 11 SEP. Nearly half of the 4 August- 21 A u g u s t at-sea tke was spent da$ging typhoons Ora and Phyllis. However, even inclement weather was beneficqal t o the opportunistic l '~ ;~ber ty &llsv

DECLASSIFIED I

as they instituted a f u l l schedule f mxhtenance and aircrew training. 7 3 ~ period was highlighted by a very ductive Anti-Submarine Warfare Exercise with the USS TROUT. A P-3 under E-q control was able t o isolate the conven- t ional submlne t o a 100 nautical V l e area, and the 6 2 crew subsequently observed the submarine periscope a t 60 nautical miles. After concluding this period with a vaxiety of exercises, and FCW fl ights were completed during the 22 August t o 11 Septembe inport period.

Period IV Sumnary

a. (C) General. This p riod, while physically representing the conclusio~n of another year of the & rseaa Family Residency Program, operationizlly smmrizes the compet nce mil e q e r t i s e of Air W i n g FIVE and VAW-115 ai3 international representa 4 ives of the United States Navy. While tkbe early portion of this period wad m k e d by preparations for Indian Ocean operations, VAW-115 participated no ably in a P-3C Bear Exercise with

"Zip Up1' WIk 4A intern: p ts under G 2 control. Additionally, on 23 Septe&er, mwAy welcon-ed depen ! ents aboard for a one day cruise which included icwo cycles of air operatio*. On 1 4 October, departing f'rm the Philippines, USS MIDWAY/CVW-5 comqced the 77-day Indian Ocean cruise, longest t o date of the Japanese Overseas Family Residency Program.

b. (C) Operations 1 2 sEI? - 13 JET. Flight operations f r o m 12-21 *

September weve conducted southeast f Yokosuka and off Misawa in northern Japan. VAW-115 crews provided c o 4 c a t i o n relay and range clearance prior t o a successful surface-to-air Exerc se with effective LLnk 4A "Zip Up" intercepts. The inport period 22 Sebtember t o 3 October was utilized for f inal prepamtions for the Indian cruise and RVAW-UO evaluation of VAW-115 NllTOPS instructors and the In t ransi t f r o m Yokosuka t o the Philippiraes f 'mm 4 t o 1 0 had the opportunity t o participate i n the Cope str ike and a i r defense exercise. VAW-115 performed str ike pontrol of Navy aircraft and directed Intercepts of incoming F'IEiTH A i r Forbe raids f r o m Korea with notable success. October 10-13 was spent in Subic, wibh s p r b weather and maxinnrm l iberty providing a welcome respite.

After departing the Philippines, a War-At-%a as a prelude t o operations in the Indiari t ra f f ic i n the M a n Ocean,

utilized. The success of by the "ORANGE" threat

forces, led t o their adoption thro@out this cruise. Following an enjoyable visit t o Singapore, the Task Group ceeded t o the Indian Ocean, transiting the M a c c a StraLts on the 28th of October. Almst 80% of the squadron participated, however-reluctantly, the traditional "Crossing-the-Line" ceremony, and LTJG of! VAW-115 epitomized the "Polly~ogs'~ as "Miss Polly Bell" the chosen Queen t b King Neptune. On 11 November, a Liberty crew successrully vectored an SH3 t o the FPigate JESSE L. BROWN and back t o MIDWAY on a MEDEVAC mission. MDW~~vi s i t ed the port of Karachi, Pakistan fram 12-16 November, a stay which wa$ enjoyed despite limited liberty and recreational fac i l i t i es . VAW-115 ho$ted a Pakistan Naval A i r contingent on 14 and 15 November, conducting brief$ and tours i n relation t o the visit.

L. Enclosure (1)

d. (C) Operations 17 ~4 - 31 DEC. MIDLINK 75 was the primary exercise conducted during the excurdion into the Indian Ocean. This year the exercise IW conducted under the participa'tion by the U.S. Pacific mddle Ea;st Forces units USS JESSE For VAW-1:15, MIDLTNK posed interesting

auspices of the Imperial Iranian Navy, and Fleet Task Group was a-nted by U.S. L. BROWN, USS VALDEZ, and USS LASALLE.

and challenging problems. Extensive experimnntation was conducted for p oper stationing i n light of the land- locked Gulf of Cknan operating area, and unexpectedly, the higher altitudes proved t o be m r e effective. The aIr war began in earnest during Phase I11 of MIDLINK, requiring quick reactio to counter the high-speed and quick- maneuvering banian F-4E and USAF F ll1 tweats . RAF Canberras and Iranian P3's exteizded the threat axis t o a Id 1 360 degrees. The Post Operational Report noted that "Aggressive air cdntrol by the E2 crews combined with outstandhg ESM support provided by VQ-1 crews resulted i n the E2/EA3 team being credited with much of the succ/ess(bf the Alr W a r . Over 55 intercepts were conducted on 25 November, pr ily by VAW-115 Frisbees. In addition t o their 13rofessional flight perfo %e during MIDLINK, VAW-115 provided the services of LCDR as an advisor t o the CoMnander of the Imperial :banian Pers$an Gulf Naval Forces aboard the IIN BABR (D7) on matters concerning carrier air ope-tions. The Liberty representative assisted AAW comnand operations, es ablished and maintained the flagship on the SNIP/net, and assisted i n opera ional preparation of a def'unct KW-7 RATT Comuld circuit. The superb L ship and professional expertise demnstra1;ed by each squadron memberl of VflW-115 during MIDLINK could be considered representative of an e n t p year of disciplined performance. During the t ransi t back t o Japan an ~4 and W4 under E 2 control located a mjo r SovLet task group headed t o m the Indian Ocean. On 11 December a brief stopover in the Philippines priovided welcom rest, and following a brief bout with inclemnt weather t e MIDWAY returned t o Yokosuka on 19 December. For a l l essential intent 1 and purposes, the "Uberty Bells" of VAW-115 devoted the remainder of thd year t o ful les t enjoyment of the Holiday Season and eager anticipatiqn of a New Year.

C. Special 'Jbpics- I 1. (C) S ta t i s t i c s

a. The following squadrdn airaraf't were assigned:

(1) Bureau No. (2) Ehreau No. (3) Bureau NO. 1517d8 (4) l3ureau No. 15"g (5) Bureau No. 1517 6 (6) Bureau No. 1524 6 (7) Bureau No. 1524 0 (8) Bureau No. 1524 8

(01 JAN - 05 SEP) (01 JAN - 05 SEP) (01 JAN - 06 CCT) (01 JAN - 06 KT) (06 OCT - 31 DEC) (05 SEF' - 31 DEC) (06 OCT - 31 DEC) (05 SEP - 31 DEC)

b. Performance data ~ercfjod I (01 JAN - 30 MAR)

(1) Shtpbom Sortiesl Scheduled/Flown/%

$ 150/137/91 3

(2) Shipboard Hours cheduled/Flod% 379.6/365.2/96.2 (3) Shipboard Am Ho s Scheduled/mown/% 379.6/365.2/96.2 (4) Shipboard Link-1L Hours Scheduled/Flown/% 37 9.6/289.2/7 6.1 (5) Shipboard Hours F ~ c Scheduled/F'lod% 379.6/289.2/76.1

c. Special Missions - Pepiod I

(1) AIC: 35.1 (2) AAWEX: 11.5 (3) P E W : 10.2 (4) MISSILEX: 20.7 (5) SAREX: .5 (6) HEADEX I: 72.0 (7) MULTIPLEX 111-75 30.5 (8) M: 12.0 (9) ~ r n -: 3.5

d. P & f o m c e data Periiod I1 (31 MAR - 06 JUN)

(1) Shipboard Sorties Scheduled/Flown/% J 72/69/95.8 (2) Shipboard Hours S heduLed/Flown/% 178.8/173.6/97.1 (3 ) Shipboard Al3W Ho s Sckduled/Flovd% 178.8/162. V90.7 (4 ) Shipboaxd Link-11' Hours Schedule#lown/% 178.8/85/47.5 (5) Shipboard Hours &C Scheduled/Flown/% 178.8/85/47.5

e. Special Mssions - Pepicd I1

(1) AIC: 34.0 (2) AAW: 4.5 (3) SSSC: 26.2

f . Performance data Per4od 111 (07 JUN - 11 SEP)

(1) Shipboard Sortie Scheduled/Flown/% 1 103/99/96.1 (2) Shipboard Hours chedulled/Flown/% 247.8/237 3/95.7 (3) Shipboard AEM Ho s Scheduled/Flown/% 247.8/218.4/88.1 (4) Shipboard W-11 Hours ScheduledfFlown/% 247,8/188.1/75.9 (5) Shipboard Hours .*c Scheduled/Flown/% 247.8/177.4/71.2

g. Special Mlssions - ~ & i o d I11 .

(1) SSSC: 56.5 ( 2 ) WASEX: 11.1 (3) AAMEX: 11.3 (4) -: 7.5 (5) COPE cHERiY: 4.0' (6) MEEX: 1.0 (7) AAm: .6

h, P e r f o m c e data Peribd IV (12 SEP - 31 DEC)

(1 ) Shipboard Sorties Schedtiled/nown/% 166/160/90.1 (2) Shipboard Hours S heduled/Flown/% 9 380.4/356.1/93.6 *

(3) Shipboard AEW Ho s ScheduledfFlown/% 380.4/336.1/88.3 (4 ) Shipboard Ilnk-11, Hours ScheduledVFlown/% 380.4/326.7/85.8 (5) Shipboard Hours F$C ScMuled/Flown/% 380.4/247.0/64.9

i. Special Missions - PeViod N

(1) SSSC: 162.5 (2) M I D W 75: 91.6 (3) WON 75: 11.6 (4) COPE CHERRY: 2.5 (5) AAMEX: 10.2 (6) mA S m : 5.1 (7) AAWEX: 2.1 (8) SAR: 1.0 ( 9 ) mom: 2.0

(10) WASEX: 4.3

2. (U) New Equipmnt bkdifica#ion

NONE

3. (U) Notable Records/Firsts

a. VAW-115 received t Chief of Naval Operations Aviation Safety Awa~d in recognition of the 8 est Safety record amng Carrier Airborne Early W m h g Squadrons in the Pacific Fleet for the competitive cycle f 'mm 1 January l;o 31 December 1975.

DECLASSINE~ Enclosure (1)