Fighting Squadron 72 or VF-72 was an aviation unit of the U.S. Navy, originally established as VF-7 on 1 July 1939, it was redesignated as VF-72 on 19 November 1940 and disestablished on 29 March 1943.[1]
| Fighting Squadron 72 | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 July 1939 – 29 March 1943 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Part of | Inactive |
| Aircraft | F3F-3 F4F Wildcat |
| Engagements | World War II |
Operational history
editVF-7 was originally equipped with Grumman F2F and Grumman F3F aircraft. It was reequipped with the F4F-3 Wildcat in December 1940 and deployed as part of Carrier Air Group 7 (CVG-7) aboard the USS Wasp.[2]
From January to March 1942 VF-72 was deployed on USS Ranger in the Atlantic Fleet.[3] In April 1942, VF-72 was based ashore at Naval Station Norfolk and then transferred to the USS Wasp.[4] In early June 1942, VF-72 had reequipped with the F4F-4 at NAS Alameda and from mid-June through July was shore-based at Naval Station Pearl Harbor.[5] In August VF-72 was deployed on USS Hornet.[6]
Artist Thomas C. Lea III depicted VF-72's executive officer, Lt A. C. "Silver" Emerson in action during the Solomon Islands campaign in his painting "Defending the Ship."[7]
Following the sinking of the USS Hornet on 26 October 1942, VF-72 was deployed on USS Nassau from January until March 1943 when it was disembarked at Pearl Harbor.[8][9]
Home port assignments
edit- NAS Norfolk
- NAS Alameda
- Naval Station Pearl Harbor
Aircraft assignment
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Lineage for Fighter Squadrons" (PDF). Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
- ^ Young, Edward (2013). F4F Wildcat vs A6M Zero-sen: Pacific Theater 1942. Osprey Publishing. p. 15. ISBN 9781780963228.
- ^ "Location of U.S. Naval Aircraft, World War II 2 Feb 1942". Naval History and Heritage Command.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ "Location of U.S. Naval Aircraft, World War II 15 Apr 1942". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- ^ "Location of U.S. Naval Aircraft, World War II 4 Jun 1942". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- ^ "Location of U.S. Naval Aircraft, World War II 27 Aug 1942". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- ^ "A Grizzly from the Coral Sea" (PDF). Naval Institute Press. September 2008.
- ^ "Location of U.S. Naval Aircraft, World War II 6 Jan 1943". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- ^ "Location of U.S. Naval Aircraft, World War II 11 Mar 1943". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 19 April 2016.