A BIT OF HISTORY: "...06AUG43--German U-Boat (U-615) "shot down" a Mariner from VP-205..." http://rvik.ismennt.is/~gummihe/Uboats/special/flak-hits.htm

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...03AUG43--German submarine sunk: U-572, by naval land-based aircraft (VP-205), north of Dutch Guiana, 11 d. 33' N., 54 d. 05' W. ..." http://www.cyberplus.ca/~chrism/chr43.txt

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...VI BOMBER COMMAND IN DEFENSE OF THE PANAMA CANAL...A B-18 ("Robust Man") assigned to the 10th Bombardment Squadron and piloted by Lt. Milton Wiederhold became the fifth squadron to become embroiled in a fight on August 7, 1943, against a U-boat in the Caribbean Sea southeast of Curacao, in position 12.38N, 64.15W. The heavily damaged U-boat, afterward identified as the U-615, had withstood twelve depth-charges and bombing attacks from six different aircraft for virtually a whole day. Lt. L. D. Crockett, in Mariner P-11 from VP-205, vectored the B-18 bomber into an attack run, but when the pilot flew over the area where the U-615 was last seen, there was no U-boat in sight. The pilots, seriously hampered by the weather, kept up the hunt, dropping flares to light up the sea below. At 9:15 p.m., the U-boat was sighted lying dead in the water. Lt. Crockett, his aircraft running low on fuel, relinquished command of the operation to Lt. Cmdr. Joster of VP-205. Joster, flying Mariner P-15, again vectored the B-18 bomber into an attack run. The B-18 dropped depth charges down around the U-boat, the depth-charge explosions slamming into the U-boat's hull increasing the damage. The B-18 carried out its last attack, sending shock waves slamming into the U-boat's hull. At 4:50 a.m., the U-615 finally died. Overhead, the attackers continued hunting for the U-boat, not knowing that their prey no longer existed. At dawn, the USS Walker arrived at the area of the great battle which had been fought the previous afternoon to hunt the crippled U-boat. While searching for another U-boat reported to be in the area, the Walker found 44 exhausted survivors of U-615 and hauled them up the scaling nets hanging down the destroyer's steel sides. The 10th Bombardment Squadron shared credit with VP-205 for the sinking of U-615. Brigadier General Lyons, on October 20, 1943, awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross to the crew members of the "Robust Man," in a presentation ceremony held on the aircraft parking ramp at Waller Field. This was possibly the longest ongoing combat between a U-boat and aircraft. U-615's battle enabled many other U-boasts in the Caribbean to surface and escape to the east. ...." http://planesandpilotsofww2.totalh.com/panama/submarine.htm [15MAY2001]

A BIT OF HISTORY: APPENDIX 3 Submarines Sunk by Patrol Squadrons During World War II - Naval Historical Center http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/dictvol2.htm [04MAY2001]

U-572, 3 August 1943
Type: VIIC Laid Down: 15 June 1940, Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Commissioned: 29 May 1941, Kptlt. Heinz Hirsacker
Commander: May 1941 December 1942, Kptlt. Heinz Hirsacker; December 1942 August 1943, Oblt. Heinz Kummentat
Career: Assigned: May 1941 August 1941, 3rd Flotilla (Kiel); August 1941 August 1943, 3rd Flotilla (La Pallice)
Successes: Six ships sunk for a total of 19,323 tons, one ship of 6,207 tons damaged

Fate: Sunk 3 August 1943, northeast of Trinidad, in position 11°35'N, 54°05'W, by bombs from a PBM-3S Mariner of VP-205. 47 dead (entire crew lost). Lieutenant (jg) C. C. Cox attacked U-572 on the surface and was shot down during the bomb run with the loss of all hands.

Circa 1942-1945

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...History of FAW-5 - History of Headquarters Squadron Fleet Air Wing Five - 01SEP42 through 01JAN45. Squadron's Assigned: VP-15, VP-16, VP-17, VP-18, VP-21, VP-22, VP-25, VP-26, VP-27, VP-28, VP-31, VP-52, VP-63, VP-81, VP-92, VP-94, VPB-105, VPB-107, VPB-110, VPB-111, VPB-112, VPB-113, VPB-114, VPB-126, VPB-134, VPB-147, VPB-149, VP-201, VP-205, VP-208, VP-209, VP-210, VP-211, VP-212, VP-213, VP-214, VP-215 and VP-216 - Submitted Feburary 1, 1945..." Official U. S. Navy Records (National Archives and Records Administration) via Fold3 http://www.fold3.com/ [27NOV2012]

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Circa 1942

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Op-40-A-KB - (SC)A6-4/VZ - January 6, 1942 - Location of U. S. Naval Aircraft..." WebSite: Naval Historical Center http://www.history.navy.mil/ [23SEP2006]

VP SQUADRONS MENTIONED

VP-11, VP-12 and VP-14

VP-23 and VP-24

VP-31, VP-32, VP-33 and VP-34

VP-41, VP-42, VP-43 and VP-44

VP-51, VP-52, VP-53 and VP-54

VP-61, VP-62, VP-63

VP-71, VP-72, VP-73 and VP-74

VP-81 and VP-83

VP-91, VP-92 and VP-94

VP-101

VP-201, VP-202, VP-203, VP-204, VP-205, VP-206, VP-207, VP-208, VP-209, VP-210, VP-211 and VP-212

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...The currently active duty VP-45's designation history: 1 November 1942 Established as VP-205 at NAS Norfolk, Virginia with PBM aircraft. 1 October 1944 Redesignated VPB-205...15 May 1946 Redesignated VP-205...15 November 1946 Redesignated VP-MS-5...1 September 1948 Redesignated VP-45. Transitioned to P-5M seaplanes in 1954, and to the P-3 Orion in January 1964. There have been three VP-45's. The first was a redesignation of a Hawaii based PBY squadron in 1938 and retained that designation for only six months. The second VP-45 was established at NAS Seattle, Washington in April 1943 with six PBY aircraft. It was deployed immediately to the Aleutian area and was positioned at Attu in Cosco Bay (named for the Seaplane Tender there). It was redeployed to Belem, Brazil with 12 PBY-SA aircraft in 1943 and conducted antisubmarine patrols and convoy escort throughout the south Atlantic area until June 1945 when it was disestablished at NAS Norfolk, Virginia. One of its PBYs is located at the National Museum of Naval Aviation, NAS Pensacola, Florida. The third and still active VP-45, flying the most advanced P-3, is as shown above. Its homeport is NAS Jacksonville, Florida..." Contributed by Charles Caldwell cbc222.cald@gmail.com

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Circa 1941-1944

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...History of FAW-8 - History from 08JUL41-31DEC44 Submitted April 12th, 1945. Squadron's Assigned: VP-16, VP-18, VP-19, VP-20, VP-21, VP-22, VP-25, VP-26, VP-27, VP-28, VP-43, VP-61, VP-62, VP-63, VP-72, VP-81, VP-82, VP-83, VP-84, VP-92, VP-118, VP-123, VP-133, VP-137, VP-140, VP-142, VP-144, VP-148, VP-150, VP-153, VP-198, VP-205, VP-208 and VP-216..." Official U. S. Navy Records (National Archives and Records Administration) via Fold3 http://www.fold3.com/ [01DEC2012]

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"VP-205 History Summary Page"

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