A BIT OF HISTORY: "...VP-26 is Proud...Service News Vol. 2 No. 4 April 1956 Page 13-14..." [02NOV2002]

In the January issue of Service News we reported the award of the coveted Navy "E" to the VP-26 Patrol Squadron for the best operating record of the patrol squadrons in the Atlantic Fleet. A detailed account of the excellent record compiled by this squadron on its way to gaining its second successive award is outlined in a letter from Commander L.D. Moyers, VP-26 commanding officer. An excerpt from that letter follows:

"VP-26 was deployed to Keflavik, Iceland, from 10 March, to 10 August 1955. While there they averaged 1100 hours per month most of which was under instrument conditions. In the month of May the squadron set their Atlantic Fleet Record of 1320 hours while engaged in extensive search operations, a NATO exercise, and normal patrol commitments. Each squadron has twelve aircraft, and 100 percent utilization is considered to be sixty hours/plane/month, or 720 for the squadron. The cold and otherwise inclement weather worked against starting and other maintenance problems. b1 spite of this, the squadron maintained an average availability of over 90 percent and utilization of 153 percent for the entire Iceland tour, and there was not a single day during the tour that our aircraft were not launched. This performance resulted in special commendations from General Hutchinson, USAF, Commander Iceland Defense Force, and Captain Perkins, USN, Commander Naval Forces, Iceland.

"The above record, coupled with other outstanding marks, and including competitive scores which were almost phenomenal, won the award of the Navy 'E' for the second consecutive year. While it is not known whether or not another squadron has ever won the award two years in succession, it is unusual to say the least, and all hands are very proud of their double 'E' or 'E' with a hash mark."

The squadron deployed to Puerto Rico in November and again in February. In both cases the trips down and back were made with all twelve aircraft which we believe speaks highly of the reliability of both the engines and the aircraft.

"During the fifteen day deployment to Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, last month, we flew about 775 aircraft hours, consisting of about 250 separate flights. There were practically no cancellations or aborted flights. Availability was near 90 percent and utilization was over 200 percent for the period. Our overall average for competitive scores was over 93 percent hits. This consisted of each of our twelve crews making a given number of scored runs in low altitude bombing, low altitude radar bombing, rocket firing, and night search light runs on a sub- marine. Five of our crews made perfect scores across the board. All competitive exercises are scored by observers assigned from outside the command.

"Maybe the above sounds just a little boastful, and I don't mind too much if it does. We think we have good airplanes, flown by the best crews in the fleet, and supported by the best qualified ground personnel that can be found anywhere."

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Picture of our float taken 11/1956 and was our entry for the Thanksgiving Parade (I believe it was at NAS Brunswick, Maine) See BP-26 for details re "Commodore Bobs Little Rascals"..." Contributed by DENEU, YN3 Frank fwden@yahoo.com [14OCT2001]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...VP-26 Home After 5 Month Deployment - Thursday, November 5, 1966..." Contributed by DENEU, YN3 Frank fwden@yahoo.com [14OCT2001]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Award of "E" and article and photo while on beach in Aguadilla, PR (Ramey AFB TDY) Left to right: Ens Lee M. Holland, Lt unknown, Emil Flores, YN2, unknown, Frank Deneu, YN3, Lt unknown ..." Contributed by DENEU, YN3 Frank fwden@yahoo.com [14OCT2001]

Circa 1955

A BIT OF HISTORY: VP-26 History "...4 From VP-26 - New At School - Receive "E's" - JAX AIR NEWS - VOL 12 - NO 43 - NAS Jacksonville, FL - 03 FEB 1955..." WebSite: University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries http://ufdc.ufl.edu/ [04FEB2011]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...This picture was taken 11 June 1955 @ Prestwick, Scotland en route to our base at NAS Keflavik, Iceland..." Contributed by DENEU, YN3 Frank fwden@yahoo.com [14OCT2001]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Newspaper article from Keflavik Airport, Iceland..." Contributed by DENEU, YN3 Frank fwden@yahoo.com [14OCT2001]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...This was the final stop on our "Fam Hop" . When we were stationed there Iceland was a communist country and our skipper convinced COMPACFLT it would be a good idea to familiarize all Pilots and Crews to be familiar with Airports within fuel distance in case we had to evacuate: Hence the Fam Hops, a few planes at a time would eventually cover Europe (usually a 6 day trip). Note our vintage "Poopy Suits". From L to R in Photo Koelling, Tobler, Deneu. VP-8 is in the background..." Contributed by DENEU, YN3 Frank fwden@yahoo.com [14OCT2001]

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Circa 1954

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...VP-26 Record Is Compared - Page 16 - Naval Aviation News - August 1954..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1950s/1954/aug54.pdf [02AUG2004]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Squadron Tops 1000 Hours - Page 17 - Naval Aviation News - May 1954..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1950s/1954/may54.pdf [02AUG2004]

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Circa 1952

A BIT OF HISTORY: VP-26 History "...Snowballs in Jax - JAX AIR NEWS - VOL 9 - NO 46 - NAS Jacksonville, FL - 28 FEB 1952..." WebSite: University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries http://ufdc.ufl.edu/ [03JAN2011]

A BIT OF HISTORY: VP-22 "...VP-26 - September 23, 1952 - Navy Pilots Sighting of Flying Objects...Publication Number: T1206 - Publication Title: Project Blue Book, 1947-1969 - Publisher: NARA - Year: 1952 - Month: September - Month Season Number: 09 - Location: Portland, Maine - Incident Number: [BLANK] - Page: 49 - WebSite: http://www.footnote.com/..." Forwarded by Stephen Miller f134kilmil@comcast.net [14AUG2008]

A BIT OF HISTORY: VP-26 "...VP-26 - September 23, 1952 - Navy Pilots Sighting of Flying Objects...Publication Number: T1206 - Publication Title: Project Blue Book, 1947-1969 - Publisher: NARA - Year: 1952 - Month: September - Month Season Number: 09 - Location: Portland, Maine - Incident Number: [BLANK] - Page: 51 - WebSite: http://www.footnote.com/..." Forwarded by Stephen Miller f134kilmil@comcast.net [14AUG2008]

A BIT OF HISTORY: VP-26 "...VP-26 - September 23, 1952 - Navy Pilots Sighting of Flying Objects...Publication Number: T1206 - Publication Title: Project Blue Book, 1947-1969 - Publisher: NARA - Year: 1952 - Month: September - Month Season Number: 09 - Location: Portland, Maine - Incident Number: [BLANK] - Page: 50 - WebSite: http://www.footnote.com/..." Forwarded by Stephen Miller f134kilmil@comcast.net [14AUG2008]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...FAETULAN, FAW-3, FAW-5, FAW-11, VP-3, VP-5, VP-7, VP-8, VP-10, VP-11, VP-21, VP-23, VP-24, VP-26, VP-34, VP-44, VP-45, VP-49, VP-661, VP-741 and VP-861) - Naval Aeronautical Organization OPNAV NOTICE 05400 for Fiscal Year 1953 dated 1 October 1952 is: DECLASSIFIED per Office of Chief of Naval Operations on 1 February 1965 by Op-501..." WebSite: Naval Historical Center http://www.history.navy.mil/a-record/nao53-68/fy1953-oct52.pdf [14MAR2007]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Joined VP-26 directly out of flight school just as it was transferred to Patuxent River MD from NAS Port Lyautey, French Morocco. As a junior ensign I replaced the "Publications Officer" who was one of ten who had been lost when one of the squadron's PB4Y-2s had been shot down over the Baltic Sea by the Russians. In early September, 1950, the squadron received it's first P2V-type aircraft and in the next six months converted, first to P2V-3s, and then to P2V-4s. I was designated Patrol Plane Commander in early July, 1952, and assigned to aircraft No. 7 - EB 124241. The squadron was rotated to Keflavik, Iceland, late September, 1952, while we were having many problems with the new 3350-30W engines with the power recovery turbines. In Iceland my aircraft, No. 7, being flown by the executive officer, L.T.Cdr. Rogers, lost an engine shortly after takeoff and barely made it back to the field. It scraped to a stop on the lava on the edge of the runway and completely burned. Fortunately, all the crew escaped unharmed. I was transferred from VP26 in Brunswick ME in June, 1953, to the Navy's All-Weather Flight School in Corpus Christi TX...Richard S. Coy (Rapid Richard)" Coymanor@aol.com

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Circa 1950

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...08 APR 50 - A PB4Y Privateer of VP-26, with 10 men on board, was lost over the Baltic Sea after being attacked by Soviet aircraft..." http://www.history.navy.mil/avh-1910/PART07.PDF [28MAY2003]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...08APR50 - Soviet La-11s, piloted by Boris Dokin, Anatoliy Gerasimov, Tezyaev, and Sataev shot down a USN PB4Y-2 Privateer (BuNo 59645) of VP-26, Det A. Based from NAF Port Lyautey, Morocco, the Privateer was on a patrol mission launched from Wiesbaden, West Germany. According the to the American account, this happened over the Baltic Sea off the coast of Lepija Latvia. The Soviets claimed the aircraft was intercepted over Latvia and fired on the Soviet fighters when it was intercepted. After the fighters engaged the Privateer, the Soviets report that it descended sharply before crashing into the sea 5-10 kilometers off the coast. Wreckage was recovered, but the crew of John H. Fette, Howard W. Seeschaf, Robert D. Reynolds, Tommy L. Burgess, Frank L. Beckman, Joe H. Danens, Jack W. Thomas, Joesph Jay Bourassa, Edward J. Purcell and Joesph Norris Rinnier Jr. were presumed killed..." Website: Aircraft Downed During the Cold War and Thereafter http://www.silent-warriors.com/shootdown_list.html [20FEB2003]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...VQ-1 and VQ-2, commissioned in the mid 1950s, were preceded by specially equipped aircraft and trained crews in small detachments with an Officer in Charge (OIC) administratively attached to other squadrons and units under operational control of the local theatre commanders, CINCNELM and CINCPAC, and responsible to the Special Project Division OP-922Y in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). Some of these squadrons were VC-11, VP-26, VW-1 Detachment A, VW-2 Detachment A, NCU-32G, and NCU-38N. Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadrons One and Two (FAIRECONRON) are VQ-1 and VQ-2, initially designated Electronic Countermeasures Squadrons (ECMRON) until re-designated in 1960. I have compiled a list of the personnel who died in VQ aircraft accidents, and will provide it upon an email request...Chuck Huber cerebralhush@gmail.com..." [16JAN2003]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "00XXX50--When I was in Brunswick in the late '50s, VP-26 lost 2 or 3 aircraft. They were all (or both) LK-8. Rumor had it, that they were going to skip 8 in the crew numbers. In retrospect, I don't think the Navy would proliferate or condone superstition in that manner, but it was the scuttlebutt. Can anyone corroborate, or is my memory way off? Charles A. Joseph cjoseph@eagle1.eaglenet.com

A BIT OF HISTORY: "08APR50--A PB4Y Privateer of VP-26, with 10 men on board, was lost over the Baltic Sea after being attacked by Soviet aircraft." http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/avchr7.htm

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"VP-26 History Summary Page"

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