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Hook Code
United States Navy
and Marine Corps
Aviation Tail Code Markings
by
Patrick Martin
The complete history ofUnited States NavalAviation Tail Code markings 1963-1994
Hook Code
United States Navy
and
Marine Corps
Aviation Tail Code Markings
1963 - 1994
by
Patrick Martin
t I
-
Hook Code
Introduction
This book is writtenfor those with a specializedinterestand some knowledge in aircraft markings of the United States Navy and United States
MarineCorps. This workassumes thereaderhasaworkingknowledgeofaircraft nomenclature. Inthetextanaircraft~,i.e., Phantom, will
be used, unless aspecificmodelorversion is referred to. Itis notintendedas acoffeetablepublication- itis aworking text book.
This bookisa studyoftail code markings and associated modex numbers used to identify the operatorofaircraftwithinthe United States Navy
and UnitedStates MarineCorpsfrom 1963 to 1994. Thesemarkings havetwo components -theacrual tail codeand the modex number.
Thefirstislocatedon thetailand wasusually atwo-digitsequence, known asthe tail code. Since 1963,threevariationsoftail codes havebeen
used: Letter-Letter, Number-LetterandSingle-Letter. Thesesequencescanrepresenteitheragroup/wingcode,anindividualsquadronorlocation.
A CarrierAirWing with over90aircraftrepresents a large user, whilethesquadronwith four aircraft, thesmallend user.
Thesecondcomponent,themodexornosenumber,iscomposedofone,two,threeorfournumbers. Thisadditionalidentificationisnotascritical
on shore-based aircraftas itis on carrier based aircraft. Itis usually placed on the nose and repeated on thefin tip and was on the upper wing
surfaces. AsallsquadronsassignedtoacommonCarrierAirWing/CarrierAntisubmarineGroupcarriedthesametailcode,thenosemodexsignifies
thesquadronand thentheindividualaircraftwithin thesquadron.
Acknowledgments
Thisbook,likeTailCode,istheresultofmuchresearch-phonecalls,letterwritingandkeyboardbashing. Itwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithout
the volumes of data from Mike Weeks, the Navy education from Rick Morgan and the editing of Rick Burgess. Special thanks to Steven Hill
USNHC, CORPJLaszcz NAMP/IS, IreneMartin, andTerryWaddingtonMCAS EIToroMuseum.
InadditionIwouldliketothankthefollowing: LTCAdamsVFA-305, LTDLAdamson, ENST AnsteadVFA-87, LTD AylmerVFA-94, BM
BartholomausHMT-Z04, LTJGSBasset,JA BaylissVQ-4, MABetcherPAOUSConGVancouver,MAJ T BonsonYMA-I3I, RBrown, LTWA
Brown HSL-33, LT WM BurkettJR, LT OJ Busse, N Campbell, LT M Carroll, PCZ OM Chavis VP-17, LCOR CC Christie JrHCS-4, LTJB
CochraneVR-56, LTTRCoonceHSL-4I, LTJGCoulterVF-51, OJCrawford USMCHC, LTDECzarapataJRVA-165, LTM Darling VF-IZ6,
LTJGSDavisVF-143, TDenton, LT LA DexterVX-I, F Drummond, L Dyson,BEliaSCW-I, LTRS ErieVF-Z4, ENSGL Ermish, ENS ER
FassnachtHM-14, LTJJFontanella,LTLFrautschiVFA-37,RKGallagherVF-14Z,H GannMCASEIToroMusuem,LTLGardinerVA-34,LT
WHGlennVAW-IZ4,LTCOLJWGrahamYMFA-1I5, RGrossnickUSNHC,LTJGJGutierrezH5-8,EJHannum, LTKBHartung,LTHHaltom
HC-6,LTASHerzog HS-8, ES (Mule) Holmberg, SN Hosmer, RHowie, LCDRIreland, M Isham, LTJG PJalruc, NJohnson, LTMAJohnson
VFA-81, ENS Kalus VT-86, LTCDKilburnCVW-15,LTK1assaVFA-I06, LTJGMEKonstVAW-IZ5, RLawson,LTJKLee,M Lidstone, LT
TCLundHSL-33,IMcPhearson, MMorgan, PMartinSR,MelanieMartin,SarahMartin, GenevieveMiller, PMinett, LTSGMitchellSCWPac,
CMolesworth, LTJGKMuirHC-5, LTT O'BryanVFA-147, LTJDOsborneHMM-Z65, LTJGJM PacchettiVT-31,JPannell,LTJGMLPeko,
LTJGTN Pham, T Planet, R Pound USS BHR,LTTJ Riordan, LTJGM RobertsVAW-1I4, LTJGT Robson, LTGA Robinson VXE-6, LTSC
RyeVFA-Z04,ENSCMSantosVT-Z3,LTHSavage,ENSSSeatonVP-IO,LCDRVShahaydaCVW-9,MAJWESmithYMFA-3ZI,KeithSnyder,
Hook Code Dragon AirEP04 Sea Knighl HMM-265
LTNStewartHC-8, ENSKYSuitteH5-IO, LTRBSevidalHS-7,LTTJThalerV5-Z9,ENSSJValanciaVX-4, CAPTBWadsworthYMFA-IZZ,
LTSAWhiteHS-3, CORWensing, LTJG RA YeagerVP-lI, unknownatVAW-1I6 andthe PublicAffairs OfficesatOceana, Norfolk, Patuxent
United States Navyand MarineCorps
RiverandWhidbey Island.
AviationTail CodeMarkings
~ completehistoryofUniredS/aresNaval
Aviation Tail Codemarkings1963-1994
by
PatrickMaTlin
SecondEdition
CopyrigbtC> 199J Martin Slides
81ZEast55th Street
Tacoma WA98404
Allrights reserved. Nopanojthispublication maybesloredin arelrieval
syslem, lransmiued, orreproducedin any way, including bUI notlimiledto
photocopy, photograph, magnelicorOlherrecord, orbyany othermeans
Wilhoulprioragreement and wrillen pemlissionojIhepublisherandauthor.
Fron! coverphotos:
F-4JPhantom 155536, VF-33 AG205, al Oceana, on 20June 1970. PhotoDouglasRemington.
F-14A Tomca/ 162608, VF-2 NE200, abOUlIalaun"chfrom USSRanger, on 1June 1992. PholO ParrickMarrin.
From selpholos:
SH-6OBSeahmvk, HS-S NK612, deploying sonar. PholoHS-8.
Backcoverphotos:
CH-46FSea Knight 156466, HMH-161 YRl6, al Yuma, all 19March 1972. Photo GerryMankgrqf.
F-4BPhamom 152983, VMFA-1l5 VE16, alNaha, on31 AuguSI1973. PhOio HidekiNagakubo.
EsconService: GrumTrUlnF-14A Tomca/s v. Tupolev Tu-20Bear-D. Copyrigh~ Hank Caruso,
F-14A TomcQl all approach 10 USSRanger, overflying USS Chosin, on1June 1992. PhotoParrickMaTlin. reproducedwilhpermissionjromAeroca/ures7814solaricourlpasadena, MD21122
Photos in lexr without credilarefrom The HookandPaulMinen colleerions.
/ ,"){; .' • I \""'.
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5ffl*IitMM9!!WItI!IH!I4II!!IIll!j.#.I!!M!!lIIl!»j"'MG@hIltt~!!IifS9It!l!!W!,",m!!OA!.Qriiesnl!@!li1!!\llI!lS1llltMl!riiCi!fMi6RIII!NI!II!!lWMlffl!IMdilNW'.
ll1N
How to use thisBook Forward
Photograpbscanbeidentifie<JbylookinguptailcodesintheUSN& USMCCodesUnitswithassignedcodescanbefaJJldalphabeticallyinthemain bulkofthishook-USN& USMCCodes.
Unitsthathaveusedthevariablecodes, becauseoffrequentreassignmentsbetweenlargersea-goinggroupsandwings, maybefwndin-CVG/CVWICVSGVariableCodes_section. Bothare PatrickMartin's HookCodecomes forth as theUnited States Navyapproaches the fiftieth anniversary ofitsoneand two lettercodes painted on
fictionallyillustratedbelow.
the tails ofitsaircraft. Thesecodesenablean observerto easilyidentify the unit to which an aircraftwas assigned.
USN& USMCCodes
Thc Navy practice ofpainting various unit identification markings on its aircraft, more than any other US service and foreign air arms, made
GK observationand photographyofNavy andMarineCorpsaircraftaparticularpleasureforaviationhistoriansand buffsoverthedecades. Variations
+1/l/63-3019189 +1/1/63-115180 PointNowbcre, FL onmarkingsmadeitpossibletodateaphotographtoaparticularyearorcruisesimplybyobservingthesubjectaircraft. Thesemarkingshaveproven
P-3A +1/1/63-4163 1/5180-9/9/87 SouthIsland, AZ invaluable for historians in matching photographs to events.
P-38 3/63-8/63 919187-3019189 Dcscl1Field,WA
P-3C 8/63-3019189
TheF~tWettranSlbonthroughvanousversiODSoftheOrion,disestabhsblDgtnSepte Assignmentsofcodes by the Officeofthe Chiefof Naval Operations is made largely bydis-interested clerical personnel following guidelines set
forth in theOPNAV 3710series ofinstructions. Sometimeslogic, personalinterest, orhistoricalconsiderationweigh in, butoften the selectionof
acodeis merely basedon the availabilityofan unused one.
= Inthis book, PatrickMartin has compiledan immenseamountofinformationon tail codeassignments 1963- 1994, by thorough documentation
{+1/1/63inwca,,:,dat.at ofperiodcoveredbyHookCode ofthesecodes. Hisdiligentefforthasfilled manygapsinknowledge,especiallywhereofficialrecordsareincomplete. Inaddition,hehas included
{1994+iodicatesservicecontinuedpastperiodcoveredbyHookCode theunofficialsquadron names identifying many ofthelessor-known ones, particularlyofMarinehelicoptersquadrons.
{TailCodesusedbyCVG/CVWICVSGunits
(repetitivetailcodesindicatesservice
This bookis bothimportantand enjoyable.
interruptedbyanotberunit)
{+indicaleSdaleSarewiderthan confirmed
Richard R. Burgess
{AiroafttypeS& daleSused}
LCDR USN (ret)
{Generalcommentsonunits&refemUs }
Editor, Naval Aviation News 1989- 1993
{DaleSunitassignedatshorefacility}
VA-199 +11/63-1994+ MabileField,CA
AA500 AB500 AC500 AOOO AE500 Pafuades,WA
A-I +1/1/63-1965
A..6A 1965..2/71+
A..6E 1972-8/92
A-61' 8/92-1994+
TheRedBlastersestlblishedin1960andnewtheSlcyraideruotilconvertingtotheA-6Ain1965.
EA-<iBProwler158649,VAQ-129NJ912,arNASWhidlxy[sfond,4AuguSf1984. PlwtoParril:kMartin.
P-3COrion161123, VP-lOLD3. Photo VP-10
iii
Abbreviations TableofContents
ACE AirCombatElement Hook Code United States Navy and Marine Corps Aviation Tail Code Markings
ACM AirCombatManoeuvring RCVG ReplacementCarrierAirGroup
AEW AirborneEarlyWarningSqua:lron RCVSG ReplacementCarrierAntisubmarineGroup
AFB AirFor<:<Base RCYW ReplacementCarrierAirWing
ALF Au:xiliaryLandingField RVAH ReconnaissanceHeavyAttac~Squadron
ANGB AirNationalGuardBase SAR SearchandRescue
ASW AntisubmarineWarfare SOES StationOperations.andEngineeringSquadron Introduction & Acknowledgments .
CAEWW CarrierAirborneEarlyWarningWing TACAMO T~eChargeandMoveOut Howto use thisbook " ,.... ii
CAG CommanderAirGroup Submarinecommunicationaircraft Forward byRickBurgess iii
COD CarrierOnboardDelivery TARPS TacticalAirbocneReconnaissancePodSystem(focTomcat)
Abbreviations iv
CONUS ContinenlalUnitedStateS TW TrainingWing
CVICVA AircraftCarrierlAttac~ USMC UnitedStatesMarineCorps History Lineage 1
CVG CarrierAirGroup(pre20112163) USMCR UnitedStatesMarineCorpsReserve Letter-Letter 1
CVN NuclearAircraftCarrier USN UnitedStateSNavy
Number-Letter I
CVSG CarrierAntisubmarineAirGroup USNR UnitedStatesNavyReserve
CVW CarrierAirWing(post20112/63) USS UnitedStatesShip Single-Letter 3
CVSGR ReserveCarrierAntisubmarineAirGroup V Heavierthanairfixedwing SHIPDEPLOYED UNITS 4
ECM El=onieCountameasures VA AttackSqua1ron CVW- CARRIER AIRWING 4
FEWSG FleetElectrorueWadat<:SupportGroup VAH HeavyAttackSqua1ron
Modex 6
FMF FleetMarineFocce VAK AerialRefuellingSquadron
FRS F1eetReadinessSqul<1ron VAL LightAttac~Squl<1ron FleetReadiness Squadrons . . . ..... . .. 7
HAL HelicopterLightAttackSqua1ron VAP HeavyPhewgrapbieReconnaissanceSquadron VF FighterSquadrons .. ... . . ..... ...... ..... ........ 8
HC HclicoptaCombatSuppmSqul<1roo VAQ TacticalElectronicWadat<:Squl<1ron VFA StrikeFighterSquadrons . ... . 8
HCS Heli<:opterCombatSuppmSpecialSqul<1roo YAW Airl>orneEarlyWarningSqul<1roo
VA AttackSqnadrons 8
HCT HelicopterCombatSuppmTrniningSqul<1roo VC CompositeSqul<1ron
HelWingRes HelicopterWingReserve VERTREP VerticalReplenishment VAW Airborne Early Warning Squadrons 8
HM HelicopterMineCountermeasuresSquadron VF FighterSquadron VS AirAntisubmarineSquadron- SeaControl Squadrons 8
HMA MarineAttadHelieoptaSquadron VF(AW) AJJWeatherFightersquadron(specialpurpose) HS HelicopterAntisubmarineSquadrons 8
HMH MarineHeavyHelicopterSquadron VFA StrikeFighterSquadron
VAQ TacticalElectronicWarfareSquadrons 8
HMHT MarineHelicopterHeavyTrainingSquadron VFP LightPhotographicReconnaissanceSquadron
HML MarineLightHelicopterSquadron VFC FighterCompositeSquadron CVSG- CARRIERANTISUBMARINE GROUP 8
HMLA MarineLightAttadHelicopterSquadron VFP LightPhotographicReconnaissanceSquadron LANDBASED-SHIPDEPLOYED 9
HMM MarineMediumHelicopterSquadron YMA MarineAttadSquadron HC HelicopterCombatSupportSquadrons 9
HMMT MarineMediumHelicopterTrainingSquadron VMA(AW) MarineAttackAJJWeatherSquadron
HSL HelicopterAntisubmarineSquadronsLight 9
HMT MarineHelicopto"TrainingSquadron VMFA(AW) MarineAllWeatherFighterAttaekSquadron
HMX MarineHelicoptcrSquadron ¥MFAT MarineFighterAttldTrainingSquadron VRC FleetLogistics Squadrons 9
HQ Headquarters YMAQ MarineTacticalElectronicWarfareSquadron VQ FleetAir ReconnaissanceSquadrons .................•............................................ 10
HS HelicopterAntisubmarineSqul<1ron YMCJ MarineReconnaissanceandElearooicWadareSquadron SHOREBASEDUNITS 10
HSL HelicopterAntisubmarineSqul<1ronLight ¥MF MarineFighterSquadron
VP PatrolSquadrons 10
!IT HelicopterTrainingSqua1ron VMFP MarineTacticalReconnaissanceSquadroo
HU HelicoptaUtilirySqul<1roo VMFT MarineFighterTrainingSquadron VXN OceanographicDevelopmentSquadrons .. .. .... 10
H&MS Headquarter>andMaintenanceSquadron YMGR MarineAerialRefuelerTransportSquadron VR FleetLogistics Squadrons 10
lAP InternationalAirpoo YMGRT MarineAeriaJRefuek:r1'nlnsportTrainingSqul<1ron VT Trainingand HTHelicopterTrainingSquadrons 10
IFF Identification.FriendocFoe YMO MarineObservationSqul<1ron
LAMPS LightAi:rtxnIeMultiplePurposeSystem(Helicopter) VMT MarineTrainingSqul<1ron HM HelicopterMineCountermeasures Squadrons 10
iliA AmphibiousAssaultShip(GeneralPurpose) VO ObservationSqua1ron VFC FleetFighterComposite Squadrons .. ..... .. ...... 10
LPH AmphibiousAssaultShip(Heli<:opter) VP PatrolSqul<1ron VX AirDevelopment- AirTestand Evaluation Squadrons 11
MALS MarineAviarionLogisticsSquadron VPU PatrolSqua1ronSpecialProjectsUnit NAVAL AIRRESERVE ................................................•.................................................... 11
MCAS MarineCorpsAirStation VQ FleetAirReronnajSS3nceSquadron
HCS HelicopterCombatSupportSpecial Squadrons 11
NAAS NavalAlUiliaryAirStation VR FleetLogisticsSupportSqul<1roo
NAP NavalAirFaciliry VRC FleetLogisticsSupportSqua1ron MARINECORPS 12
NARTU NavalAirReserveTrainingUrtit VRF AircraftFerrySquadron Attack 12
NAS NavalAirStation VSF AntisubmarineFighterSquadron Fighter 12
NATC NavalAirTestCenta VS AirAntisubmarineSqul<1ron
Helicopter-Observation 12
NATTC NavalAirTechnicalTrainingCommand SeaControlSqul<1ron(post11193)
NARTU NavalAirReserveTnUningUrtit vr TrainingSqua1ron Support 12
NARU NavalAirReserveUrtit VU UtilirySqua1roo Training .. . .. 13
NAWC NavalAirWadareQ:ntcr VW EarlyWarningSquadron MarineCorpsReserve .... . .. .. .. ... 13
NFWS NavalFightaWeaponsSchool VX AirTestandEvaluationSquadron
NS NavalStation VXE AntarcticDevelopmentSqul<1roo Paint Schemes byRickMorgan ...........................•...................•............................................... 14
NWC NavalWeaponsCenta VXN OceanographicDevelopmentSquadron USN & USMC Codes LETfER-LEITER 20
RAG FleetReplacementAirGroup
NUMBER-LEITER 164
SINGLE-LEITER 191
+ Usedinconjunctionwithdatesasprefixocsuffixintexttodenotepresumedexpansionofdatesknown CVG/CVW CVSG Variable Codes in orderofdesignation HC- VS 199
+111163 Thisdenotestypesandunitsinexistenceatthestartofperiodofthiswor~
1994+ Thisdenotestypesandunitsinexistenceattheendofthetimeframeofthiswock. Dateslaterthan1994+areplanneddisestablishmentdates. Appendix Appendix A - AircraftCarriers- 1963- 1994 247
Appendix B- United States NavylMarineCorps- Tail Codeusage- January 1, 1963 249
StateAbbreviation used Appendix C - United StatesNavyand Marine Corps -Tail Codeusage- December31, 1994 250
CA CaIif<nia NJ NewJersey Appendix D -CodeSummary 1963- 1994 251
FL Florida NM NewMexico Appendix E - UnitSummary 253
GA Geocgia NY NewYock
HI Hawaii OK Oklahoma Appendix F- Bases 1963- 1994 '" 256
lL lllinois PA Pennsylvania AppendixG -AircraftDesignations& AircraftTypes . .... . ... ........ ..... 257
KS Kansas PR PuenoRico AppendixH - USMC Cruises with CVG/CVW 258
LA Louisiana SC SouthCarolina Appendix I- Unmanned Droneunits 259
MD Maryland TX Texas
AppendixJ- CVWassignments 1994 .. .. . 259
MJ Michigan VA Virginia
NC NorthCarolina WA Washington AppendixK- Tail Codechart 1963- 1994 261
iv
v
n
MM'RM!wweaee**rttMWW@P'!MNS"""'P"'l7!I!IfI!ifJJIRmPMMfNi..,nmw:;blm@jA,@4/ritM&VW&Q4rmmlQ1SYl1lMM4MRMG'iWM&WM* §
Hook Code
United States Navy and Marine Corps
Aviation Tail Code Markings
History
Lineage
UnitedStates Navy aerialsquadronlineage hasbeenan arrayofestablishment, disestablishmentandredesignationofunits. Thesystem, because
ofits nature, isbothconfusingandcomplex. Squadronsareestablishedanddisestablished, theformeristheinitial dateofactivation(an AirForce
term), while the latteris the termination date. When a squadronis disestablished, thatis the end ofitslineage. A squadron may changetitle or
redesignatemanytimes. Sincethetimecontinuumisunbroken,thelineagecontinues. Onesquadronhadredesignated15timesbeforedisestablishing
in 1949.
Toaddto theconfusion, theinsigniaandtraditionsofadisestablished unitmay beadopted bya differentsquadron when notin use. Theclassic
exampleofthisistheJollyRogersinsignia. Thiswasoriginallyadopted byVF-17during WorldWarn. Duringthemajorreorganizationof naval
airunits in 1946, YF-17redesignated to VF-5B and later VF-61 during 1948, only to disestablish in 1959. Thisended the true lineageofVF-17
andthe original useroftheJollyRogersinsignia. In 1955, VA-86was establishedandredesignatedto VF-84onthesameday as theVagabonds.
VF-84 adopted the Jolly Rogers insignia officially in 1960. Thus the connectionis artificial. As if this was not perplcxing enough, the VF-84
designationwasusedearlierbyadifferentsquadronandnotinconnectionwiththecurrentuser. Tl'!erefore,Navyentriesinthetextwith morethan
onesetofactivation datesshould beconsideredas separateentities.
TheUnitedStatesMarineCorpshasafardifferentapproach. Aviationunits areactivatedanddeactivated much thesamewayastheUnitedStates
AirForce. TheMarineCorpssquadron numbersarethelineage. Asquadronmaygothrough severalactivations, inactivationsandredesignations,
while maintaining thesame number. The'squadron may even deactivatefor long periods while conserving squadronlineageand henceidentity.
ThecurrentNavy tail codesystemoriginatesinJanuary 1946whentailcodeswereassignedto individualcarriers. Thesesingleanddoubledigit
codes were basedon carriernames wherepossible. In 1948, tail codes were switchedto asingle digitwith assignment changing from Carrierto
CarrierAir Group. ThecUlTCntlener-lenertail coding system was adopted for carriergroups in September 1958. Many shore based units also
changedin this period.
Letter-Letter
The two-lettersequencewas byfarthelargestform ofaircraftidentificationutilized. Twolettersindicateasquadronorgroup ofunitsthatreport
toasinglecommandstructure. This variesin usagefrom asquadronsuchas; GJ(RVAH-3)and DR(VMFA-312), toAJfor allunitsassigned to
CVW-8. WhileassignedtoaCarrierAirWing, unitswill maintaintheCarrierAirWing code. UnitsattachedtoaCVWwould carrytheassigned
codefor as long as theassignmentlasts.
The twolettersequences, fortheUSN, can begenerally dividedbetweentwo geographicareas. Tailcodesthat beginwiththe lettersbetweenA
throughM are generally Atlanticbased units, while those codedN through Z arebasedin thePacific area. The SD,TCandWV tail codeswere
used by NATC, VQ-3 andVR-53, as exceptions. This rule doesno apply to USMC units.
Certain sequencesofcodes were used byunits having acommonrole. Whiletheintentis sometimes visiblein several of these, othersare well
hidden. Thesinglelenerandnumber-lettercodesareobviousinassignedsequence. Thedoublelettercodespresentaninterestingstudytothecode
oologist. Sequences which were placedon similarly equipped units havebeeninfringed with many exceptions. These have varied, from the use
ofcommandingofficersinitials,toevenmorefrivolousabbreviations. Thelargestusers, in numbersofaircraft, weretheCarrierAirGroupsfWings
(CVG/CVW) and defunct Anti-Submarine Groups (CYSG).
ThelettersIand0 havenotbeenusedineitherpositionintwodigitsequences. Thiswastoavoidconfusionwith thenumbersoneandzero. The
letterF hasalso notbeen used "officially" since 1963,on mannedaircraft, astheinitialletterinasequence. In 1993Whidbey IslandappliedFW,
unofficially, on SH-3H. Two F codes wereassigned to drone units in 1993, with five more addedin 1994.
The Atlanticassigned organizations usethestartand endoftheArange (CVG/CVW AA - AI{ & CYSG AS-AX). There have been fewuses
oftheBrange,five fortheMarines and four forthe Navy,includingtheBAcodeassignedto theBlueAngels,butwas neverapplied. The C,D
and E ranges had been used by the Marines, with one Navy exception in C and E. The G range was used by reconnaissance and electronic
formations and then Marineand Navy helicoptersquadrons. Hhas been used by Navyand Marinehelicopterunits including EastCoastLAMPS
squadronsplus anewly established electronic Vikingsquadron.
TheJrangewasusedbyutilitysquadronsandAtlantictransportandferryunits. KwasusedbyfourMarinetrainingunits. LwasusedbyAtlantic
patrol units. TheM range was used by Navy weatherreconnaissancesquadronsand since used onlyby the Marines. The N range duplicates the
purposeofthe Arange, butforthe Pacificfleet (CVG/CVWND-NP& CVSGNS-NW). OneMarinereservesquadron hasinfringedinto this
range, along with unofficial uses and areserve unitonactive duty.
The initial lettersP, Q, R, S, Y andZ were usedby Pacific based patrol squadrons. P also sawlimited use with reconnaissance squadrons and
a Marine helicopter unit. Q, with the exception of three patrol squadrons, was Marine territory. The R range was also used by Marine
reconnaissance units along with west coast transport, RCVSG and a AEWunit. The S range, in addition to patrol uses, was applied to Navy
reconnaissanceunits,butmainlyusedbytheMarines. TheTrangewasusedbyPacificLAMPShelicoptersquadronsandelectronicunits,withthree
Marineuses. UwasusedbyutilityNavyformations andfourMarineuses. VandWwereused,withfewexceptions,bytheMarines. TheXrange
was usedbytestunits. Yinadditiontopatrol use, was againMarineterritory. TheZ codes wereusedbywestcoastheavy attack units,Whidbey
lslandpatrol units and laterbya singleMarine helicopterunit.
Number-Letter
Thesecond methodofaircraftidentificationisasingledigitnumberfollowed byaletter. This serieswasusedbytraining and reserveunits or(0
designate abase. Each used a number, 2 through 8and had aspecificuse. In recentyears this series has diminished to only baseflight usage.
--- History --- 1
,* n
w.'trenm
'9SiW& dM"'9!Mm'........._ M@Wpwmeapptg¥j!8.,.MWiEFfMWWiiIW"fNP.l8IIHm@W M@M.'·Y gw;
The2 and3 ranoeofcodeswereused byNavalTraining Command. Thenumbers werefollowed byaletter,extendingthrough thealphabet,
~I The7 rangeoftailcodesbeganwithusagetodenoteaUunitsatagivenlocation,inshort,areservebasecode. Manyoftheassignedunitsshared
hut not wer;use;. Thedivision between the2 and 3 ranges were bycommand; the former by Naval AirBasicTraining Command and 3_ aircraft~t Naval AirReserve locations. When the reserveforces werereorganized in 1970,the use of7_rangecodesdiminished. Thisisa grey
by Naval AirTechnical Training Co=and. Thes~series-werestartedwell before 1963, hence numerous changes have beenincorporated since.
areawherelittleproofofusageisrecorded after1970. Someapplicationsmayhavelasted, particularlyon theTracker, until thelateseventies. In
The4_rangewas usedby NavalAirTechnicalTraining Command (NAITC)locations. Codes wereused until 1975when the4_rangeceased.
thetext, all aircraftassigned between 1970and 1979arelisted buttheircodingis unconfirmed. From 1963, until thesystemended,thefollowing
codeswere noted:
AAndrews 5A6A KOlathe 5K7K TSeanle 5T7T
BAtlantl 5B7B LLosAlamitos 5L7L VGlenview 5Y7Y
DDallas 5D7D MMemphis 5M6M WWillowGrove: 5W7W
EMinneapolis 5E7E NLakeh=t 5N6N XNewOrleans 5X7X
FJackscmville 5F6F RNewYak 5R7R YOrosoclse 5Y7Y
aAlameda 506G SNorfcfr 556S ZSouthWeymouth 5Z7Z
Severalofthesecodeusers changedlocationorname. Theoriginalintentwasthe7_seriestobe forreservesquadrons, while6_fordetachment
use. In1979, the7 rangeexpandedrapidlyasbaseflights adoptedthecodesatseverallocations. The NavalWeaponsCenteratChinaLakewas
assignedthe7Pcod~. The7Twasused byadivisionofNaval AirTestCenter(NATC)from 1981 until 1986, whenreplaced bytheSDtail code.
Therangewasfullin 1987withthe "overflow·goingtothe8_rangeforNavalAirFacility(NAF)MayportandNavalAirStation(NAS)ElCentro.
A-4CSJ..:yhawk148304, VI-864806. NASGlynco, at Wrighl-Pailerson AFB, on 2 June 1973. Photo Tom Brewer.
The5 rangecodeswerestartedill 1968asMarineReservebasedesignators. Inreality,severalunitscouldsharethecode. Inmostcasestheuser
willbeobvious. Forexamplein5A,theonlyMarineReserveflying unitassignedwasVFMIVMFA-32I,butthecodewasabasedesignator. With
thereorganization ofreservein 1971 theseries wentdormant. Reserve squadrons wereassigned twolettercodesin theM_,late P_ andhalfway
through theQ_rangeofcodesforindividualsquadronsin 1971, with bulkapplicationin 1972. ReservesquadronVMFA-32l changedtotheMG
tail codeby mid 1972. The5 rangecodesforaircraftwerenoted until late 1973.
Forhistoriesof USMCRsqu-;;:drons, includingtheperiodcovered by5 rangecodes, seetheindividualletter-lettercodeentry. Aircraftlistedat
MarineReservebases,withdatesafter1972inthe5_rdngeentries,arenotconfirmedtohavecarriedthecode. ManyotherairCrdftincludingtypes
suchastheTracker, notnormallyassociatedwithMarineuse. flewwith USMC titlesbutusedUSNreserve6_rangecodes. Thussometypes used
may have been recorded on USN reports, ratherthanincludedin USMC.
F-4B Phan/om 148369, NARULnsAlami/os7UG3, on 14January1969. Ph% FrankMacSorley.
A-4CSkyhCIl'.'k148516, 51.6, atMcChordAFB. on 21 Augus/1971. PhoLO Douglas Remington·.
The5_rdDgecodeswerereintroducedin 1979,asMarinebasedesignators,muchinthesamewaytheNavydidwiththe7_range. Thistimebase
utility types liketheSuperKing Airwere used.
The6_rangetail codeswere usedby Naval AirReserveTraining Units(NATU)priorto 1963. In 1963,thesix remainingactiveNARTUwere;
Andrews,Jacksonville,Alameda,Memphis.LakehurstandNorfolk. Threeotherlocations(NorthIsland6H.NewYork6R&PointMugu6U)were
no longer currentin 1963 but tail codes may haveremained in use for a few years. By 1973. the titles had changed to Naval AirReserve Unit
(NARD). Whilestillcurrentlyassigned to reserveestablishments,the last use onan aircraft was noted in 1981.
UC-12B 161313NASWhidbeyIsland7G. PhOlOParrickManin.
The8 rangewas alsointroducedin 1979forusc with eightbaseflights locatedinforeign countries. Afurthertwowereaddedin 1987. The8
rangewas also usedasan extensionofthe7_range.
Single-Letter
Thethirdmannerofidentiiicationwasasingleletter. Thiswasintroducedinmid1975tosimplifytheidentificationoftrainingaircraft. Thissystem
replaced thenumber-lettersystem byidentifyingallaircraftfromagivenbase. TrainingWing-l througb 6usedAthrough F codes. Forexample,
NASIGngsvillereplacedthe3E,3Fand3HtailcodewithB. Thebaseflightsalsoadoptedthecodes. Thenumericmodexbecamemoreimportant
in determining squadronidentification with co=on single-lettercodes. In 1993, D was replaced by Gto avoidradio confusion with an airline.
TA-3A Skywarrior144862, NARUAlameda6G22, on 5 January1976. Photo Pe/eBergagnini.
2 --- Hook Code --- --- History ---
3
D
MWH4£
Since1963, CVGICVWhavebeendivided betweentheAtlanticand Pacificfleets havebeen assigned onboardcarriers. TheAtlanticbasedCVW
have two letter codes starting with A and the Pacific with !i. These units were redesignated from CVG to CVW on December 20, 1963. The
deployable airwings were:
AtlanticFleet PacificFleet
AA CVW-17 1111/66· t994+ AH CVG/CVW-16 1963-30/6171(6)
AD CVG/CVW-l 1963·1994+ NO CVWR-30 tl4170· 10194(3)
AC CVG/CVW-3 t963-t994+ NE CVG/CVW-2 1963-1994+
AD RCVG/RCVW-4 1963-t/6170. t994+ (I) NF CVG/CVW-5 t963-1994+
AD CVG/CVW-6 1963-1/4/92(2) NG CVG/CVW-9 1963- 1994+
AF CVWR-20 t/4170-1994+(3) NH CVG/CVW-Il 1963·1994+
AG CVG/CVW·7 1963-1994+ NJ RCVG/RCVW-12 1963·1/6170, 1994+ (I)
AJ CVG/CVW-8 1963-1994+ NK CVG/CVW-14 1963-1994+
AX CVG/CVW-IO 1963-20111/69(4.5) NL CVG/CVW-15 1963-todisestablish 1995
AX CVW-13 1/3/84.111191 (5) NM CVG/CYW-19 1963-3016177(7)
NM CVW-IO 7/11/86-1/6188(4)(7)
(1) non-<leployable,seeFRSsection NP CVG/CVW-21 1963-12112175
(2) wasAFuntillate1962
(3) R=veAirWing
(4) CVW-IO-AXandNM
(5) AXtlilcodereusedCVW-10andCVW-13
(6) rea5SignedfromAtlantictoPacificFleetint961.maintainingAtlanticcode
(7) NMtailcodereusedCYW-19.CVW·IOandLatWUlgPac
T-34CTurbo-Mentor162626, IW-5E539, ar CFBNamao, on 17May1986. Pharo PatrickMartin.
Assquadronschangedassignmentsfrom onecarrierairwingtoanother, theapplied tailcodechanged. ThisperiodGould lastforseveralcruises.
Ship Deployed Units Insomecases, notdeploy onboardacarrier, ormiss acruise. Squadronswould returnto shore-basesto re-equipwith anothertype. Ifthe CVW
was required at sea during this period, the squadron could be replaced by another similarly tasked squadron. This assignment could be either
Thevastmajorityoftheship-basedassets havebeenassignedto CarrierAirWingssplitbetweenthePacificandAtlanticfleets. BeforeDecember temporaryorpermanent. SometemporaryslotshavebeenfilledbyMarineCorpssquadronsafterperformingcarrierqualifications,thissetthestage
20,1963,.thesewereknownasCarrierAirGroups(CVG). Inaddition, theUnitedStatesNavyalsooperatedCarrierAntisubmarineGroups(CVSG) whereunitswouldbeashoreforlongerthannormalperiods,henceagreytimeperiodbetweentailcodes. WhenatransferfromoneCVWtoanother
lO the.anllSubmarwe role. These were phased out by 1973. Detachments of shore-based units provided sea-going antisubmarine and support is known, thesquadron will repaintcodesand perhapschangethe modex.
capabilityon smallerships.
CVWallocated units wouldcarry the CVWcodefor the duration oftheassignment. There have beenfew exceptions. Some cruisesaround the
horn,theequivalentofapositioningflightforcarriers,havehadareal varietyofcodes. HelicopterdetachmentsfromHCunitsassignedmaintained
CVW- CARRIERAIRWING
shorecoderatherthantheCVWstandard. ThischangedwithCVWcodesappliedaroundmid1969. TheHCunitswerereplacedbyCVWassigned
CarrierAirWings are a collection ofdifferentunits banded together to operate from an aircraft carrier. Thesquadrons areassianed to a CVW HSformationsstartingin mid 1972withcompletionin 1977withoneexception. Manyaircraftcarriershadnon-eoded Traderonstrength until the
(CVGpre20December 1963), which work-upmonths in advance ofdeploying together. Aenlise maylast up to ayear, butin r:cent non-crisis last retired in September 1988. Other non-coded helicopters were assigned to amphibious assault carriers used by the Marines, until the utility
lImes they rarely extendpastsix months. Unitsassigned to a CVW maystay assigned for years, somefor shortperiods and not deployed atall. detachmentsweretaken overby HC-5, HC-6and HC-ll. Inaddition, YAWand reconnaissanceunits used ashore-basecode until around 1967.
Thereareseveral examplesofunits assigned, completewith tail codesapplied, butnevermaking acarrierdeployment with the wing. ThebulkofattackandfighterdeployablesquadronsfollowedtheCVWcode. Inthehundreds ofassignmentstoCVW,veryfewexceptionsexist.
The C.VWco.de may bepainted on aircraftmonths in advance ofa planned deployment including awork-up periodpriorto boarding a carrier. Forthemostpart, theexceptionswereshortinduration. Anexamplewould bealastminuteswitch ofunitsbeforeacruise, resultingincodes not
UmtswillcontInueto carrythecode whileassignedtotheairwing. Intheinterim, thepriorassignedcodemaybecarriedforsometime. ACVW appliedintimefordeparture. WhilelistingcarriersusedbyindividualCVW,listingswillnotreflectshortperiodone-timecruises,suchasround-the
willbeassignedtooperatefromagivenaircraftcarrier. Thecombinationmaystaytogetherforseveralcruises, butthetailcodewasonlydependent horn positioning cruisesorshake down cruisesfor newly commissionedoroverhauledcarriers.
onthe CVW, nottheship. MarineCorpsaircraft, when operatingas partofa CVW,adoptthecodesand modexsystcmofthe CVW. Therehave Therehavebeennumeroustimeswhen CVWassignedunitsonboardcarriershavebeen "bumped"byspecialcircumstances. Typically thesehave
exc~tions.
beensome Notoriouslyuntilrecentyears,MarinesdidnotpainttheCVWtailcodesontheiraircraftuntil justpriortoactual deployment. beenMarinehelicopterformations,buthaveseenmoreunusualformationssuchasSeaStallionsonloanfromHM-16tospecialforcesfortheabortive
Squadrons asSigned to airgroupsin the earlysixties would use the group numberas partoftheir designation. Forexample, airgroup CVG-15 Jranianrescue attempt. Theseassets would notusethe CVWtail codebecausetheyare notassigned to the CVW.
hadVF-151, VA-15~,VA-15J.,VF-151andVA-15,2assignedascomponents. Therefore,tailcodes-modexfortheabovewouldinclude: NL1OO, When notassignedto aCVW,squadronswere assigned to theirshore-basedwings. Thus codesofapreviouscruisecouldlastconsiderabletime
N~OO,
NLJ.OO,NL100andNL,200. ThetailcodeNL303translatesintoCVG-.li,intoVA-15J.,andaircraft03. Theonlysurvivorsofthisorderly ashore. Theonesolidexceptionto this rulewas at NASLemoorewhereseveral units usedthe discontinuedNM tail codeon Corsairunits ashore
matnx, lOlate 1994, were thetworeserve CYWR with four exceptions. forlongperiods. TheACtail codewasusedbyCecilFieldunitssenttotheFarEastonassignmentwiththeMarines. AsACwasanAtlanticcode,
This system. giv~s a good indication to which air wing units were assigned to which groups before 1963. When looking at attack and fighter the chancesforconflictingcodes wereslim.
squadron deslg~atJOn.numberssuchas VF-162 orVA-36it was easy to concludethe modex (AH200andAC600). Thisneatsystem was used by
regularforceurutsuntilthrownintoashamblesintheearlysixtieswhenredesignationsceasedtofitthemould. Thissystemsawmanyredesignations
takingplace beforefalling apartpre 1963andbeyond thescopeofthis work.
ComponentsassignedtoaCVWgenerallyfollow asetmixture. Attheendof1963, thestandardCVGdeployedtwoFighter, (VF, with Crusader
and Phantom), three Light Attack (VA, SkyraiderandSkyhawk) and oneHeavy Attack (VAH, Skywarrior) squadrons. In addition, detachments
fromEarlyWarning(VAW:Skyraider)andReconnaissance(VFP,Crusader)Squadronswereassigned. Detachmentsfromelectronicwarfare(VAQ
S~arnor),:",erealsoprOVided. Adetachmentfrom oneoftwoHelicopterUtilitysquadrons(HU)(HelicopterCombatsupportSquadronsHC)after
196)wasaSSignedbutearnedthelTownsquadroncoderatherthanthe CVG/CVWtailcode. TheYAWdetachmentcontinuedtocarryindependent
squadron tail codes as well.
TheCVWcompositionchangedastherolesofassigned unitsevolved. BytheearlyseventiesthePhantomhadreplacedtheCrusaderinthefighter
roleexceptontwo ofthelighteraircraftcarriers. TheSkyraiderandSkyhawkwerereplacedbyapairofCorsairunitsandbytheIntruderinathird
squadro~. Earlywarning detachmentschangedequipmenttothe earlyversion oftheHawkeye, evolving into manysmallerdeployablesquadrons.
TheVigilantesupplemented, butneverentirelyreplacedthereconnaissanceCrusaderafterashortcareerinthe nuclearrole. AftertheSkywarrior
gaveupthenuclearroleindetachmentsandsquadrons, theywereconvertedtobothtankerandelectronicwarfareroles. TheTrackerantisubmarine
(VS) squadrons along with assigned SeaKing Antisubmarine Helicopter(HS) Squadronswere assigned afterthe demise of the CVSG. The HS _
VS componentshave evolvedoverthe years, with severalexperimental mixes of units. TheSeaspritehelicopterdetachments ceased to deploy on
board carners,as theSeaKing alsoprovided rescue and liaison roles.
Intheearlyei~h~es,thefighter.squadronswerewellontheirwayconvertingfrom thePhantomtotheTomcat. TheCorsair,IntruderandHawkeye
were producedlOJlJ1proved versIOns. The Prowlerreplaced theremaining electronic Skywarrior, although detachments from land-based fleet Air
ReconnaISsance(VQ)Squadronswerestillpresentindetachmentform. TheVikingmovedontothelargercarriersintheantisubmarinerolereplacing
thefew Trackerunits assigned.
Inthenineties,theattackcomponentwasthefocus ofmostchangewiththeintroductionoftheHornetinstrikefighter(VFA)squadrons. Several
mixed test WIngs were tried, including an all-Intruder attack force. The Tomcat, Hornet, Intruder, Hawkeye, Prowler and Vikino continued in
improved versions. The SeaKing, although much improved, was giving way to the Seahawk, while CVW assigned COD detach~entsprovided A-7ECorsair157453, VA-37 AC301, passing rhrough CubiPoinrduring MAG-12 deploymenr arIwakuni(USMCcreSlon rai/pipe). Phoro Rick
transportasthe numberofoverseassupportbasesdeclined.
Morgan.
4 --- Hook Code --- --- History --- 5
As an exampleofCVW assigned units changing tail codes, the following is the assignmenthistory of VA-37 between 1967 and 1985: The700 range was used by VAW units until 1975, wben the changeto VS squadrons occurred. There wereexceptions to this with two Pacific
uses byVA squadrons, four Atlantic VAQ, two PacificRVAH, two VAH and single uses with HC and HS.
Sbore-based July1967-October1968
The700 range was further divided, with 7Z0 used by PacificHS unitsbetween 1973- 1981 and with uncoded CVWassigned HC detachments.
CVW-ll NH300 October1968-September1969
Shore-based Scpt<mbcr1969-January1970 The 730 sequence was used by VAW deployments between 1963 and 1975, then changing to HS units until 1979. Three VAW and an HS
CVW-3 AC300 January1970-October1982 deploymt:nt used the740 range. The much higher780range was used by singleVAQ andseveral VAW units.
CVW-15 N1.300 October1982•October1983 Thc800modexwasusedonlybyasmall numberofunitsupto 1975. ThesecoveringawidespectrumofunitswithfourVAW, threeVAQ, with
Sbore-based October1983-December1984
MarineAirGroup12 AC300 December1984-June1985atMCASlwakuni singleVAHandVAuses. Inthesubsections810sawusewith fourVAHandoneVAW,the8Z0wasuscdbyaVS deploymentandthe850range
CVW-6 AE300 August1985- byasingleVAWuse.
The900series was used by reconnaissance detachments and oneVS unit.
Thisshows,forashortperiod, howthecodeschangeddepending oncommandassignment. Thekeytosortingoutusageoftailcodesistoknow Boththe800and900arenolongerperminedduetotheIdentificationFriendorFoe(IFF)systemallowingcorrelationbetweenradiocallsignand
whentheassignmentchanged. Unfortunately,thisappearstobelackinginmostunithistories. Unitsfrom bothcoastshavebeenassignedto CVW modex. Only octalrangenumb=;areto beused (0-7). Thedigits 8and 9 areominedin all modex positions on CVWassigned aircraft. There
on the oppositecoast. Thesecrosscoastassignments wereinfrequent. has been someunit use ofthe 8and 9digits, but they do not deploy onboardcarri=;.
Inaddition to modex, asecond means ofidentificationwas used within CVWinvolvingcolour. Each squadron was to use acolourbased on its
Modex modexposition withina CVW. Thesewent through several changes, in 1969for examplethe following was noted:
Although changes to modex have been regulated by edi~tsfrom manuals, the length ofcruisesand pre-occupancy by units have made thestudy
anythingbutanexactscience. Thefighterandanackelementsaresomewhatstraightforward, theremaining unitsareintricateatbest. This modex 100InsigniaRed 400tnu:rnationaJOrange 700InsigniaBlue
system wasstartedinJanuary 1947 oncarrierbasedaircraft. The 100modex was used bygroupcommanderwith twofightersquadronsadopting 200Orange·Yellow 500LightGroen 800Mnroon
101 upwardsandZOI upwardscodeswhilethreeattacksquadronfollowed with301,401 and501. Whilethisrulegenerallyholds, therearemany 300LightBlue 600Black 900MllI1lOll
exceptions.
Underthissystem, all fighter squadrons using thestandard modexof 100, would use red as an embellishmentcolouronassigned aircraft. This
Thetwoassignedfightersquadronshave"traditionally"usedthe 100andZOOseriesofmodexineachCVW,onassignedaircraft. Numberscould
system, whileseeminglypredominate, wasnotwhollyrigid. Theexaminationofnumerousphotographsshowscredencebutwith many exceptions.
startat100andrangeupto 116(omitting108and109). HencethcdisplayedmarkingsofAJZlI indicateCVW-8,secondassignedsquadron,aircraft
This meantaNaval AirStationoperatingagiventype, (rheITllrudercommunilyforexnmple, wilh Iheslandard500modex-green), wouldhaveone
number11 inthatsquadron. SquadronswithinaCVWhavebeenknowntoswitchpositions,thus 100seriesononecruiseandreturningtothesame
predominatecolour. Therefore, oneland base, could havehadseveral units garnishedin the sam<:.colour.
CVWasZOOatalaterdate. This was rareand happensaftera squadron hadreturned to shorefor conversion to a differenttype. Theexceptions
to the 100range were; oneHS, two VAHand aYAWdeployment. The200range exceptions were two VA and a VAH deployment.
FleetReadiness Squadrons
ThesamesystemexistsfortheVAsquadrons,utilizingthe300,400and500ranges. Theswitchingofmodexwithinanacksquadrons,wasmore
Land-based squadrons of the United States Navy each have theirown as~-igned tail code. The few exceptionsexist when units havereported to
commonthaninfightersquadrons. TherewerethreePacificbasedVFdeploymentswith300rangedeployments. The400rangeexceptionswere
asinglecommandstructure. Thefleetreadiness(FRS)squadrons(orundertheoldtitleReadinessAirGroup-RAG), someofwhichhadpreviously
sevenPacificVF,twoAtlanticRVAH(heavyreconnaissance)andaVAHNAQdeployment. Inmorerecentyearstheheavyanacksquadronshave
reported toan active grouporwing, belongedto four shore-basedorganizations:
beenequippedwiththeIntruderwiththe500codeasstandard. ThereweresingleRVAH,VAH,VFPandVSFdeploymentsinthe500modexrange.
Thesystem becomes morecomplex with the 600 range ofnumbers. This range was used byseveral differentrole squadrons and detachments.
These small unitsdid not have the numberofaircraftrequired theentire range. Byfurther breakingdown the 600 range, several units were able AD RCVGIRCVW-4 1963-116170
AR RCVSG-50 1963-17/2/71
to usethis range.
NJ RCVGIRCVW-12 1963-116170
The VAHand theRVAH detachmentsandsquadronsusedthe 600range. As exceptions, 11 VAuses havebeen noted upto 1968inthe range. RA RCVSG-51 1963-3016171
Otheruses notedwere 14with VFP, four Atlantic VAQ, two YAW, with singleVSand reconnaissanceand electronicwarfare (¥MCJ)squadron
deployments. Startingin 1977 theVAWsquadronsstared using the601 as theirstandard range, following the disestablishmentof RVAHunits. ThesewerecommandstructuresprovidingtrainingfortheseadeployableCVG/CVWandCVSG. TheseFleetReadinessSquadronswereassigned
to a structure modelled in equipment and designations on sea-going formations, in order to act as conversioo units. When each structure
disestablished, thecodes remained in use with the FRS units. These units included; VA, VF, VS, VAQ, YAW, HSaod VP units.
The FRS squadrons have evolved from the common designation numbers RCVW~and RCVW-IZ. This system evolved from squadron/CVG
sequenceto roJe/modex. Both EastCoastuse ofADand WestCoastuseof NJ had modex problemsdueto thelargenumberofaircraftinvolved.
Twosquadronshad overonehundred aircrafton strength. Thestandard600 rangecould notbesubdividedinto Hawkeye, ProwlerandSeaKing
ranges.
The range was extendedinto higher numbers atWhidbey Island with the 800and 900series used, as the IFFproblem beyond theoctal number
was notvital with shore-basedFRS aircraft. On bothcoasts,theCVW pattern was generallyfollowed, but theinclusion ofadversary units loaded
downthesystem. Withareduction ofunits, the 1993- 1994periodsawthesequenceshitt. ThisallowedtheWhidbeyIslandbasedunitstoswitch
to the more traditional positions startingwith 500fortheIntruderand 630 forthe Prowler. The 1994down-sizing offorce levels and reductions
ofFRSsquadronsprovidedspaceforfurther changes. Thefollowingshowsacomparison between1963andearly 1994ofthetwo FRSstructures.
ADRCVW-41963(RAG) NJRCVG/RCVW-121963(RAG)
VF-lOl AD Phantom VF-121 NJ100 Demon& Phantom
VA-4~ AD~OO SkyTaider(modexuoconfirmed) VA-l~ NJ200 SkyTaider
VA-4~ AD~OO Skybawk VAH-12~ NJ;iOO Skywanior
VA~ AD1.OO SkyTaider&SI:ybawk VF-121. NJ1.OO Crusader
VA-4~ AD~OO SI-yraider VA·12~ NJ~OO Sl:yraider
VF-174 AD Crusadei' VA-I2§. NJ@O Cougar
VA-t2l NJlOO Cougar
ADEastCoast1994(FRS) NJWe$.Coast1994(FRS)
VF-lOI AD100 Tomcat VF·124 NJlOO Tomcat
VFA·I06 AD300 Hornet VFA-125 NJIlS Hornet
VA-42 AD500 InlIUdcr VA-128 NJ500 InlIUdcr
VAW-120 Hawkeye&Greybound VF-126 NJ600 FigbtingFalcon,Skybawk& Tigern
V5-27 AD700 Vilting VAW-IIO NJ620 Hawkeye
VF-43 AD00 FightingFalcon&Tigern VAQ-129 NJ630 Prowler
VF-45 AD00 FightingFalroo&TigerII VS-41 NJ700 Viking
VFA-127 NJ00 Hornet&Skybawk
RA-5CVigilance 156635, RVAH-5NE602, alNASAlbany, on 2Augusl, 1972. PholOBillSlrandberg.
Thisshowshowmodexhaschangedfromtheemphasisonsquadron-numberoriented,totheearly 1994CarrierAirWing role-modelsystem,with
The604 rangewas used exclusively by VAQ unitsstartingin 1983. The610rangewas used by VAH and then VAQ unitsinthe early sixties. remnantsoftheoldsystemstillvisibleinsomesquadronnumbers. During1994thenumberoftraining unitsweredownsized,thusratherthaneach
Between mid-I975and 1981, besidestheVAQ units,four PacificRVAH, two AtlanticVSsquadronsandfive Pacificreconnaissance detachments coastfielding atrainingsquadronforamajortype, asingleFleetReadinessSquadronwouldnowprovidefortheenUrefleet. OnrareoccasionsFRS
alsousedthe610range. Startingin 1981,therangewasexclusivelyusedbyHSsquadronswiththeexceptionofasingleHCdetachment. The620 codes havebeencarried byconverting squadronsonfleet-marked aircraft. Thecodesare changedon "graduation" and assignment to aCVW.
range was used almost exclusively by VAQNMAQ Prowlerdeployments, with a VFPdetachmentin 1978 as theonly exception. The650range
has only been used twice by VAH units with two furtherVAH deployments used the690range.
6 --- Hook Code --- --- History --- 7
VF FighterSquadrons
Ascarriersconstituteamajorthreattoanyopposingfoe. protectionofthecarriersisparamount. Beforethecurrentageofmissiles. theonlylong
range method ofintercepting incomingthreats was from carrier-based aircraft. In addition to providing aircoverover the carrier, fighters could
projectcoverover the carrier's offensivecapabilityandthrough enemydefenses.
Since 1963,theUnitedStatesNavyhasdeployed theDemon. Crusader,Phantom.Tomcatandtoalesserextent,theHornctin theairsuperiority
and interceptorroles. Theusual complementhasbeen two fightersquadrons perCVW/carriercombination. Thefighter communityalso assumed
thereconnaissancerole with theTARPSpod when theperiodofrolededicatedaircraftended. Oneofeachpairofdeployedsquadronstookonthe
TARPS role. Starting in 1993. thefightercommunitybegan tolosehalfitsnumber, as most non-TARPSsquadronsweredisestablished. Asingle,
butslightly numericaUyenhanced. squadron was to becomestandard.
VFA StrikeFighterSquadrons
Allsquadrons nominated tofly the Hornet were redesignated VFA. Thiswasto reflectthedual rolecapabilityof the Hornet. Theredesignation
processtoVFAvariedbetweensquadrons. TheVFAtitlescamefrom threesow'ces,mostwereredesignatedfrom CorsairVAsquadrons. twowere
from previously designated VF units. plus four were newly established. Many of the Corsair squadrons were reduced to zero strength prior to E-1BTracer 147217, VAW-78AW770, in June 1975. PhOlO:Marrin Col/ecrion.
redesignating VFA and Hornet re-equipment.
TheCarrierAntisubmarineGroupmarkingsfolJowedthebasicmodexpatternastheCarrierAirWingafter1969. Eastcoastunitsused themodex
VA AttackSquadrons inincrementsof 110; hence, 110, 220, 330. 440and 550. TheWestCoast by hundreds. Thefirst three used byVS unitsand the last two by HS
Themainadvantageofcarriersismobilityandtheabilitytotakeoffensivetotheenemy. Themainingredientinthisformulaistheattacksquadrons units. Therewerevery few re-assignments betweenthedifferent CVSG compared to CarrierAirWings. Forthis reason, modex changesarenot
onboardcarriers. In 1963,theSkyhawkwasbyfarthemostnumerousattack type. TheheavyattackrolewashandledbytheSkywarrior,withthe listedineachsection. Thefewtransfersoccurredmainlyonforcereductionsfrom 1968onwards. OnenotabledifferencewastheVAWdetachments
attackVigilantemakinganabortedstartbeforetheNavyspecialweaponsrolewas takenoverbythesubmarine. Intime, theCorsairsupplemented using the CVSG coderatherthan theshore-base code. The roles of HS, VAWand VS units are described in the CarrierAirWing section. The
andthen replacedthe Skyhawk. TheIntruderwasadded. carryingloads laterattributed byenemiesto theAirForceB-52. TheIntruderrole was fighter detachments, from VSFor VAsquadrons, deployed using eitherthe CVSGcodeortheirshore-basecode.
enhancedinthesocaJledall Grumman-wing, eliminatingthe Corsair. TheCorsairbowedoutinthefuryoftheGulfwarwith theHornetproviding AswithCVW,thesecondmethodofidentificationwascolour. Eachsquadronusedacolourbasedonmodex. Thesewentthroughseveralchanges,
the replacementin VFAsquadrons. In 1993 the Intruderstarted its withdrawalfrom servicewith thepromiseofa bigger wing Hornet. in 1969thefollowing was noted: -
100110YS InsigniaRed 400440HS loternationalOrange
VAW CarrierAirborne Early Warning Squadrons 200220YS Orange-Yellow 500550HS LightGreeD
300330YS LightBlue 600-900660-990 Spares
TheCarrierAntisubmarineGroupsandCarrierAirWingsbothcarrieddetachmentsofAEWaircraft. Intheearlysixties,theTracerandSkyraider
AEWaircraftweresentoutasdetachments,usingthesquadrontailcode. TheHawkeyewasthereplacementinmoresophisticatedmodels. In1967, LAND BASED - SillP DEPLOYED
the Eastand Westcoastsquadronsprovided detachmentsand wereredesignatedinto wings, providingseveral deployable squadrons.
Thesesquadrons areshore-based while providing seabornedetachments to ships of theNavy. The HelicopterAntisubmarine Light (HSL) units
flewtheSeaspriteandthenSeahawk. VariousHelicopterCombatSupport(HC)squadrons regularlydeploy onshipsinthereplenishingand utility
VS Air AntisubmarineSquadron- Sea ControlSquadrons
roleswithSeaKingandSeaKnight. TheHC, HSL,VRCandVQunitsprovideddetachmentstosurfacevessels. Inthelateeighties,HCsquadrons
TheTrackersofVSsquadrons wereused ascomponentswithinCVSG. By1973, the CVSGhaddisestablishedand theroletransferred to CVW.
assumed administrativecontrol over detachmentspreviouslyassigned to amphibious ships. After this date tail codes would beapplied. Assigned
The Tracker had a limited involvement on the larger carriers before the Viking provided a quantum improvementin the capability as a regular
aircraftgenerally used atwo-digitmodex with theindividual squadron tail code. The VQ units rarely carriedtheirassigned code.
componentofaCVW. The VS squadronsehanged title in November 1993 to Sea Control Squadrons.
HC HelicopterCombatSupport Squadrons
HS HelicopterAntisubmarineSquadrons
Thesesquadrons are descendent from the earlier helicopter utility (HU) squadrons. They provided support detachments onboard carriers with
TheoriginalroleofHS unitswaszone-controlintheantisubmarineroleoftheCVSG. WhentheHSunitstransferredtothe largerattaekcarriers,
Seaspritehelicoptersinplaneguard, rescueand utilityroles untilreplaced by SeaKing in both HC and HS units. Sincereplaced on carriers, the
theutilityroleandplaneguarddutieswereadded,replaeingtheHC detachments. TheSeaKing, in variousmodels, providedsterlingserviceuntil
HCsquadrons haveusedtheSeaKing,SeaKnightandSuperStallionintheVERTREP,specialwarfareandrescueroles,to nameafew, from both
the Seahawkenteredservicewith CVWassigned units. TheSeabawkdoes not normally carriedthefuJIthree digit modex.
seagoingdetachmentsand landbases.
VAQ TacticalElectronicWarfareSquadrons
HSL HelicopterAntisubmarine SquadronsLight
TheVAQsquadronsand detachmentsstartedin 1963asYAWsquadrons with Skyraiders. SkywarriorsreplacedtheSkyraidersby 1970. Bythe
The HSLsquadrons wereformed to operatethe ASWSeaspritehelicoptersfrom warshipssmallerthan carriers. In theearly nineties, they were
earlyseventies, the Prowlerstartedto replacethe remainingSkywarriors. Smallnumbers ofProwlerwereproducedin eversophisticatedmodels.
supplanted by the Seabawk. With the early retirement of many warships in the mid-nineties, the number of HSL squadrons were dramatically
reduced, especiallythosestill equipped with the Seasprite.
CVSG- CARRIERANTISUBMARINE GROUP
Antisubmarine groups were activated prior to 1963 and were specially designed to hunt and destroy submarines. The typical makeup was two
VRC FleetLogistics Squadrons
Tracker squadrons, a Sea King squadron with AEW coverage from a detachment of Tracers or Skyraiders. The HS, VS squadrons and VAW
The VRC squadronsoperated the Greyhoundand few Viking. afterreplacing theTraderin the COD role. Priortothe nineties, moresquadrons
detachmentscarriedthe CVSGcode. TheseformationsfolJowed theA for Atlanticand!:iforPacific system. Thesecondletters were; Sthrough
were activefrom forward deployed land-bases. Afterreducing the number ofunits, detachments were provided by remaining VRC squadrons to
X. Small fighter elements, assignedin eitherVSFform ordetachments from Skyhawklightattack squadrons, both Navy and Marine, were used
CVW,completewiththeCVWtailcode. Inaddition,theVRCunitsusedaircraft,suchastheSabrelinerandHercules,thatwerenotcarriercapable.
for carrierprotectionon somecruises. Thedeployableairwings were:
AtI&DticFleet PacificFleet
AS CVSG-52 1963-15/12/69 NS CVSG-53 1%3-3/6173
AR RCVSG-50 1963-17/2/71(I) NT CYSG-59 1963-30/6173
AT CVSG-54 1%3-1/7/73 NU CVSG-55 1963-27/9/68
AU CYSG-56 1963.30/6173 NY CVSG-57 1963-30/9/69
AY CVSG-58 1963·31/5/66 NW CVSGR-80 1970-1/1/76(2,3)
AW CVSG-{j() 196?.1/10/68 RA RCVSG·51 1963.30/6171 (l)
AW CVSGR-70 17/3/70-1/1/76(2)
AX CYSG-62 1963.1962
(I) seeFRSsectioo
(2) ReserveGroups
(3) CVSGR-80replacedl1yHe1WingRes111/76
Asthe numberofsmallcarriersand CVSGwerereduced, unitstrengthwasalsoreduced tomaintainthe numberofsquadrons. In 1969,thissaw
three VS and two HS unitsperCVSGwhilethe numberofaircraftpercarrierremained thesame.
With theaging ofthesmallercarriers,the decision wasmadeto "makeroom" onboard thelargercarriersforVS and HS squadrons. This began
aperiodoftestingvarious mixes onboard thelargercarriers. InJune 1973,theremaining CVSGdisestablished. TheSeaKing equippedHS units
joined the CVW, while only afew VS units transferred directly to a CVW beforemaking aslowtransition to theViking.
C-130FHercules 149805, VRC-50RG805, arNAPArsugi, on 21 April1983. PharoHidekiNagakubo.
8 --- Hook Code --- --- History ---
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