Carrier Air Wing One - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Carrier Air Wing One is a United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana

Naval Air Station Oceana

Naval Air Station Oceana or NAS Oceana is a military airport located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is a United States Navy Master Jet Base. It is also known as Apollo Soucek Field, named after Lieutenant Apollo Soucek, a Navy Test Pilot who set the global altitude record in 1930 by flying a...

, Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier .

Mission

To conduct carrier air warfare operations and assist in the planning, control, coordination and integration of seven air wing squadrons in support of carrier air warfare including; Interception and destruction of enemy aircraft and missiles in all-weather conditions to establish and maintain local air superiority. All-weather offensive air-to-surface attacks, Detection, localization, and destruction of enemy ships and submarines to establish and maintain local sea control. Aerial photographic, sighting, and electronic intelligence for naval and joint operations. Airborne early warning service to fleet forces and shore warning nets. Airborne electronic countermeasures. In-flight refueling operations to extend the range and the endurance of air wing aircraft and Search and rescue operations.

Subordinate units

See also: List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons.

CVW-1 consists of 8 Squadrons

Code	Squadron	Nickname	Assigned Aircraft
VFA-11	Strike Fighter Squadron 11 VFA-11 Strike Fighter Squadron 11 , also known as the "Red Rippers", are a United States Navy fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia Beach, VA...	Red Rippers	F/A-18F Super Hornet F/A-18E/F Super Hornet The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a twin-engine carrier-based multirole fighter aircraft. The F/A-18E single-seat variant and F/A-18F tandem-seat variant are larger and more advanced derivatives of the F/A-18C and D Hornet. The Super Hornet has an internal 20 mm gun and can carry air-to-air...
VFA-136	Strike Fighter Squadron 136 VFA-136 Strike Fighter Squadron 136 also known as the "Knighthawks" is a United States Navy strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. The "Knighthawks" are an operational fleet squadron flying the F/A-18 Hornet. They are attached to Carrier Air Wing One and homeported at NAS...	Knighthawks	F/A-18E Super Hornet
VFA-211	Strike Fighter Squadron 211 VFA-211 Strike Fighter Squadron 211 , nicknamed the "Fighting Checkmates", is an aviation unit of the United States Navy established in 1945. The squadron is based at Naval Air Station Oceana and is equipped with the F/A-18F Super Hornet....	Fighting Checkmates	F/A-18F Super Hornet F/A-18E/F Super Hornet The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a twin-engine carrier-based multirole fighter aircraft. The F/A-18E single-seat variant and F/A-18F tandem-seat variant are larger and more advanced derivatives of the F/A-18C and D Hornet. The Super Hornet has an internal 20 mm gun and can carry air-to-air...
VMFA-251	Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251 VMFA-251 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251 is a United States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet squadron. Also known as the "Thunderbolts", the squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 31 and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing...	Thunderbolts	F/A-18 Hornet F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
VAW-123	Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 123 VAW-123 Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 123 also known as the World Famous "Screwtops" is a United States Navy Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron based at Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia. The "Screwtops" are an operational fleet squadron flying the E-2C Hawkeye...	Screwtops	E-2C Hawkeye E-2 Hawkeye The Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, aircraft carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning aircraft. This twin-turboprop aircraft was designed and developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s by the Grumman Aircraft Company for the United States Navy as a replacement for the...
VAQ-137	Electronic Attack Squadron 137 VAQ-137 Electronic Attack Squadron 137 also known as the "Rooks", is a United States Navy electronic attack squadron based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Washington....	Rooks	EA-6B Prowler
VRC-40	Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40 VRC-40 Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40 , also known as the "Rawhides", is a United States Navy fleet logistics support squadron based at Naval Air Station Norfolk... Det. 2	Rawhides	C-2A Greyhound
HS-11	Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron 11 HS-11 Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 11 , also known as the "Dragon Slayers", is an United States Navy SH-60F and HH-60H helicopter squadron based at NAS Jacksonville. Currently attached to Carrier Air Wing 1, they deploy aboard the .-History:...	Dragon Slayers	SH-60F Seahawk SH-60 Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant airframe modification is a hinged tail to reduce its footprint aboard ships.The...

History

Carrier Air Wing One has been in commission longer than any other Navy Air Wing. Since commissioning on 1 July 1938, CVW-1 has served aboard twenty different aircraft carriers, made 42 major deployments, and had a majority of the East Coast squadrons as members of the Navy’s "First and Foremost." CVW-1 was originally the "Ranger Air Group", serving aboard USS Ranger

USS Ranger (CV-4)

USS Ranger was the first ship of the United States Navy to be designed and built from the keel up as an aircraft carrier. Ranger was a relatively small ship, closer in size and displacement to the first U.S. carrier——than later ships. An island superstructure was not included in the original...

during the early years of carrier aviation. The air wing also operated aboard all three carriers in commission at that time - USS Langley

USS Langley (CV-1)

USS Langley was the United States Navy's first aircraft carrier, converted in 1920 from the collier USS Jupiter , and also the U.S. Navy's first electrically propelled ship...

, USS Lexington

USS Lexington (CV-2)

USS Lexington , nicknamed the "Gray Lady" or "Lady Lex," was an early aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. She was the lead ship of the , though her sister ship was commissioned a month earlier...

, and USS Saratoga

USS Saratoga (CV-3)

USS Saratoga was the second aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the fifth ship to bear her name. She was commissioned one month earlier than her sister and class leader, , which is the third actually commissioned after and Saratoga...

World War II

After the commencement of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, and until 1943, The air wing participated in the North African Campaign

North African campaign

During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...

and operated in all parts of the Atlantic and Pacific. The air wing saw action against Japan from the Philippines to Tokyo, earning two Presidential Unit Citations in addition to having nurtured many Naval Aviation heroes.

Suez Crisis & Vietnam

From 1946 and 1957, Air Wing ONE served aboard nine different carriers, including the first "Super Carrier", USS Forrestal, during the 1956-57 Suez Crisis. Between June 1966 and February 1967, CVW-1 conducted combat operations off the coast of Vietnam aboard USS Franklin D. Roosevelt

USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42)

USS Franklin D. Roosevelt was the second of three Midway class aircraft carriers. To her crew, she was known as the "Swanky Franky," "Foo-De-Roo," or "Rosie," with the last nickname probably the most popular. Roosevelt spent most of her active deployed career operating in the Mediterranean Sea as...

. In 1975 onboard USS John F. Kennedy

USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)

USS John F. Kennedy is a John F. Kennedy class aircraft carrier, the last conventionally powered carrier built for the United States Navy. The ship is named after the 35th President of the United States, John F...

, CVW-1 introduced the Navy’s newest tactical aircraft, the F-14A Tomcat and the S-3A Viking, to the Mediterranean.

80's

CVW-1 was assigned to USS America

USS America (CV-66)

The USS America was one of four Kitty Hawk-class super carriers built for the United States Navy in the 1960s. Commissioned in 1965, she spent most of her career in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, but did make three Pacific deployments serving in the Vietnam War. She also served in operations...

in mid-1982, forming a partnership which ended with the ship’s decommissioning in August 1996. During that time, the USS America/CVW-1 team conducted combat operations during the attack on Libya

Libya

Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....

in 1986.

Gulf War

The USS America/CVW-1 team was the only carrier battle group to launch strikes in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm from both the Red Sea and Persian Gulf.

With America’s decommissioning in August 1996, the air wing joined the USS George Washington

USS George Washington (CVN-73)

USS George Washington is an American nuclear-powered supercarrier, the sixth ship in the Nimitz class and the fourth United States Navy ship to be named after George Washington, the first President of the United States...

battle group. CVW-1 and USS George Washington returned on 3 April 1998 from their first deployment in their 2-year association.

Following their deployment with USS George Washington, CVW-1 returned to USS John F. Kennedy

USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)

after a 24 year absence, and then deployed to the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf.

Fixed-wing aircraft

F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a twin-engine carrier-based multirole fighter aircraft. The F/A-18E single-seat variant and F/A-18F tandem-seat variant are larger and more advanced derivatives of the F/A-18C and D Hornet. The Super Hornet has an internal 20 mm gun and can carry air-to-air...
F/A-18 Hornet
EA-6B Prowler
E-2 Hawkeye
E-2 Hawkeye
The Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, aircraft carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning aircraft. This twin-turboprop aircraft was designed and developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s by the Grumman Aircraft Company for the United States Navy as a replacement for the...