The VP-10 "Red Lancers" are a U.S. Navy P-3C

P-3 Orion

The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engine turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner. The aircraft is easily recognizable by its distinctive tail stinger or...

 squadron based at Jacksonville Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...

, USA.

Pre War Origins

Patrol Squadron TEN, 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...

, is considered to be one of the original Patrol Squadrons in aviation history. Nicknamed the RED LANCERS, the squadron was first established on July 1, 1930, with the commissioning of Patrol Squadron 10S. The squadron initially flew the Martin T4M-1, a single engine torpedo bomber. Other aircraft flown by the squadron from 1930 through 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...

 include the Martin PM1 flying boat, the P2Y and PBY-5 CATALINA. In February 1935 while relocating to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the squadron set a new world record for non-stop formation transpacific flight, executing the flight from San Francisco to Hawaii in 24-hours. Patrol Squadron TEN then served in the Pacific through the end of World War II.

World War

On December 7, 1941, eight of the squadron’s twelve aircraft were destroyed or damaged in the Pearl Harbor attack. On June 4th 1942, a squadron PBY-5A "Catalina" aircraft flown by LTJG Howard Andy and LT William Chase was the first to locate and report the positions of four aircraft carriers of the Japanese Navy's striking force on their way toward the island of Midway. This action led to the battle of Midway.

Post & Cold War

With the war’s end, the squadron was decommissioned on January 25, 1946. Following re-commissioning in March 1951, Patrol Squadron TEN began flying the P2V Neptune aircraft and was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida. The squadron then moved to Brunswick Naval Air Station, where it remained until late 2009 before coming full-circle back to Jacksonville, Florida. In 1965, the RED LANCERS began a two-year transition to the P-3 airframe. The P-3A ORION aircraft was delivered and a year later the P-3B arrived which served the squadron until 1980 when the squadron transitioned to the P-3C Update II.

Modern Day

In 1995, Patrol Squadron TEN transitioned to the P-3C Update III, which was flown through the final days of the Cold War. After completing transition to the P-3C Aircraft Improvement Program (AIP) in late 1998, the squadron deployed to the European theater of operations in support of the Kosovo conflict and were the first to conduct P-3 overland strike operations. In the 2000's, VP-10 has deployed multiple times in support of Operation Enduring and Iraqi freedom, and more recently maritime security and anti-piracy operations in support of CJTF-HOA. Today the RED LANCER team continues to set the standard supporting operations and exercises throughout the world employing five variants of the P-3C ORION capable of carrying and delivering a wide variety of naval mines, torpedoes, missiles, and bombs.

BRAC 2005

The Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended that Brunswick Naval Air Station be closed and the squadron be moved to Naval Air Station Jacksonville

Naval Air Station Jacksonville

Naval Air Station Jacksonville or NAS Jacksonville is a military airport located four miles south of the central business district of Jacksonville...

. The squadron completed the home port change in December 2009 following their return from a combined Central and Africa Command deployment.

See also

• History of the United States Navy
  History of the United States Navy
  The history of the United States Navy divides into two major periods: the "Old Navy", a small but respected force of sailing ships that was also notable for innovation in the use of ironclads during the American Civil War, and the "New Navy", the result of a modernization effort that began in the...
  
  
• List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons