History VFA-137

1 history

1.1 1980s
1.2 1990s
1.3 2000s

history
1980s

strike fighter squadron 137 established on july 2, 1985. received first lot viii f/a-18a hornet on november 25, 1985 , in october 1986 squadron awarded silver anchor new construction squadrons. in course of 23-year history, have safety record includes on 90,000 mishap-free flight hours.

in 1987–1988 squadron made first deployment mediterranean sea embarked on uss coral sea, part of carrier air wing thirteen. year squadron recognized commander naval air forces, u.s. atlantic fleet battle “e” award.

in august 1989, squadron on board uss coral sea patrolling eastern mediterranean in response colonel higgins’ murder in lebanon, winning golden tailhook award on second deployment.

1990s

vfa-137 f/a-18a assigned uss forrestal in 1991

in october 1990, squadron transferred carrier air wing 6 on board uss forrestal, completing accelerated work cycle , third deployment. on cruise, squadron flew sorties on iraq in support of operation provide comfort , won 2 more tailhook awards.

in september 1992, squadron completed homeport change nas lemoore , transitioned night attack capable lot xv f/a-18c. in may 1993, squadron joined carrier air wing 2 (cvw-2) , embarked on board uss constellation first western pacific deployment in november 1994. on deployment, , 1997 deployment, squadron patrolled skies on iraq, enforcing united nations no-fly zone in support of operation southern watch. in 1999 , again in 2001, vfa-137 employed precision-guided ordnance against iraq part of coalition forces response repeated violations of no-fly zone.

2000s

in november 2002, vfa-137 deployed persian gulf on board uss constellation final deployment. squadron participated in extensive operations in skies on iraq, in support of operation southern watch, , in combat operations during operation iraqi freedom. during course of conflict, squadron flew on 500 combat sorties , dropped more 300,000 pounds of precision-guided ordnance.

the squadron returned home in june 2003, , began transition new lot xxv f/a-18e super hornet. after completing safe flight certification, became third f/a-18e squadron in u.s. navy. in april 2004, commander, naval air force, u.s. pacific fleet awarded battle “e” calendar year 2003. subsequently, commander, naval air force awarded 2003 captain michael j. estocin award exceptional operational performance , flight safety.

vfa-137 embarked aboard uss abraham lincoln western pacific deployment in october 2004, participating in operation unified assistance, humanitarian relief effort aid victims of tsunami struck southeast asia. in march 2006, squadron again deployed cvw 2 aboard uss abraham lincoln 5-month westpac. deployment included port calls in hong kong, thailand, singapore , sasebo, japan, , marked participation in exercises foal eagle, valiant shield, , rimpac. between march 24–31, 2006, during foal eagle 2006 exercises, strike squadrons vfa-2, vfa-34, vfa-137, , vfa-151 cvw-2 teamed u.s. air force aircraft 18th wing based @ kadena air base provide combat air patrols , coordinated bombing runs via exercise’s combined air operations center. vfa-137 returned deployment in august 2006.

after work-up cycle included 2 detachments nas fallon , 3 underway periods on board uss abraham lincoln, vfa-137 deployed western pacific on uss abraham lincoln in march 2008. following 7 months @ sea, including 5 months in persian gulf supporting operations iraqi freedom , enduring freedom, squadron returned home in october 2008.

on march 15, 2010, 2 vfa-137 aircraft involved in mid-air collision while training @ nas fallon. both pilots survived 1 managing land plane, while other pilot ejected , rescued helicopter. investigation determined pilot error blame collision. responsible pilot s name redacted report released public.