Original pRE-ww2 Photograph with original; caption on back side " TEACHING AVIATORS A SENSE OF BALANCE - NEW DEVICE COMBINES REVOLVING CHAIR AND TURN INDICATOR TO IMPRESS FLYERS THE IMPORTANCE OF INSTRUMENTS - SAN DIEGO, CA - PHOTO SHOWS MAJOR ROSS E. LOWELL COMMANDER OF THE WEST COAST EXPEDITIONARY FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS FLYING CORPS, UNDERGOING THE NEW "BALANCE" test IN A BARANY CHAIR, WHILE commander WILL MANN SENIOR FLIGHT SURGEON FOR THE BATTTLE FLEET'S AIR SQUADRONS, DIRECTS THE TEST. ......". See photo for remainder of caption. Photo is an ORIGINAL and measures 6.5" x 8.5" and has great detail and clarity. ORIGINAL photo - Not a reprint. Insured USPS mail in the US.
The Barany chair or Bárány chair is a device used for aerospace physiology training, particularly for student pilots.
Test
The subject is placed in the swivel chair, blindfolded, then spun about the vertical axis while keeping their head upright or tilted forward or to the side. The subject is then asked to perform tasks such as determine their direction of rotation while blindfolded, or rapidly change the orientation of their head, or attempt to point at a stationary object without blindfold after the chair is stopped. The chair is used to demonstrate spatial disorientation effects, proving that the vestibular system is not to be trusted in flight. Pilots are taught that they should instead rely on their flight instruments
Ross Erastus Rowell (September 22, 1884 – September 6, 1947) was a highly decorated United States Marine Corps aviator who achieved the rank of lieutenant general by the end of his 40 years of service. He served as the Marine Corps' Director of Aviation from May 30, 1935, until March 10, 1939, and was one of the three senior officers of Marine Corps Aviation during World War II.[2]
Biography
Early years
Ross Rowell was born on September 22, 1884, in Ruthven, Iowa, attending grade and high school in Ruthven. He was graduated from Iowa State College and then studied electrical engineering for two years at the University of Idaho. He then worked for two years as topographer and draftsman for the U.S. Geological Survey at Sanke River Valley, Idaho.
Early military career
He was appointed as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in August 1906. He served in Cuba from 1906 until 1909.[3] Rowell was designated a student naval aviator in 1923, taking his fight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida and at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas. General Rowell was commended by the Secretary of the Navy for making the highest bombing score during the gunnery year 1924–25, and in 1926 he was praised by the Commandant of the Marine Corps for the high state of efficiency prevailing at Naval Air Station San Diego, California, where he then was group commander.
In early 1927, Rowell as commander of the squadron VO-1M, deployed to Nicaragua as part of the United States occupation during this time referred to as the Banana Wars. They arrived at the port of Corinto on February 25 and proceeded to Managua where they began training and flying in support of their fellow Marines on the ground.[3] On July 16, 1927, a 37-man Marine garrison in Ocotal was surrounded by several hundred sandinistas led by Augusto César Sandino. Upon getting news of the attack, then Major Rowell, flew a 5 plane detachment of DHs to help relieve the garrison. The dive-bombing runs from low altitude made by Rowell and his men marked one of the first coordinated dive-bombing attacks in aviation history.[4] Rowell was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his extraordinary heroism and exceptionally meritorious service in action against hostile Nicaraguan bandits during this time.[5]
On May 30, 1932, Rowell took command of the East Coast Expeditionary Force at Marine Corps Air Station Quantico, Virginia.[6] His air command won the Schiff Trophy in 1926, 1932, and again in 1933. He led the Marine Air Detachment at the International Air Races at Chicago in September, 1933, and in the All-American Air Races at Miami, Florida, in January 1935, achieving commendable performances on both occasions.
He served as director of Marine Corps Aviation from May 30, 1935, through March 10, 1939.[7] In this role he was the senior advisor to the commandant on all aviation matters and the Marine Corps' liaison with the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics.[2]
In addition to duty at various posts in the United States and extensive sea duty, Rowell served abroad in the Philippine Islands, France, Haiti, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
World War II
Early in World War II, Rowell was sent to London as an Air Attaché for duty in Cairo, Egypt. It was in the desert and in the skies over Great Britain that he was able to see the advent of fighters equipped to operate at night. He also traveled and learned all he could about RAF Coastal Command in Scotland and RAF Bomber Command in Buckinghamshire, England.[8] Upon his return in November 1941, Rowell made a recommendation for the Marine Corps to acquire a medium-sized, long range, high-speed bomber to be used for night harassing missions. This coupled with the work of other Marines grew into the Marine PBJ night bomber program.[9] Following these tours, Rowell served as commanding general, Marine Aircraft Wings, Pacific (MAWP), from the opening of the Guadalcanal Campaign in August 1942 until Japanese air power was driven from the Bismarck-Solomons in 1944. MAWP was based at Marine Corps Air Station Ewa, Hawaii and its mission was to organize, administrate and distribute personnel and supplies for Marine Air Wings in the Pacific.[10] On December 27, 1942, Rowell read a dispatch from Admiral Halsey on Guadalcanal speaking to the negative effects that night time raids from Japanese bombers were having on the ground troops. Based on his earlier travels and observations, Rowell immediately recommended that a night fighter unit be made "available immediately for overseas duty". This message to Marine Headquarters in Washington would be the catalyst for kicking the development of Marine Night Fighters into high gear.[11]
It was during this time that Admiral Ernest King convinced Rowell that there was no longer a need for Marines to get carrier qualifications since all of their aircraft were currently based out of land based strips. This lack of foresight led to Marine pilots not being able to fly from escort carriers which were providing the close air support during amphibious landings. This would return to haunt the Marine Corps during the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign in which it was generally felt that close air support provided by pilots from the United States Navy left much to be desired.[12] The lack of adequate air support was coupled with the feeling amongst other senior Marine aviators such as Roy Geiger and then Commandant Alexander Vandegrift that Marine aviation was not paying attention to its primary purpose of providing close air support and was too concerned with shooting down enemy aircraft.[13] In August 1944, General Vandegrift flew to Hawaii to meet with Admiral Nimitz and his staff and came up with the solution that Marine squadrons would be assigned to escort carriers, Marine aviation would take control of aircraft directly supporting ground troops during amphibious operations and Marine Air Wing Pacific would be renamed Aircraft, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific(AirFMFPac). This new role was not welcomed by Rowell and he became so negative that he was quickly replaced by MajGen Francis P. Mulcahy in October 1944 and reassigned as the Chief of the Naval Aviation Mission to Peru, a post he held until his retirement in November 1946.[14][15] In September 1944, he was awarded the Legion of Merit for outstanding service as commanding general, Marine Aircraft Wings Pacific from August 1942 to September 1944.
Rowell retired from the Marine Corps after 40 years of service on November 1, 1946. He died at the Naval Hospital in San Diego on September 6, 1947. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[16]Between 1900 and 1916, the Marine Corps continued its record of participation in foreign expeditions, especially in the Caribbean and Central and South America, which included Panama, Cuba, Veracruz, Haiti, Santo Domingo, and Nicaragua. These actions became known as the "Banana Wars", and the experiences gained in counter-insurgency and guerrilla operations during this period were consolidated into the Small Wars Manual in 1935. Action in these places south of the United States continued through World War I, and after for many years. Many of these actions were part of the Monroe Doctrine; that is, the efforts of the United States to prevent further colonization and interference in the Western Hemisphere. Marines occasionally had to fight against their reputation as the private army of the State Department.[126] A total of 93 Marines would die throughout the various conflicts.[72]
In December 1909, Major Smedley Butler commanded 3rd Battalion 1st Marines in Panama. The battalion, which had occupied Panama since that nation's independence from Colombia in 1903, would remain until 1914, with intermissions where it was sent to Nicaragua, Veracruz, and Haiti.[91]
The United States occupied Cuba since the Spanish left on 1 January 1899, but could not annex it as a territory (unlike the Philippines and Guam) per the Teller Amendment. After establishing Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, the Marines assisted in the occupation from 1899 to 1902 under military governor Leonard Wood, and again from 1906 to 1909, 1912, and from 1917 to 1922.
On 27 May 1910, Major Butler arrived in Bluefields with 250 men to protect American interests in Juan José Estrada's rebellion. Marines returned to occupy Nicaragua from 1912 to 1933 in order to prevent the construction of the Nicaragua Canal without American control. Butler returned in the summer of 1912 with 350 Marines on the USS Annapolis to supplement the 100 Marines sent there the previous month, again augmented by another 750 Marines under Colonel Joseph Henry Pendleton. Resistance from Luis Mena and Benjamín Zeledón was crushed that October, and the majority of the Marines left, having lost 37 of their number. The remainder occupied the nation, mostly fighting Augusto César Sandino and his group until the Good Neighbor policy and the Great Depression prompted their withdrawal in January 1933.[91] A total of 130 Marines were killed in the 21 years in Nicaragua, while two earned the Medal of Honor there.
photograph of a walled fort with three Marines raising a U.S. flag over it
Sergeant Major John H. Quick raises a U.S. flag over Veracruz in 1914
Marines also returned to Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. From 5 to 7 September 1903, Marines protected Americans evacuating the Yaqui River Valley.[91] In response to the Tampico Affair and to intercept weapons being shipped to Victoriano Huerta in spite of an arms embargo, Marines were deployed to Veracruz on 21 April 1914 to occupy it. Landing unopposed from USS Florida and USS Utah, Marines under Colonel Wendell Cushing Neville fought their way to their objectives on the waterfront. Around midnight, additional ships arrived, bring with them Maj Butler and his battalion from Panama, and in the morning, captured the Veracruz Naval Academy. Another regiment under Colonel Lejeune arrived that afternoon, and by the 24th, the entire city was secure. On 1 May, Colonel Littleton Waller arrived with a third regiment and took command of the brigade. Marines were gradually replaced with soldiers and returned to their ships until the American withdrawal on 23 November. Fifty-six Medals of Honor were awarded, including Butler's first. The Army would return to Mexico in two years for the Pancho Villa Expedition.
Marines saw action in the Dominican Republic in 1903, 1904, and 1914,[91] then occupied it from 1916 until 1924. After Desiderio Arias seized power from Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra, Rear Admirals William B. Caperton and Harry Shepard Knapp landed Marines in May 1916 to restore order. Locals began a resistance that lasted until 1921, and the Marines were withdrawn the following year, with a total of three having earned the Medal of Honor. Marines would return in 1965.
The Marines also occupied Haiti from 28 July 1915 until 1 August 1934. When Cacos overthrew the government and the possibility of an anti-American Rosalvo Bobo became the likely president of Haiti, President Woodrow Wilson sent the Marines in to secure American business dominance, but publicly announced to "re-establish peace and order". On 17 November 1915, Major Butler led a force of Marines to capture Fort Riviere, a Caco stronghold. After organized armed resistance was over, the governance from the United States began to improve infrastructure and living conditions, but denied the Haitians any real self-governeance. In 1930, after the Forbes Commission criticized this, and President Herbert Hoover began a withdrawal in 1932. The last Marines departed on 15 August 1934. In the nineteen-year occupation, eight Marines would earn the Medal of Honor, including the second awards to Gunnery Sergeant Dan Daly and Major Butler, the only Marines to be twice awarded. The latter would later express his disapproval of the occupation and gunboat diplomacy in his book War Is a Racket. The Marines would return to Haiti in 1994 and 2010.
Marine Aviators began to experiment with air-ground tactics during the Banana Wars and making the support of their fellow Marines on the ground their primary mission. It was in Haiti that Marines began to develop the tactic of dive bombing and in Nicaragua where they began to perfect it. While other nations and services had tried variations of this technique, Marine aviators were the first to embrace it and make it part of their tactical doctrine.[122] Cunningham had noted in 1920 that "...the only excuse for aviation in any service is its usefulness in assisting the troops on the ground to successfully carry out their missions."[127] On 3 May 1925 the Marine Corps officially appeared in the Navy's Aeronautical Organization the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics authorized three fighter squadrons.[128] Also in the 1920s, Marine squadrons began qualifying on board aircraft carriers.
World War I
illustration of Marines chasing German soldiers through a forest shattered by artillery, one Marine centered is stabbing a German through the chest with a bayonet
French artist Georges Scott makes the Marines heroes in his La Brigade Marine Americane Au Bois De Belleau.
In 1917-1918, the Marine Corps had a deep pool of officers and non-commissioned officers with battle experience against weak opponents. They were not trained for the intense and highly technical conflict underway in Europe on the Western Front in France. They participated in small ways throughout 1918 (such as Château-Thierry, Soissons, and Saint-Mihiel), but its most famous action of the war would come that summer as the German spring offensive neared its end. From 1 to 26 June, Marines fought the Battle of Belleau Wood, then the largest in the history of the Corps (but very minor given the overall size of the battle). It served to enhance their public reputation. Rallying under the battle cries of "Retreat? Hell, we just got here!" (Capt Lloyd Williams) and "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?" (GySgt Dan Daly), the Marines drove German forces from the area but suffered many losses mostly explained by the lack of experience of its officers and the use of outdated tactics. While its previous expeditionary experience had not earned it much acclaim in the Western world, the Marines' fierceness and toughness earned them the respect of the Germans, who rated them of storm-trooper quality. American publicists invented a story that Germans had nicknamed the Marines as "Teufelhunden" (a misreading of the German term for Devil Dog). The new name was used for a recruiting poster.[129]
recruiting poster depicts a bulldog wearing a Marine helmet chasing a dachshund in a German helmet and reads: "TeufelHunden, German nickname for U.S. Marines, Devil Dog Recruiting Station, 628 South State street"
The "Devil Dog" recruiting poster.
The French government renamed the forest to "Bois de la Brigade de Marine" ("Wood of the Marine Brigade"), and decorated both the 5th and 6th Regiments with the Croix de Guerre three times each. This earned them the privilege to wear the fourragère, which Franklin D. Roosevelt, then Secretary of the Navy, authorized them to henceforth wear on the left shoulder of their dress and service uniforms. Marine aviation also saw exponential growth, as the First Aeronautic Company which deployed to the Azores to hunt U-boats in January 1918[130] and the First Marine Air Squadron which deployed to France as the newly renamed 1st Marine Aviation Force in July 1918[124] and provided bomber and fighter support to the Navy's Day Wing, Northern Bombing Group.[123] By the end of the war, several Marine aviators had recorded air-to-air kills, and collectively dropped over 14 short tons (13,000 kg) of bombs.[122] and their number totals included 282 officers and 2,180 enlisted men operating from 8 squadrons.[131] In 1919 the 1st Division/Squadron 1 was formed from these units, and exists as VMA-231.
U.S. Marines ready to fire at the enemy in the trenches, Breuvannes-en-Bassigny, France.
Near the end of the war in June 1918, Marines were landed at Vladivostok in Russia to protect American citizens at the consulate and other places from the fighting of the Russian Civil War.[91] That August, the Allies would intervene on the side of the White Russians against the Bolsheviks to protect the Czechoslovak Legions and Allied materiel from capture.[132][133] Marines would return on 16 February 1920, this time to Russky Island to protect communications infrastructure, until 19 November 1922.[91]
U.S. Marines during the Meuse–Argonne offensive.
Opha May Johnson was the first woman to enlist in the Marines; she joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1918, officially becoming the first female Marine.[134] From then until the end of World War I, 305 women enlisted in the Corps.[135]
The Marine Corps had entered the war with 511 officers and 13,214 enlisted personnel and, by 11 November 1918, had reached a strength of 2,400 officers and 70,000 enlisted.[136] The war cost 2,461 dead and 9,520 wounded Marines,[72] while eight would earn the Medal of Honor. Most of the deaths came from the worldwide Spanish flu epidemic.
A new amphibious mission
black & white photograph of Marines in a formation marching through a French street with French buildings in the background, decorated with the flags of allied nations
Victorious Marines parade in France in November 1918.
Between the world wars, the Marine Corps was headed by Major General John A. Lejeune, another popular commandant. The Marine Corps was searching for an expanded mission after World War I. It was used in France as a junior version of the army infantry, and Marines realized that was a dead end. In the early 20th century they had acquired the new mission of police control of Central American countries partly occupied by the US. That mission became another dead end when the nation adopted a "Good Neighbor Policy" toward Latin America, and renounced further invasions. The corps needed a new mission, one distinct from the army. It found one: it would be a fast-reacting, light infantry fighting force carried rapidly to far off locations by the navy. Its special role was amphibious landings on enemy-held islands, but it took years to figure out how to do that. The Mahanian notion of a decisive fleet battle required forward bases for the navy close to the enemy. After the Spanish–American War the Marines gained the mission of occupying and defending those forward bases, and they began a training program on Culebro Island, Puerto Rico. The emphasis at first was on defending the forward base against enemy attack.
As early as 1900 the Navy's General Board considered building advance bases for naval operations in the Pacific and the Caribbean. The Marine Corps was given a defensive mission in 1920. The conceptual breakthrough came in 1921 when Major "Pete" Ellis wrote "Advanced Base Operations in Micronesia" a secret 30,000-word manifesto that proved inspirational to Marine strategists and highly prophetic.[137] To win a war in the Pacific, the Navy would have to fight its way through thousands of miles of ocean controlled by the Japanese—including the Marshall, Caroline, Marianas and Ryukus island groups. If the Navy could land Marines to seize selected islands, they could become forward bases. Ellis argued that with an enemy prepared to defend the beaches, success depended on high-speed movement of waves of assault craft, covered by heavy naval gunfire and attack from the air. He predicted the decision would take place on the beach itself, so the assault teams would need not just infantry but also machine gun units, light artillery, light tanks, and combat engineers to defeat beach obstacles and defenses. Assuming the enemy had its own artillery, the landing craft would have to be specially built to protect the landing force. With American naval control, the Japanese would be unable to land new forces on the islands under attack.[138]
Not knowing which of the many islands would be the American target, the Japanese would have to disperse their strength by garrisoning many islands that would never be attacked. An island like Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands, would, Ellis estimated, require two regiments, or 4,000 Marines. (Indeed, in February 1944 the Marines seized Eniwetok with 4,000 men in three battalions.) Guided by Marine observer airplanes, and supplemented by Marine light bombers, warships would provide sea-going artillery firepower so that Marines would not need any heavy artillery (in contrast to the Army, which relied heavily on its artillery.) Shelling defended islands was a new mission for warships. The Ellis model was officially endorsed in 1927 by the Joint Board of the Army and Navy (a forerunner of the Joint Chiefs of Staff).[139]
The first group of 71 Women Marine Officer Candidates arrived 13 March 1943 at the U.S. Midshipmen School (Women's Reserve) at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts.
Actual implementation of the new mission took another decade because the Corps was preoccupied in Central America, the Navy was slow to start training in how to support the landings, and new kinds of ships had to be invented to hit the beaches without massive casualties. In 1941 British and American ship architects invented new classes of "landing ships" to solve the problem. In World War II, the Navy contracted to build 1,150 LSTs, of which 332 would be cancelled or diverted to allies or converted for use as auxiliaries. They were large (2400 tons) and slow (10 knots); officially known as Landing Ship, Tank, the passengers called them "Large Stationary Targets." Lightly armored, they could steam cross the ocean with a full load on their own power, carrying infantry, tanks and supplies directly onto the beaches. Another type of ship, the LSD or Landing Ship, Dock, could carry three dozen Landing Craft Mechanized (LCU) with Marines, vehicles, and materiel in a flooding well deck for launching; 21 of these ships were built for U.S. service. Together with 2,000 other landing craft and ships, the LSDs and LSTs gave the Marines (and Army soldiers) a protected, quick way to make combat landings, beginning in summer 1943.[Note 1][140]
In 1933, a "Fleet Marine Force" was established with the primary mission of amphibious landings. The Force was a brigade with attached Marine aviation units that were trained in observation and ground support. By paying special attention to communications between ground and air, and between shore and sea, they developed an integrated three-dimensional assault force. By 1940, having adding enough men, the appropriate equipment, and a rigorous training program, the Marine Corps had worked out, in theory, its doctrine of amphibious assaults. Under the combat leadership of Holland "Howlin Mad" Smith, the general most responsible for training, the Marines were ready to hit the beaches.[141]
The Corps acquired amphibious equipment such as the Higgins boat (LCVP), the Amtrak (LTV), and the DUKW, which would prove of great use in the upcoming conflict. The various Fleet Landing Exercises were a test and demonstration of the Corps' growing amphibious capabilities.
Marine aviation also saw significant growth in assets; on 7 December 1941, Marine aviation consisted of 13 flying squadrons and 230 aircraft.[142][143] The oldest squadron in the Corps, known today as VMFA-232, was commissioned on 1 September 1925, as VF-3M.[144]The United States Marine Corps Aviation (USMCA) is the aircraft arm of the United States Marine Corps. Aviation units within the Marine Corps are assigned to support the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, as the aviation combat element, by providing six functions: assault support, antiair warfare, close air support, electronic warfare, control of aircraft and missiles, and aerial reconnaissance.[1] The Corps operates rotary-wing, tiltrotor, and fixed-wing aircraft mainly to provide transport and close air support to its ground forces. Other aircraft types are also used in a variety of support and special-purpose roles. All Marine Corps aviation falls under the influence of the Deputy Commandant for Aviation, whose job is to advise the Commandant of the Marine Corps in all matters relating to aviation, especially acquisition of new assets, conversions of current aircraft, maintenance, operation, and command.[2]
History
First Lieutenant Alfred A. Cunningham, first Marine Corps aviator
The first USMC plane: a Curtiss C-3
First Marine Aviation Force Colors, 1918 William McIlvain (Naval Aviator No. 12 and Marine Aviator No. 3]; second from right.Roy Geiger(Naval Aviator # 49 and Marine Corps Aviator # 5) on far right.
Marine Corps aviation officially began on 22 May 1912, when First Lieutenant Alfred Austell Cunningham reported to Naval Aviation Camp in Annapolis, Maryland, "for duty in connection with aviation."[3] On 20 August 1912, he became the first Marine aviator when he took off in a Burgess Model H given to him by the Burgess Company in Marblehead Harbor, Massachusetts.[4]
As the number of Marine Corps pilots grew, so did the desire to separate from Naval Aviation,[5] an objective realized on 6 January 1914, when First Lieutenant Bernard L. Smith was directed to Culebra, Puerto Rico, to establish the Marine Section of the Navy Flying School. In 1915, the Commandant of the Marine Corps authorized the creation of a Marine Corps aviation company consisting of 10 officers and 40 enlisted men.[6] The Marine Aviation Company was commissioned on 17 February 1917 as the first official Marine flying unit, at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.[7]
World War I
Roundel used by the Marine Corps during World War I
VMA-231 Emblem
The first major expansion of the Marine Corps' air component came with America's entrance into World War I in 1917. Wartime expansion saw the Aviation Company split into the First Aeronautic Company which deployed to the Azores to hunt U-boats in January 1918[8] and the First Marine Air Squadron which deployed to France as the newly renamed 1st Marine Aviation Force in July 1918[7] and provided bomber and fighter support to the Navy's Day Wing, Northern Bombing Group.[6] By the end of the war, several Marine Aviators had recorded air-to-air kills, and collectively they had dropped over fourteen tons of bombs.[5] Their numbers included 282 officers and 2,180 enlisted men operating from 8 squadrons,[9] with Second Lieutenant Ralph Talbot being the first Marine Corps aviator to earn the Medal of Honor, for action against the Luftstreitkräfte air arm of Imperial Germany on 8 October 1918. In 1919, the 1st Division/Squadron 1 was formed from these units and still exists today as VMA-231.
Interwar period
A Vought VE-7F from VO-1M in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic circa 1922
The end of World War I saw Congress authorize 1,020 men for Marine Corps aviation and the establishment of permanent air stations at Quantico, Parris Island and San Diego.[10] The United States embraced its role of global power, and the Marine Corps became the preferred force for military intervention; where the Marines went, so went Marine Corps aviation. During the Banana Wars, while fighting bandits and insurgents in places like Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, Marine Corps aviators began to experiment with air-ground tactics and making the support of their fellow Marines on the ground their primary mission. It was in Haiti that Marines began to develop the tactic of dive bombing and in Nicaragua where they began to perfect it. While other nations and services had tried variations of this technique, Marine Corps pilots were the first to embrace it and make it part of their tactical doctrine.[11] Marine Corps aviation in Nicaragua developed the skill of air resupply of outposts dropping bundles from Fokker F.VII tri-motors.[12] Even prior to the events in the Caribbean, pioneering Marine Corps aviators such as Alfred Cunningham had noted in 1920 that, "...the only excuse for aviation in any service is its usefulness in assisting the troops on the ground to successfully carry out their missions.[13] "
It was not until 3 May 1925 that the Marine Corps officially appeared in the Navy's Aeronautical Organization when Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics, issued a directive officially authorizing three fighting squadrons.[14] In the 1920s, Marine Corps squadrons began qualifying on board aircraft carriers. However, in terms of mission and training, the assignment of two Marine scouting squadrons as component units of the Pacific Fleet carriers would be one of the greatest advancements for Marine Corps aviation. Prior to this, Marine Corps squadrons were loosely controlled with regard to doctrine and training. This assignment enabled nearly 60% of active duty aviators at the time to be exposed to a disciplined training syllabus under a clearly defined mission.[15]
WWII Recruiting poster illustrated by Maj. W. Victor Guinness, USMC
The turning point for the long-term survival of Marine Air[16] came with the structural change of the establishment of the Fleet Marine Force in 1933.[17] This shifted Marine doctrine to focus less on expeditionary duty and more on supporting amphibious warfare by seizing advance naval bases in the event of war.[18][19] This also saw the establishment of Aircraft One and Aircraft Two to replace the old Aircraft Squadron, East Coast and Aircraft Squadron, West Coast that had supported operations in the Caribbean and China as part of their expeditionary duties.[20] This organization would remain until June 1940 when Congress authorized the Marine Corps 1,167 aircraft as part of its 10,000 plane program for the Navy.[20] Just prior, in 1939, the Navy's General Board published a new mission for Marine Aviation, which stated: "Marine Aviation is to be equipped, organized and trained primarily for the support of the Fleet Marine Force in landing operations and in support of troop activities in the field; and secondarily as replacement for carrier based naval aircraft.[21] " On 7 December 1941, the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Marine Corps air units consisted of 13 flying squadrons and 230 aircraft.[19][20]
World War II
An F4U Corsair of VMF-214 in World War II
During World War II, the Marine Corps' air arm expanded rapidly and extensively.[20] They reached their peak number of units with 5 air wings, 31 aircraft groups and 145 flying squadrons.[19] During the war, and for the next fifty years, the Guadalcanal campaign would become a defining point for Marine Aviation. The great takeaways were the debilitating effects of not having air superiority, the vulnerability of targets such as transport shipping, and the vital importance of quickly acquiring expeditionary airfields during amphibious operations.[22] Because of the way the Pacific War unfolded, Marine Aviation was not able to achieve its 1939 mission of supporting the Fleet Marine Force at first. For the first two years of the war, the air arm spent most of its time protecting the fleet and land-based installations from attacks by enemy ships and aircraft.
This began to change after the Battle of Tarawa as the air support for ground troops flown by Navy pilots left much to be desired. After the battle, General Holland Smith recommended, "Marine aviators, thoroughly schooled in the principles of direct air support," should do the job.[23] The New Georgia campaign saw the first real close air support provided to Marine ground forces by Marine Air; the Bougainville campaign and the campaign to retake the Philippines saw the establishment of air liaison parties to coordinate air support with the Marines fighting on the ground,[24] and the Battle of Okinawa brought most of it together with the establishment of aviation command and control in the form of Landing Force Air Support Control Units.[25]
During the course of the war, Marine Aviators were credited with shooting down 2,355 Japanese aircraft while losing 573 of their own aircraft in combat, they had 120 aces and earned 11 Medals of Honor.[26] Immediately following the war, the strength of the Marine Corps flying arm was drastically cut as part of the post war drawdown of forces. Their active strength fell from 116,628 personnel and 103 squadrons on 31 August 1945 to 14,163 personnel and 21 squadrons on 30 June 1948. They maintained another 30 squadrons in the Marine Air Reserve.[6] Secretary of Defense Louis A. Johnson attempted to eliminate Marine Corps aviation by transferring its air assets to other services and even proposed to progressively eliminate the Marine Corps altogether in a series of budget cutbacks and decommissioning of forces.[27]
Jets and helicopters
After World War II, most propeller aircraft were gradually phased out as jet aircraft improved and helicopters were developed for use in amphibious operations. The first Marine jet squadron came in November 1947 when VMF-122 fielded the FH Phantom.[28] In December 1950, VMF-311 became the first Marine jet squadron used in combat, providing close air support for the Marines and soldiers on the ground, flying the F9F Panther.[29] In February 1957, VMA-214 became the first Marine squadron to be certified for "special weapons delivery": dropping nuclear weapons.[30] Several others would receive certification,[31] though eventually all nuclear weapons were turned over to Navy and Air Force responsibility.
HMX-1, the first Marine helicopter squadron, was commissioned on 1 December 1947.[32] Marine helicopters—VMO-6 flying the HO3S1 helicopter—made their combat debut in August 1950 during the Battle of Pusan Perimeter.[33] January 1951 saw the activation of HMR-161, the world's first helicopter transport squadron.[34]
F-4 Phantom II from VMFA-314 returning to Chu Lai during the Vietnam War
The Korean and Vietnam wars saw the size of Marine Aviation rebound from its post-WWII lows, emerging as the force that exists today, consisting of four air wings, 20 aircraft groups and 78 flying squadrons. By the end of the Vietnam War, the Marine Air-Ground Task Force had grown dependent on its multi-mission inventory of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, which could operate from land or sea bases to support Marines on the ground.[16] Marine Aviators deployed to the Middle East for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, then to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom. 2006 saw Marine Aviation at its highest operational level since the Vietnam War, flying more than 120,000 combat hours in support of operations in and near Afghanistan and Iraq. Despite their aging aircraft and high operating tempo, Marine Aviation maintained a 74.5-percent mission-capable rate.[35]
Aircraft upgrades
Since the Corps as a whole began to grow in 2007, Marine Aviation expanded with it and continues to grow.[36] Several new squadrons have been activated, including VMFAT-501, and VMU-4.[36] Some support units will gain personnel and equipment.[37] The Corps intends to procure 420[38] F-35B/Cs (353 F-35Bs and 67 F-35Cs) to replace all F/A-18 Hornets, AV-8B Harrier IIs and EA-6B Prowlers[39] in the fighter, attack, and electronic warfare[40] roles. The MV-22B Osprey replaced the CH-46 Sea Knight and CH-53D Sea Stallion. The Corps has transitioned all East Coast CH-46 squadrons to the MV-22, which has made its first combat deployments and Marine expeditionary unit deployments. The CH-53E Super Stallion will be replaced by the CH-53K King Stallion.[41] The KC-130J Super Hercules will replace all other C-130 models. As part of the H-1 upgrade program,[42] UH-1N Twin Hueys were replaced by UH-1Y Venoms,[43] while AH-1W SuperCobras were upgraded to AH-1Z Vipers. The VH-3D Sea Kings and the VH-60N Blackhawks of HMX-1 are to be replaced by the Sikorsky VH-92 in the VXX program.[44] Unmanned aerial vehicle programs will be upgraded in tiers, with the RQ-7 Shadow replacing the RQ-2 Pioneer and the RQ-11 Raven.[45][46] They have also been in the lead in looking at unmanned helicopters to resupply troops at remote forward operating bases in places such as Afghanistan.[47]
Organization
Branches
The Executive Secretariat ensures integration and increased collaboration with fellow HQMC Deputy Commandants and Staff Agencies.[48]
The Aircrew Program Section (ACP) administers aircrew performance and suitability boards and oversees Marine aircrews assigned to inter-service and international exchange programs.
The Air Support and Coordination Office (ASCO) oversees approval of Marine aircrew waivers and is the subject matter expert on Operational Support Aircraft tasking and flight approvals.
The Aviation Administration Section' (AA) provides efficient and timely administrative support to the DC Aviation front office and department branches and manages department Internet Technology (IT) systems and programs.
The Cunningham Group forms the nucleus of Marine Aviation. Threat informed, the Cunningham Group is responsible for synthesizing existing capabilities with emerging operational concepts and technologies in order to develop a coherent vision of Marine Corps Aviation that delivers relevant, reliable, survivable, and affordable combat power to the Fleet Marine Force commanders. It will do so through close integration with DC CD&I, Service and joint force partners, industry, universities, and research agencies. The output of the Cunningham Group supports future force design initiatives, the AVPLAN, and resourcing decisions.[49]
The Aviation Expeditionary Enablers (AXE) provides the critical enablers that will allow Marine aviation to thrive at sea and in forward, isolated, austere locations while fully integrating into the Naval Expeditionary and Joint Networks. AXE enablers will ensure the MAGTF can perform the six functions of Marine Aviation within the competition continuum against a peer adversary.[50]
The Aviation Sustainment Branch (ASB) sustains and enhances MAGTF Warfighting capabilities. ASB integrates aviation sustainment to deliver the necessary expeditionary capabilities across the functional areas of aircraft maintenance, aviation supply, avionics, aviation ordnance, and aviation information systems, allowing Marine aviation to thrive at sea and in forward, isolated, austere conditions. ASB coordinates across the Naval Aviation Enterprise and Marine Corps Forces to develop, manage, and improve aviation sustainment capabilities, plans, and policies in support of the total lifecycle management of new and existing aviation platforms and supportingequipment. ASB synthesizes and assesses key performance indicators and material readiness trends across these functional areas to drive improvements in material condition, reliability of repairables and increase aircraft readiness. ASB leverages emerging technologies and concepts to enable modernization of our training systems to ensure our Marines keep pace with the complexity of our aircraft.[51]
The Air Warfare Systems Assault Support (AWS–AS) sustains and enhances MAGTF warfighting capabilities. Marine Assault Support aviation must thrive at sea and in forward, isolated, austere locations while fully integrating into the Naval Expeditionary and Joint Networks. AWS-AS will ensure the MAGTF is able to conduct combat assault support, air delivery, aerial refueling, air evacuation, tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel, and air logistical support missions within the competition continuum against a peer adversary.[52]
The Air Warfare Systems TACAIR (AWS-TACAIR) sustains and enhances MAGTF warfighting capabilities. Marine TACAIR must thrive at sea and in forward, isolated, austere locations while fully integrating into the Naval Expeditionary and Joint Networks. AWS-TACAIR will ensure the MAGTF is able to conduct offensive air support, anti-air warfare, electronic warfare and provide multi-sensor aerial, maritime and terrestrial targeting and coordination within the competition continuum against a peer adversary.[53]
The Air Warfare Systsems Unmanned Aerial Systems (AWS–UAS) sustains and enhances MAGTF warfighting capabilities. Marine unmanned aviation must thrive in forward, isolated, austere locations while fully integrating into the Naval Expeditionary and Joint Networks. AWS-UAS ensures the MAGTF provides multi-sensor aerial, maritime and terrestrial looking early warning; provides identification, tracking, targeting and coordination for offensive air support and ground and ship based long range strike; as well as be inherently strike capable within the competition continuum against a peer adversary.[54]
Squadrons
Main articles: List of active United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons, List of inactive United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons, and List of United States Marine Corps aviation support units
Squadron insignia for the VMFA-232 Red Devils, the oldest fighter squadron in the Marine Corps
The basic tactical and administrative unit of United States Marine Corps aviation is the squadron. Fixed wing and tilt-rotor aircraft squadrons are denoted by the letter "V", which comes from the French verb "Voler" (to fly). Rotary wing (helicopter) squadrons use "H." Squadrons flying lighter than air vehicles (balloons), which were active from World War I to 1943, were indicated by the letter "Z" in naval squadron designation.[55] Marine squadrons are noted by the second letter "M." Squadron numbering is not linear, as some were numbered in ascending order, and others took numbers from the wing or the ship to which they were assigned.[56] From 1920 to 1941, Marine flying squadrons were identified by one digit numbers. This changed on 1 July 1941 when all existing squadrons were redesignated to a three-digit system. The first two numbers were meant to identify the squadron's parent group, but with the rapid expansion during the war and frequent transfer of squadrons, this system fell apart.[57]
Groups
Main articles: List of United States Marine Corps aircraft groups and List of United States Marine Corps aviation support units
The next higher level in Marine Aviation is the Group, the aviation equivalent of a regiment. Groups can be classified as:
Marine Aircraft Group (MAG): consisting of a MAG Headquarters (MAG HQ), from two to ten fixed-wing, rotary-wing, tilt-rotor, or unmanned aerial vehicle squadrons, a Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron (MALS), and a Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS). The MAG HQ provides the staff support necessary for the effective command of the subordinate squadrons of the MAG, while the MALS provides intermediate aircraft maintenance, aviation supply, and aviation ordnance support to the aircraft squadrons. The MWSS provides all essential aviation ground support to the MAG. This support includes: airfield operations and communications (less air traffic control services), motor transport, engineer services (including bulk fuel and aircraft refueling), non-aviation supply and equipment maintenance, local security, medical services, and food services.
Marine Air Control Group (MACG): consisting of a Marine Air Control Group Headquarters (MACG HQ), a Marine Tactical Air Command Squadron (MTACS), a Marine Air Control Squadron (MACS), a Marine Air Support Squadron (MASS), a Marine Wing Communications Squadron (MWCS), and a Low Altitude Air Defense (LAAD) Battalion.
Marine Aviation Training Support Group (MATSG): training element to provide support for aviation students (though it is currently often just an administrative support unit for detachments to non-Marine bases).
Marine Wing Support Group (MWSG): previously, the ground support element for a Marine Air Wing, usually consisted of four Marine Wing Support Squadrons. The Marine Wing Support Groups were disestablished in 2012, with headquarters personnel and Marine Wing Support Squadrons distributed to the Marine Aircraft Groups.
Wings
Main article: List of United States Marine Corps aircraft wings
Logo of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing
The largest level in Marine aviation is the Marine Aircraft Wing, the equivalent of a division. Wings are usually grouped with a Marine division and a Marine Logistics Group to form a Marine Expeditionary Force. Administratively, Marine aviation is organized into three active duty MAWs and one reserve MAW. MAWs are designed to provide units in support of MAGTF or other operations. Each MAW has a unique organizational structure. The MAW may be reinforced with assets from other MAWs to provide the necessary assets to meet mission requirements. The MAW contains a Marine Aircraft Wing Headquarters (MAW HQ), that directs and coordinates the operations of the MAW, a Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron (MWHS) (see: MWHS-1, MWHS-2 and MWHS-3), which provides administrative and supply support for the MAW HQ, three or four Marine Aircraft Groups (MAGs), and a Marine Air Control Group (MACG). The mission of the MAW is to conduct air operations in support of the Marine Forces to include offensive air support, anti-aircraft warfare, assault support, aerial reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and the control of aircraft and missiles. As a collateral function, the MAW may participate as an integral component of naval aviation in the execution of such other Navy functions as the Fleet Commander may direct.
Corps
All Marine Corps aviation falls under the cognizance of the Deputy Commandant for Aviation (DCA) at Headquarters Marine Corps, with the cooperation of the United States Navy. There, plans for all aspects of aviation are created and managed, including acquisition of new aircraft, training, maintenance, manpower, etc. HQMCA creates Transitional Task Forces to assist units in transitioning between aircraft and aircraft versions.
The Deputy Commandant of Aviation also commands Marine Corps Detachments at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and Naval Air Station Patuxent River. The NAS China Lake Marines are responsible to DCA for the test and evaluation of all weapons and weapon systems and for electronic warfare development. While those at NAS Pax River work with Naval Air Systems Command and are responsible for developing, acquiring and supporting naval aeronautical and related technology systems for the operating forces.[58][59]
Marine air stations
Main article: List of United States Marine Corps installations
Due to the range and space needed to operate aircraft, each MAW spreads its groups and squadrons amongst several Marine Corps Air Stations (MCAS), as well as offering detachments/liaisons (and occasionally full units) to airports, Air Force Bases and Naval Air Stations. Each MCAS maintains its own base functions as well as air traffic control and facilities (often with a Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron of its own).
Aviators and flight officers
Naval Aviator Badge
All Marine pilots and flight officers are trained and qualified as naval aviators or naval flight officers by the Navy. Prospective aviators receive their commissions and attend The Basic School just as all other Marine officers do, then report to Marine Aviation Training Support Group 21 to attend Aviation Preflight Indoctrination at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. There they receive instruction in aerodynamics, aircraft engines and systems, meteorology, navigation, and flight rules and regulations. Following completion, they are assigned to Primary Flight Training at Marine Aviation Training Support Group 22, Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, or remain in Pensacola, Florida. Upon successful completion of Primary Flight Training, they select which type of aircraft they would like to fly, in accordance with the needs of the Corps.
After selection, student aviators are assigned to Advanced Flight Training in their particular field (strike, mutli-engine, rotary, or tilt-rotor). Upon completion, students are designated as Naval Aviators and are awarded the Naval Aviator Insignia. From that point, they are trained at a Fleet Replacement Squadron for the specific aircraft they will be flying. A few uncommon aircraft are taught by the Navy or Air Force, or in the case of HMX-1, by the company that created the aircraft.[60] After completion, aviators are assigned to their first squadron.
Flight officers, after Aviation Preflight Indoctrination, continue their own training path by staying at Pensacola and training further in navigation and avionics. After Advanced NFO training, they receive their wings and are assigned to their first duty squadron. With the F-35 replacing the F/A-18 Hornet by 2030, the Marine Corps is no longer accepting new Naval Flight Officers.
Student RPA pilots are trained by the Air Force and receive their wings after finishing Undergraduate RPA Pilot Training. Next they are assigned to an Air Force IQT squadron for follow on MQ-9A qualifications and then proceed to their first operational squadron.
Enlisted aircrew also serve on some aircraft (mostly helicopters). They are trained at NAS Pensacola and are eligible to wear the Aircrew insignia.
Marine aviators are eligible to earn medals such as the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism in combat and the Air Medal for meritorious achievement in flight as well as the Gray Eagle Award for seniority. Pilots in combat have a chance to become flying aces.
Aircraft
MV-22B with Marine paratroopers
Marine light attack helicopter squadrons (HMLA) are composite squadrons of AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters. These provide light-attack and light transport utility capabilities. Marine medium tilt-rotor (VMM) squadrons fly the V-22 Osprey, a tilt-rotor transport aircraft. Marine heavy helicopter (HMH) squadrons fly the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter for heavy-lift missions. These will eventually be replaced with the upgraded CH-53K, currently under development.[61]
Marine attack squadrons (VMA) fly the AV-8 Harrier II; while Marine Fighter-Attack (VMFA) and Marine (All Weather) Fighter-Attack (VMFA(AW)) squadrons, respectively fly both the single-seat (F/A-18C) and dual-seat (F/A-18D) versions of the F/A-18 Hornet strike-fighter aircraft. The AV-8B is a VTOL aircraft that can operate from amphibious assault ships, land air bases and short, expeditionary airfields.[62] The F/A-18 can only be flown from land or aircraft carriers. Both are slated to be replaced by the F-35B, the STOVL version of the F-35 Lightning II.[63] The Marine Corps will also purchase 80 of the F-35C carrier variants, enough for five squadrons, to serve with Navy carrier air wings.[64][65][66] The Corps operates its own aerial refueling assets in the form of the KC-130J Super Hercules. In Marine transport refueling (VMGR) squadrons, the Hercules doubles as a ground refueller and tactical-airlift transport aircraft.
With the addition of the ISR / Weapon Mission Kit, the KC-130J will be able to serve as an overwatch aircraft and can deliver ground support fire in the form of 30mm cannon fire, Hellfire or Griffin missiles, and precision-guided bombs.[35][67] This capability, designated as "Harvest HAWK" (Hercules Airborne Weapons Kit), can be used in scenarios where precision is not a requisite, such as area denial,[68][69][70] and was first used in Afghanistan in late 2010.[71] Serving in Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare (VMAQ) Squadrons until its retirement in 2019, the EA-6B Prowler was the main tactical electronic warfare aircraft left in the U.S. inventory, until Navy squadrons replaced it with the EA-18G Growler.
Based on the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet, the Growler has been labeled a "national asset" and is frequently borrowed to assist in any American combat action, not just Marine operations.[72] Since the retirement of the EF-111A Raven in 1998, the Air Force's only EW aircraft, Marine Corps and Navy aircraft have provided electronic warfare support to Air Force units.
Marine Fighter Training Squadron 401 (VMFT-401) operates F-5 Tiger II aircraft in support of air combat adversary (aggressor) training. Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1) operates the VH-3D Sea King medium-lift and VH-60N Nighthawk light-lift helicopters in the VIP transport role, previously planned to be replaced by the cancelled VH-71 Kestrel. Marine Transport Squadron One (VMR-1) utilizes several aircraft to transport VIPs and critical logistics, to include the UC-35C/D Citation Ultra/Encore, C-12B/F Huron, and C-20G Gulfstream IV. A single Marine Corps C-130J "Fat Albert," is used to support the U.S. Navy's flight demonstration team, the "Blue Angels".Vought was the name of several related American aerospace firms. These have included, in the past, Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought-Sikorsky, LTV Aerospace (part of Ling-Temco-Vought), Vought Aircraft Companies, and Vought Aircraft Industries.
The first incarnation of Vought was established by Chance M. Vought and Birdseye Lewis in 1917. In 1928, it was acquired by United Aircraft and Transport Corporation, which a few years later became United Aircraft Corporation; this was the first of many reorganizations and buyouts. During the 1920s and 1930s, Vought Aircraft and Chance Vought specialized in carrier-based aircraft for the United States Navy, by far its biggest customer. Chance Vought produced thousands of planes during World War II, including the F4U Corsair.
Vought became independent again in 1954, and was purchased by Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) in 1961. The company designed and produced a variety of planes and missiles throughout the Cold War. Vought was sold from LTV and owned in various degrees by the Carlyle Group and Northrop Grumman in the early 1990s. It was then fully bought by Carlyle, renamed Vought Aircraft Industries, with headquarters in Dallas, Texas. In June 2010, the Carlyle Group sold Vought to the Triumph Group.
History
Chance Vought years 1917–1928
USS Los Angeles (ZR-3) equipped with a trapeze and a VOUGHT bi-plane (UO-1), probably a VE-7 Bluebird, for parasite fighter tests
In 1917, the Lewis and Vought Corporation was founded by Lewis and Vought, a former chief engineer of the Wright Company. They sought to take advantage of the growing field of military and civilian aviation after World War I. Operations began in Astoria, New York; in 1919, they moved to Long Island City, New York. After Lewis retired in 1922, it was renamed the Chance Vought Corporation.
Vought made history in 1922 when the Vought VE-7 trainer made the first takeoff from the deck of the USS Langley, the first American aircraft carrier. Later came the VE-11 naval fighter and the Vought O2U Corsair, the first of the Corsair aircraft.
In 1928, the company was acquired by the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation, but stayed its own separate division among the lines of Pratt & Whitney and Boeing. Vought died from sepsis in 1930, having seen his company produce a variety of fighters, trainers, flying boats, and surveillance aircraft for the United States Navy and the United States Army Air Service.
1930s–1960
Despite the Great Depression, Vought continued to design and manufacture aircraft at a growing pace. Soon after Chance Vought's death in 1930, the company moved its operations to East Hartford, Connecticut. Under the Air Mail Act of 1934, United Aircraft and Transportation Corp. was forced by law to divide its businesses, resulting in Boeing Aircraft, United Airlines, and the United Aircraft Corp, of which Vought was a part. In 1939, United Aircraft moved Vought to Stratford, Connecticut, where it merged with the Sikorsky division to become Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft.
A formation of British Corsairs in 1944
Chief engineer Rex Beisel began in 1938 to develop the XF4U, recognized by its distinctive inverted gull wings. After its first flight, in 1940, thousands of F4U Corsairs were produced for the Navy and Marines in World War II. By the end of its production in 1952, Vought, Goodyear, and Brewster had all produced the Corsair fighters. Vought was reestablished as a separate division in United Aircraft in 1942.
In postwar 1949, Vought moved operations to the former North American Aviation "B" plant in Dallas, Texas. The move was pushed by the Navy, who believed that having both of its main aircraft suppliers on the East Coast was an unnecessary risk. Vought moved 27 million pounds of equipment and 1,300 employees in 14 months, a record-breaking industrial move at the time.
In 1954, the company separated from United Aircraft and became the independent Chance Vought Aircraft Inc.
Vought began making its F-8 Crusader for the Navy in 1957; it was one of the Navy's first supersonic fighters and its last all-gun fighter. The same basic design was later heavily revised and shortened to produce Vought's A-7 Corsair II, a carrier-borne close-air-support and attack plane. Entering service in 1965, the Corsair II was heavily engaged in a close support and strike missions during the Vietnam War, beginning in 1967. The A-7 also participated in the U.S. invasion of Grenada in 1983; a punitive raid on Syrian missile sites in 1983; reprisal raids against Libya during Operation El Dorado Canyon in 1986; strikes against Iranian coastal platforms and naval forces during Operation Praying Mantis in 1988; support of the 1989 invasion of Panama; and throughout operations during Desert Storm in 1991. The A-7A, A-7B, A-7C and A-7E served with the US Navy while the A-7D was purchased by the US Air Force and Air National Guard. Two-seat models known as TA-7C/Es served with the U.S. Navy while the US Air Force purchased the TA-7K. The A-7 served in limited numbers with three foreign air forces, including Greece (A-7H/TA-7H), Portugal (A-7P/TA-7P) and Thailand (ex-USN A-7E/TA-7E).
LTV acquisition 1960–1990
Hillsgrove Airfield – May 26, 1927
April 30, 2015
Hillsgrove Airfield – May 26, 1927
Warwick, Rhode Island
Hillsgrove Airfield is now T. F. Green State Airport
Navy Lieutenant Adolphus W. Gorton standing next to the Curtis Marine Flying Trophy which he won in 1922. Library Of Congress Photo
Navy Lieutenant Adolphus W. Gorton standing next to the Curtis Marine Flying Trophy which he won in 1922.
Library Of Congress Photo
On May 26, 1927, navy Lieutenants Adolphus W. Gorton and Clifton Sprague were scheduled to fly from Hillsgrove Airfield in Warwick, Rhode Island, to Washington, D.C.. The plane took off with Gorton at the helm, and when the aircraft was barely 100 feet off the ground it suddenly looped in a circle and struck the top of thirty-foot tree near the end of the field. After glancing off the tree, the aircraft plunged downward into the ground, plowing the turf for thirty-five feet before coming to rest in a heap of wreckage.
Lieutenant Sprague escaped with minor injuries, but Gorton suffered the loss of three teeth and his nose was reportedly “torn nearly from his face”. The crash was witnessed by Lieutenant Gorton’s mother who had gone to the airfield to see him off. Gorton later recovered rom his injuries.
Lt. Adolphus Worthington Gorton was born in Pawtuxet, Rhode Island, on January 29, 1897, the son of Charles A. Gorton Jr.. After attending Dartmouth College for one year, he entered the American Ambulance Service shortly before the United States entered WWI, and served in France. Seven months later he was operated on for appendicitis and was sent home. After his recovery, he transferred to the naval air service and began pilot training.
As a naval pilot, he distinguished himself in may ways throughout his career. A few examples include:
On October 8, 1922 he won the Curtis Marine Flying Trophy in Detroit, Michigan for attaining an average speed of 112.6 mph. The trophy was sterling silver worth at the time to be $5,000.
On August 8, 1923, he broke two aviation speed records in one day flying a U. S. Navy NW-2 over the Delaware River at 177.5 mph, and then 185.5 mph respectively.
On July 3, 1929, Gorton successfully “docked” his aircraft while in flight to the airship USS Los Angeles.
Gorton died September 28, 1989 in Florida at the age of 92.
The Curtiss Marine Flying Trophy is a monumental sterling silver sculptured allegorical portrayal of "The Triumph of Wings Over the Dominating Elements". It is supported on a large, tiered circular base of mottled yellowish-white onyx highlighted with reddish brown veining throughout and having a polished surface.
The trophy formed as an angry swirling sea, spiring upward to support the globe atop the fierce cresting waves and flanked on either side with large cast figures of Neptune, the Ruler of the Waves, opposite Boreas, the Ruler of the Winds, each gazing upward at a billowing mass of cumulus clouds above which soars a flying boat.
Neptune is depicted by a strongly cast figure rising from the sea, with aquatic plants clinging to his hair and body as he intently graps a large net which girds the base. Within his snare is the vast spectrum of marine craft throughout the ages as portrayed by a oar-propelled Viking ship with fierce monster figurehead emerging from the depths of the sea trailing its neighbor, a representation of Christopher Columbus' "Santa Maria" with her many sails catching the breezes as she passes. Also within the control of the marine ruler are a submarine breaking the surface, a luxury liner, a yacht and a superdreadnaught, all ensnared within his nets and worked in finely detailed scale models. Despite all the marine craft within his clutch, Neptune focuses his attention to the soaring flying bnoat rising well above his outstretched arm and eager fingers. His face betrays his astonishment.
Opposite, and slightly above, is the figure of Boreas with his wings still outstretched behind him as he leans forward on the globe as he looks upward with his cheeks swollen with air as he blows vigorously. He too stretches his arm upward to grasp the elusive aircraft.
The onyx base is bordered with a band of sterling silver shields, some of which are engraved with the names of the winners of the Trophy, the date and the details of the race, and center at the front a rectangular plaque reading "THE CURTISS MARINE FLYING TROPHY" in large block letters and set between raised bird wings.
The Curtiss Marine Flying Trophy was created from a theme conceived by Mr. Henry Woodhouse and executed by the Gorham Manufacturing Company under the direction and sponsorship of Theodore B. Starr, Inc., of New York, New York. The trophy has been sensitively designed and skillfully modeled, and orked in expressive and characteristic detailing throughout.
This Trophy was given by Mr. Glenn H. Curtiss in 1915 to the Aero Clubs of America and originally was intended to be given annually by that organisation for a race by seaplanes and flying boats, and was to be accompanied by a cash prize.
Charles H. Carpenter, Jr. in his book "Gorham Silver 1831-1981" makes no reference to this trophy and it is quite possible that he was unaware of the present location of it at the time his book was in preparation.