Detachment "ALFA” of Patrol Squad
ron Two, is the "Front Line" unit of
"The best Darn P2V Squadron in the
U. S. Navy".
On duty ’round-the-clock here at
Adak, the detachment provides complete
maintenence service to keep squadron
aircraft flying. Everything from a
new pencil sharpener for the Navigat
ion table to a complete engine change
is possible for the detachment.
LCDR Paul Tripp, USN is Officer-in
charge, Lt. Bill Moss USN is mainten
ence Officer, and ENS Richard Guter
USNR is the Air Intelligence Officer
of the Detachment.
Partly because of the erforts of
the detachment, VP-2 was able to accom
plish a "very smooth turnover” in
accepting the duty along the Alaskan
Sea Frontier, according to CDR E. E.
Pierre Jr, Commanding Officer,
The squadron itself is no youngster
among Navy fighting units, nor is it a
stranger to the Aleutians,
First commissioned in March, 1943
as NAS DeLand Flordia, VB-130 (as it
was known then) is still engaged with
the same primary mission....anti-sub
marine warfare.
August 6, 1943 saw a VB-130 aircraft
credited with an assist in the sinking
of a German submarine, the U-165, off
Reciefe. Brazil.
Later in WWII, after a short rest
in the states, V3-130 was back in act
ion in the South Pacific, flying miss
ions out of several bases. Just 15
days after the invasion of Leyte, VPB
130 (with the added F for Patrol )
landed a three plane detachment at
Tacloban, Leyte.
For the rest of the war,the detach
ment remained on Leyte, operating in
support of the Fifth Army Air Force.
In May, 1945, the squadron embarked
on a transpac to the States for a well
deserved rest->
But a ".’ranspac in those days for
the shorter range Centura*’ aircraft
(continued next column)
was quite different. The War-weary
planes and men were loaded aboard the
USS Kadaskan Bay and enjoyed a south
pacific cruise in the area that had
been won at tremendous cost.
In July of 1945, The Naval Air Sta
tion, Whidbey Island, had its first
look at VPB-130 when the squadron
reformed there.
On and off for the next 16 years,
the squadron called Whidbey home. But
early in 1948, the now designated VP-2
was based at NAS Mirimar (San Diego)
and it was here the pilots were intro
duced to the P2V-1 "Neptune".
Just six months before the famous
"Truculent Turtle", also a P2V-1 made
the sensational non-stop, non-refueled
flight from Perth Australia to Columbus,
Ohio, a distance of 11,235 miles!!!
Despite all attempts to break it,
the record still stands.
In April 1949, 9P-2 packed up again
and moved back to its permanent "temp
orary" home at Whidbey.
In the past 12 years, the squadron
has deployed many times to Alaska and
the Far East. In 1952 VP-2 crews flew
support missions in the Marianas Islands
during the Nuclear Bomb tests.
'Over the years Patrol Two has pro
gressed to the seventh model of the
P2V. This aircraft, a familiar sight
over the hills of Adak, contains the
latest in equipment to cope with the
threat of enemy submarine warfare.
Patrol Two is lead by CDR E. E,
Pierre Jr., USN of Sunnyvale, Calif.
CDR Pierre, formerly the Executive
Officer, took charge just prior to the
departure for Alaska.
CDR Donald P, Lanaghan, USN of Dav
enport, Iowa, is Executive Officer.
He was formerly attached to VT-29,
MAS Corpus Christ!, Texas.
Right now,the "Best Darn P2V Squad
ron in the U, Sa Navy'1 is back at its
"Homes-away-frorrv home’’ as part of the
front line defense of the free world.