A BIT OF HISTORY: "...From the S&S archives: It's more than just flying for submarine patrol crews - By Bob Wickley, S&S staff writer - Pacific edition, Thursday, May 5, 1977..." WebSite: Stars and Stips http://www.stripes.com/ [15SEP2008]

MISAWA AB, Japan (S&S) — Yesterday, airborne submarine hunters flew low over blue-green battlefields searching for the tiny, telltale wake of periscopes.

Today, electronic eyes and ears penetrate the depths to pinpoint hidden submarines. Acoustic and non-acoustic equipment are the main detection gear of antisubmarine warfare.

Today's mission, like many since Patrol Squadron 40 (VP-40) arrived here in early February, will begin at 3 a.m. and will probably end 18 hours later.

First, there's a preflight briefing, then a three-hour preflight check of the P3C Orion sub-hunting plane and its sophisticated electronic equipment.

The weather is much colder here and there's more snow than the men of VP-40 contend with at their home station, Moffett Field NAS near San Francisco.

The most intriguing part of the VP-40 mission is detecting,, tracking and pinpointing submarines. It's important to know the adversary's operational environment and movements.

Besides tracking submarines, VP-40 also tracks and photographs other ships — combat vessels and merchantmen.

The Orion can carry a large number and variety of weapons; however, they are only carried during war. Search equipment is carried on all flights.

A typical P3C crew includes three pilots, a tactical coordinator, a navigator, flight engineer and several technicians.

The Lockheed Orion is said to be the world's most sophisticated antisubmarine warfare system, equipped with modern computers and acoustic monitoring devices called sonobuoys. It is a very effective aircraft for its designed mission, according to the crewmen.

The P3C aircraft often works in conjunction with other American and allied surface and subsurface units during coordinated exercises. "These exercises allow us to develop the necessary tactics to be used at a later time," stated Lt. (j.g.) Dan Clayton, a VP-40 navigator.

VP-40 keeps two aircraft on a ready alert status at all times, one of them on a one-hour response for operational missions and emergency medical evacuations. The squadron can also help ships in distress.

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...VP and NAS History - Page 29 and 31 - Naval Aviation News - April 1977..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1970s/1977/apr77.pdf [08OCT2004]

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Circa 1976

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...VP-40 - Naval Aviation News - October 1976..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1970s/1976/oct76.pdf [07OCT2004]

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Circa 1975

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...VP-40 Marlin - Page 28 - Naval Aviation News - July 1975..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1970s/1975/jul75.pdf [03OCT2004]

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Circa 1974

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Aviation Awards - Page 3 - Naval Aviation News - December 1974..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1970s/1974/dec74.pdf [01OCT2004]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...VP-40 Orion - Page 24 - Naval Aviation News - March 1974..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1970s/1974/mar74.pdf [01OCT2004]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Awards - Page 19 - Naval Aviation News - February 1974..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1970s/1974/feb74.pdf [30SEP2004]

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Circa 1973

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Squadron Insignia - Naval Aviation News - May 1973..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1970s/1973/may73.pdf [28SEP2004]

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Circa 1971

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...The Rainmakers Of VP-40 - Naval Aviation News - November 1971..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1970s/1971/nov71.pdf [25SEP2004]

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Circa 1970

A BIT OF HISTORY: Meritorious Unit Citation "...Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross)..." Official U. S. Navy Records (National Archives and Records Administration) via Fold3 http://www.fold3.com/ [14DEC2012]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Circa 1970...Patrol Squadron 40 was commissioned in January 1951 at NAS North Island, approximately six months after hostilities began in Korea. In May of that year the Squadron began patrol missions along the Tsushima Straits and flew cover for opeating forces in the Yello Sea in support of United Nations operations in Korea. In 1959 Patrol Squadron Forty worked closely with surface and air forces, both Nationalist Chinese and American, during the Quemoy and Matsu crisis. Utilizing their P5M-2 Martin seaplanes the Squadron in February 1966 began working closely with Vietnamese and American surface units to halt the infiltration of Communist arms and munitions into South Vietnam by sea. Patrol Squadron Forty joined the fold of Moffett Field based squadrons in 1968 and transitioned to the P-3 Orion aircraft..." Contributed by Jan Hartman [23MAY2000]

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"VP-40 History Summary Page"

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