14/01/2021 Tails of the Vikings

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Tails of the Vikings

Robert Verbrugge looks at the
disestablishment of VS-41

Sea Control Squadron 41 (VS-41)

'Shamrocks' was commissioned on 30 June
1960 in response to the United States
Navy’s need to conduct sea-based Under-
Sea Warfare operations from aircraft carriers
throughout the world and initially recieved
the Grumman S-2F1 'Tracker' for these
missions.

Viking fleet When Lockheed built the S-

3A 'Viking' and flew it for
the first time on 21 January
1972 it improved the Anti-
Submarine Warfare and
Surface Surveillance capability of the US Navy, VS-41 receiving its first S-3A on 20 February
1974.

By the mid-1980s the first reworked and improved S-3B was flown. Transition to this state-of-the-
art upgrade was completed in 1990. VS-41 has trained all East and West coast fleet S-3
squadrons in the new weapon systems since September 1994, based at Naval Air Station North
Island, California. VS-41 flew in excess of 10,000 hours per year, qualifying approximately fifty
fleet pilots and Naval flight officers each year.

But after forty-six years, a disestablishment

ceremony will take place on Thursday, 27 July
2006. To commemorate the occasion the tails of
several S-3Bs were painted in former Pacific fleet
Viking squadrons, including VS-21, VS-29, VS-33,
VS-35, VS-37, VS-38 and of course VS-41. All but
one of VS-41's birds were painted with high-viz tail
markings, done by Navair, also based at North
Island. First sightings of the high-viz markings
were in October 2005 - 160136 was the first retro
bird, followed by 159756. The best part is, that on every tail,
there's a small Shamrock to find!

All S-3B aircraft are capable of carrying an in-flight refueling

'buddy' store. This allows the transfer of fuel from the Viking to other Naval strike aircraft, thus extending their
combat radius. This role will be taken on by the Super Hornet, flying from Lemoore - it is not known yet if units
are going to be placed at North Island.

The Navy's S-3B 'Sundown Plan' calls for the gradual disestablishment of Viking squadrons as the number of
operational carrier-based squadrons flying the F/A-18E/F increases. The F/A-18 will take over the aerial
tanking role from the S-3; when an air wing receives its first Super Hornet squadron, the Viking squadron
in that air wing reduces its number of jets from eight to six. When that air wing receives its second Super
Hornet squadron, the Viking squadron disestablishes. The Viking is scheduled for retirement from service in 2009.

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14/01/2021 Tails of the Vikings

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