Description

VAH-5 Savage Sons Patch

Aviators, enjoy this beautifully embroidered VAH-5 Savage Son Patch,.  It will look great to wear or display!

• 4.5 inch
• Embroidered/Sew On
• US Naval Aviator Owned Business

VAH-5
VAH-5 reequipped with the A3D-2 Skywarrior in late 1957, having had to wait 18 months to receive their first Skywarriors as improvements were made to Naval Air Auxiliary Station Sanford, upgrading it to full naval air station status as a Master Jet Base and renaming it as Naval Air Station Sanford. VAH-5 subsequently made four Atlantic/Mediterranean (LANT/MED) carrier deployments with the Skywarrior:

2 September 1958 – 12 March 1959, USS Forrestal, Mediterranean
28 January 1960 – 31 August 1960, USS Forrestal, Mediterranean
9 February 1961 – 25 August 1961, USS Forrestal, Mediterranean
12 October 1961, while on at home turnaround cycle at Naval Air Station Sanford, an A3D-2, Bureau Number (BuNo) 142663, assigned to VAH-5 crashed near NAS Sanford following a mid-air collision with another A3D-2, BuNo 142648, assigned to VAH-11. The VAH-11 aircraft’s radome and canopy collided with the VAH-5 aircraft’s starboard side while both aircraft were on an approach to land at NAS Sanford. All eight crewmen, four in the VAH-5 aircraft and four in the VAH-11 aircraft, were killed.[4] 3 August 1962 – 2 March 1963, USS Forrestal, Mediterranean[5] In September 1962, with implementation of a new DoD-wide aircraft designation system, the squadron’s A3D-2 aircraft were redesignated as the A-3B.
In March 1963, following return from deployment, VAH-5 began transitioning to the RA-5C Vigilante. Upon completion of this transition, the squadron was redesignated as Reconnaissance Attack Squadron FIVE (RVAH-5) in May 1964.[2][3]