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Carrier Air Wing FIVE

Carrier Air Wing FIVE (CVW-5) has a long and rich heritage in Naval Aviation. Originally commissioned as Carrier Air Group FIVE (CVG-5) in 1943, the new air group rapidly became embroiled in the war in the Pacific. Homeported in San Diego, California, after the war, Air Group FIVE quickly recorded a number of firsts, including the first squadron to land a jet aircraft aboard a carrier (1948).

CVG-5 was the first air group to enter the Korean War, and after serving 18 months in the combat zone, had compiled more combat time than any other air group in the Korean War. CVG-5 was renamed CVW-5 in 1963 when the Navy reclassified its air groups. In 1964, CVW-5 was called to action in the Gulf of Tonkin for a total of eight combat cruises. In 1973, CVW-5 embarked on USS MIDWAY (CVA-41) to become part of the first carrier/air wing team permanently forward deployed overseas. CVW-5 completed 111 continuous day on station in the North Arabian Sea in 1984, guarding the Straits of Hormuz and guaranteeing th continued flow of vital oil to Japan and Western Europe.

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CVW-5 began its final cruise aboard MIDWAY in October 1990 as part of Operation DESERT SHIELD. From November to January 1991, the air wing participated in numerous multinational exercises and operated continuously in the Arabian Gulf. On January 17, 1991, Operation Desert Storm began as CVW-5 aircraft launched a night strike deep into Iraq. For the next 43 days the air wing flew 3,383 combat sorties and expended more than four million pounds of ordnance. CVW-5 and Midway contributed significantly to the liberation of Kuwait and the minimization of allied casualties.

In August 1991, CVW-5 transitioned to USS INDEPENDENCE (CV 62). The air wing now consists of eight squadrons and two detachments: VF-154, VFA-27, VFA-192, VFA-195, VAQ-136, VAW-115, VS-21 and HS-14. The aircraft detachments are: VRC-30 and VQ-5.

As a permanent element of SEVENTH Fleet and operating from the Northern Pacific to the Arabian Gulf, the USS INDEPENDENCE/CVW-5 team represent a credible deterrent to aggression.