Carrier Air Wing 11, USS Kitty Hawk. CVW 11 is based at Naval Air Station Lemoor, California. It deployed with the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) from 1965 to 1977. This aircraft probably saw much use protecting the Carrier Group when it was on station off Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.And if anyone can get it, I'd love the BuNo. of this one!
Great (and sad) pictures. S-2Gs were not used on Kitty Hawk until the advent of the CV carrier concept which saw the demise of the CVS and the incorporation of the ASW assets onto the big carriers. This started in 72-73. Even then they were pretty limited deployments until the launch of the S-3s first deployment on JFK in 1975-76. The squadrons involved for Kitty Hawk were VS-33, 37 and 38, all based at NAS North Island in California. I know all this because my Dad was a Naval Aviator (ASW) and I spent a fair part of my childhood at North Island.
ReplyDeleteBetween May 30th & June 3rd 1985, nine S-2G's departed MASDC, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, following purchase by Grumman, St. Augustine, FL. These included 152804 'NH-706' 1S594 ex VS-37. Modex '706 N_', the latter part is indecipherable, can be seen on the upper, starboard wing in one of your photographs. It's a strong argument for it being 152804.
ReplyDeleteI bought this part off of ebay. with this writing on it. So this part is from VS-37 and might be from 152804. Thanks for the photo and history of the piece of airframe.
ReplyDeleteVS-37 made two WESTPACs on KITTY HAWK (with CAG 11)with the S-2G, (Dec-July) 1973-74 and (May-Dec) 1975. Sad to see...I had flight time in NH 706.
ReplyDelete