1950-Contin ued

making this delivery, Boxer broke all existing records

for a Pacific crossing, steaming from Alameda, Calif. to

Yokosuka in 8 days and 16 hours.

27 July To meet the requirements of supporting

combat forces in Korea, Fleet Logistic Air Wing, Pacific,

was established as a unit of the Pacific Fleet and inde-

pendent from the existing Fleet Logistic Air Wing.

3 August Elements of VMO-6, equipped with H03S

helicopters and OY observation planes, began opera-

tions in Korea, supporting the First Provisional Marine

Brigade in the vicinity of Changwon. Among the ser-

vices rendered by the helicopters on their first day in a

combat area were the delivery of rations and water to

troops on a mountain and the evacuation of the more

severe heat casualties.

3 August VMF-214, operating from the escort carrier

Sicily in Tsushima Strait, began the combat operations

of the First Marine Aircraft Wing in Korea with a rock-

et and incendiary bomb attack on Chinju. Badoeng

Strait, with VMF-323 on board, joined the action three

days later and thus began a long service of close air

support by Marine squadrons from light and escort

carners.

4 August FAW-6 was established at Tokyo, Japan,

under Acting Commander Captain John C. Alderman,

and assigned operational control over all United States

and British patrol squadrons in the Japan-Korea area.

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

187

5 August Valley Forge and Philippine Sea began

what was to become almost three years of continuous

fast carrier operation, with attacks on enemy lines of

communication in southwestern Korea and close sup-

port missions on the Pusan perimeter.

7 August ZP2K-l (subsequently redesignated ZSG-

2), a K-class airship modernized and equipped with

inflight refueling equipment and attachments for pick-

ing up sea water as ballast, was delivered to the Navy.

7 August Flight of a helicopter under automatic

control was made at Mustin Field, Philadelphia, Pa.,

using an H03S-1 helicopter equipped with a single

axis automatic pilot. Successful test of this instrument

confirmed the feasibility of a helicopter automatic pilot

which was being developed under the leadership of L.

S. Guarino at the Aeronautical Instrument Laboratory,

Naval Air Material Center.

24 August In a test conducted at the Naval

Ordnance Test Station, Inyokern, Calif., a Terrier sur-

face-to-air guided missile intercepted an F6F drone at

a range of more than 11 miles from the point of

launch.

31 August Pilots of VC-5 completed carrier qualifi-

cations on board Coral Sea in the AJ-l Savage, mark-

ing the introduction of this long-range attack bomber

to carrier operations.

15 September Landings at Inchon-Under heavy

support by naval gunfire and aircraft, elements of the