1960-Contin ued

26 March Elements of MAW-l participating in

Exercise Blue Star established an operational jet

airstrip on the south shore of Taiwan within 72 hours

of the amphibious landing. The 3,400-foot strip was

surfaced with expeditionary airfield matting, equipped

with MOREST arresting gear, portable TACAN equip-

ment, portable mirror landing system, lower control

system, and supported by a portable fuel tank farm.

A4D aircraft operated from the strip with the assis-

tance of JATO, and F4Ds and F8Us used afterburners

for takeoff.

1 April CVSG-53 and -59, each composed of one HS

and two VS squadrons, were established at NAS North

Island, Calif. This marked the beginning of a reorgani-

zation of antisubmarine aviation which called for the

formation of nine CVSGs and for the assignment of an

additional replacement CVSG and a patrol squadron in

each fleet to perform functions paralleling those being

carried out by the previously established replacement

carrIer aIr groups.

13 April The navigation satellite Transit IB was

placed into orbit by a Thor-Able-Star rocket launched

from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Designed by the Applied

Physics Laboratory, the satellite emitted a radio signal

at a precise frequency. Surface receiving stations used

a measurement of the signal's doppler shift to deter-

mine their position with high accuracy. Among other

experiments performed in connection with this launch,



... ...



Ground antenna for the navigation satellite ll05433

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

237

an uninstrumented satellite, mounted pickaback, was

successfully separated and placed in its own orbit.

Thereby, the feasibility of launching multiple satellites

with a single vehicle was demonstrated.

19 April The Secretary of the Navy established the

Naval Space Surveillance Facility, Dahlgren, Va.

1 May Seventeen Basic Training Groups of the

Naval Air Training Command were redesignated train-

ing squadrons (VT) and established as separate units,

each under a commanding officer.

3 June Test launchings of Bullpup air-to-surface mis-

siles from a Marine Corps HUS-l helicopter were suc-

cessfully completed at Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent

River, Md.

10 June Seven helicopters of HS-4 from Yorktown

rescued 53 merchant seamen from the British freighter

Shun Lee which was breaking up on Pratas Reef, 500

miles northwest of Manila, Philippines. Under storm

conditions in the wake of Typhoon Mary, the heli-

copter took 25 men from the wreck and 28 more from

Pratas Island inside the reef.

21 June Norfolk (DL 1), from a position off Key

West, Fla., fired an antisubmarine rocket missile

(ASROC) in a public demonstration, marking the com-

pletion of a two-month technical evaluation. This mis-

sile featured a rocket-powered airframe carrying a

homing torpedo, or alternatively, a depth charge.

22 June The navigation satellite Transit 2A was

placed into orbit by a Thor-Able-Star rocket launched

from Cape Canaveral, Fla. A Naval Research Laboratory

Sol Rad I (Solar radiation) satellite, mounted pickaback,

was also placed in orbit. In addition to further develop-

ing the Doppler navigation techniques, Transit 2A con-

firmed the practicability of using satellites for precise

geodetic survey, provided critical measurements of the

effect of the ionosphere on electromagnetic waves, and

provided measurements of high frequency cosmic

noise requested by the Canadian Government. The 2A

had an operating life of 212 years.

1 July The first Carrier On-board Delivery squadron,

VRC-40 was established at NAS Norfolk, Commander

John H. Crawford commanding.

1 July In a successful demonstration of the operating

capabilities of a drone helicopter designed for use in

antisubmarine warfare from destroyers, an experimen-

tal DSN-l made an at-sea landing aboard Mitscher (DL

2), off the coast of Long Island, N. Y. Although the