Attack Squadron 172
VA-172 squadron patch
Active	20 August 1945-15 January 1971
Country	United States
Branch	United States Navy
Role	Attack aircraft
Part of	Inactive
Nickname(s)	Checkmates Blue Bolts
Engagements	Korean War Vietnam War
Aircraft flown
Attack	F6F Hellcat F4U Corsair F8F Bearcat FH-1 Phantom F2H Banshee A-4 Skyhawk

VA-172 was an Attack Squadron of the U.S. Navy. It was established as Bomber Fighter Squadron VBF-82 on 20 August 1945, redesignated as Fighter Squadron VF-18A on 15 November 1946, as VF-172 on 11 August 1948, and as VA-172 on 1 November 1955. The squadron was disestablished on 15 January 1971. Its nickname was the Checkmates from 1946-1950, and the Blue Bolts thereafter.^[1]

• 28 Jan 1949: Squadron aircraft, while secured to the flight deck and engines running, were used to assist in berthing USS Midway in Augusta, Sicily. This procedure is known as Operation Pinwheel.
• 23 Aug 1951: The squadron participated in its first combat sortie over Korea. This also marked the first use of the F2H-2 in combat.
• 25 Aug 1951: The squadron’s F2H-2 aircraft, along with F9Fs from VF-51, provided escort for 30 U.S. Air Force B-29 bombers raiding the marshalling yards at Rashin, North Korea.
• Nov–Dec 1956: USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, with VA-172 embarked, was ordered to deploy and operate off the coast of Spain as a result of the Suez Crisis.
• Sep–Oct 1957: A detachment of squadron’s F2H-2 aircraft were embarked on USS Tarawa to provide fighter support for the antisubmarine warfare (ASW) carrier during a NATO exercise in the North Atlantic.
• Nov 1961: VA-172, embarked on Roosevelt, operated off the coast of the Dominican Republic to support the newly established democratic government.
• May 1963: Roosevelt, with VA-172 embarked, deployed to the Caribbean and operated off the coast of Haiti in response to a rebel attempt to overthrow the Haitian government.
• Jul–Sep 1963: A detachment from the squadron was deployed aboard USS Randolph to provide fighter coverage for the ASW Task Group during operations in the Caribbean Sea.
• 8–29 Aug 1964: Roosevelt, with VA-172 embarked, was ordered to operate in the vicinity of Cyprus after fighting escalated between Turkish and Greek forces on the island.
• Aug 1966: The squadron commenced combat operations in Vietnam. These were its first combat sorties since the Korean War in 1952.
• 2 Dec 1966: The squadron’s commanding officer, Commander Bruce A. Nystrom, was lost in a night reconnaissance mission over the Red River delta area in North Vietnam.^[1]

The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown:^[1]

• NAS Alameda – 20 Aug 1945
• NAS Quonset Point – 15 Jan 1946
• NAAS Cecil Field – 04 Mar 1949
• NAS Jacksonville – 24 Mar 1950
• NAS Cecil Field – 22 Feb 1958

The squadron first received the following aircraft on the dates shown:^[1]

• F6F-5 Hellcat – Aug 1945
• F4U Corsair – 06 Sep 1945
• F8F Bearcat – 1946
• FH-1 Phantom – Mar 1949
• F2H-1 Banshee – May 1949
• F2H-2 Banshee – 21 Jun 1950
• F2H-4 Banshee – 13 Jan 1956
• F2H-2B Banshee – Sep 1956
• A4D-1 Skyhawk – 16 Dec 1957
• A4D-2 Skyhawk – May 1958
• A4C Skyhawk – 06 Sep 1961

• List of squadrons in the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons
• Attack aircraft
• List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons
• History of the United States Navy

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons.

v t e  United States Navy
Category
Leadership	Secretary of the Navy Under Secretary of the Navy Chief of Naval Operations Vice Chief of Naval Operations Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy 4-star admirals 3-star admirals 1864–1959 2000–2009 2010–2019 2020–present 2-star admirals House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces Senate Subcommittee on Seapower
Structure	Navy Navy Reserve Fleet Marine Force Expeditionary Combat Command Merchant Marine Units Active ships Future ships Aircraft wings Aircraft squadrons Carrier strike group Installations Naval Observatory Master jet base Operating forces Fleet Forces Command Commander Pacific Fleet Commander Naval Forces Europe – Naval Forces Africa Naval Forces Central Command Naval Forces Southern Command Naval Special Warfare Command Naval Reserve Forces Operational Test and Evaluation Force Naval Network Warfare Command Military Sealift Command Shore Naval Sea Systems Command Naval Air Systems Command Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Naval Supply Systems Command Naval Information Warfare Systems Command Fleet Cyber Command Naval Academy Naval Education and Training Command Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command Office of Naval Intelligence Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center Naval Legal Service Command Naval Observatory Naval Safety Center Bureau of Naval Personnel Chief of Naval Personnel Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Navy Installations Command Navy Working Capital Fund Fleets Second Fleet Third Fleet Fourth Fleet Fifth Fleet Sixth Fleet Seventh Fleet Tenth Fleet Ships A–B C D–F G–H I–K L M N–O P Q–R S T–V W–Z Aircraft carriers Airships Amphibious warfare ships Auxiliaries Battleships Cruisers Destroyers Destroyer escorts Escort carriers Frigates Mine warfare vessels Monitors Patrol vessels Registered civilian vessels Sailing frigates Steam frigates Steam gunboats Ships of the line Sloops of war Submarines Torpedo boats Torpedo retrievers Unclassified miscellaneous vessels Yard and district craft
Personnel and training	People Officers Insignia Designators Enlisted Rates Ratings Classification Personnel Chaplain Corps Chief Deputy Chief Explosive ordnance disposal Medical Corps Dental Corps Nurse Corps Medical Service Corps Supply Corps Civil Engineer Corps JAG Corps JAG DJAG NCIS Boatswain's mates Hospital corpsman Naval Aviator SEALs Seabees Master-at-arms Operations specialist SWCCs Hispanic sailors Training Recruit Officer Candidate School STA-21 NROTC Naval University System (Naval War College, Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Academy, Naval Community College, Marine Corps University) BESS BFTT CNATT COMPTUEX NAWCTSD AIM Naval Chaplaincy School Naval Hospital Corps School Naval Justice School United States Armed Forces School of Music Navy Senior Enlisted Academy Navy Supply Corps School Nuclear Power School JMTC TOPGUN USNTPS Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Equipment	Uniforms Awards and decorations Badges Current fleet Future fleet Reserve fleet Current aircraft Weapons Naval reactors
History and traditions	History "Anchors Aweigh" Blue Angels Continental Navy Ensign Fleet bands Fleet Week Jack Line-crossing ceremony National Museum Navy Band Ceremonial Guard Navy Flag Navy Hymn Navy Memorial Navy service numbers Navy Weeks Revolt of the Admirals Sailor's Creed Ship commissioning Ship decommissioning Ship naming conventions Tingey House USS Constitution WAVES Wetting-down United States battleship retirement debate