1991-Continued

27 August The last U.S. Navy participants of the

Persian Gulf War arrived home, including New Orleans,

with HMM-268 embarked.

6 September The U.S. Navy made its first flight in

the X-31A aircraft at Patuxent River, Md. The X-31 was

the first international experimental aircraft develop-

ment program undertaken by the U.S. Rockwell

International was the U.S contractor and

Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm was the German con-

tractor. The X-31 was a project of the Advanced

Research Projects Agency (ARPA).

7 September Following the banquet of the annual

Tailhook Association convention held at the Las

Vegas Nevada Hilton, a number of Navy and Marine

Corps aviators gathered at parties held throughout

the hotel. Accusations of sexual misconduct were al-

leged. The events surrounding the incidents during

the Tailhook Association convention promulgated an

intense campaign to increase awareness throughout

the Navy-specifically new programs and policies

that addressed sexual misconduct and sexual harras-

ment.

27 September The Douglas A-3 Skywarrior retired

from active duty at ceremonies hosted by VAQ-33, NAS

Key West, Fla. Ed Heinemann, the designer of the A-3,

was on hand. The EA-3Bs of VQ-2 were the last opera-

tional "Whales" in the Navy and had served in the

Persian Gulf War.

27 September In a televised address, President

George H. W. Bush announced that the U.S. would

unilaterally reduce nuclear arms, including the with-

drawal of all tactical nuclear weapons from Navy ships.

Among many provisions, the order directed that all

Navy air-deliverable nuclear weapons be withdrawn

from all aircraft carriers and stored or destroyed as

would all such weapons associated with land-based

naval aircraft, such as patrol planes.

1 October Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, Calif.;

Naval Air Development Center, Warminster, Pa.; and

Naval Ordnance Missile Test Station, White Sands,

N.Mex.; were transferred into NAVAIR. The action was

in preparation for the consolidation of all naval air ac-

tivities under the Naval Air Warfare Center, which

would be an activity of NAVAIR.

18 October An F/A-18 successfully launched an im-

proved version of the SLAM at the White Sands Missile

Range, N.Mex.

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

377

20-23 October Naval Aviation units based in the San

Francisco Bay area at NAS Alameda, NAS Moffett Field,

and NS Treasure Island provided assistance to the fire-

fighting efforts during the fire in the Oakland-Berkeley,

Calif., area. HS-85 provided airlift support with SH-3s.

Reservists were put on alert.

8 November The decommissioning ceremony for

Lexington was held at NAS Pensacola, Fla. CNO

Admiral Frank B. Kelso II was the principle speaker.

Lexington had been commissioned in 1943 and in

World War II was famous as the "Blue Ghost" that the

Japanese could not sink. In 1962, she assumed duty as

the training carrier assigned to the Naval Air Training

Command in Pensacola, Fla. During her career she had

been assigned the following designations: CV 16, CVS

16, CVT 16 and AVT 16.

9 November Two HS-9 helicopter crews of CVW-17

assigned to Saratoga rescued three commercial fisher-

men from their sinking boat 50 miles off Mayport, Fla.

A Coast Guard helicopter saved a fourth. The fisher-

men were taken aboard Saratoga for medical care.

12 November A ceremony at NAS Corpus Christi,

Tex., marked the establishment in September of the

Naval Air Training Maintenance Support Activity.

Captain David Timmons was the first CO. The estab-

lishment of NATMSACT was the culmination of a trend

over 15 years toward maintaining training aircraft with

contract civilians in place of military personnel.

4 December U.S. Navy T-45A Goshawk made its first

aircraft carrier landing aboard John F Kennedy.

1992

1 January Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) was es-

tablished under the Commander, Naval Air Systems

Command. The new activity's first commander was

Rear Admiral George Strohsahl. NAWC was to have

two divisions: Aircraft (AD) and Weapons (WD).

2 January The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft

Division (NAWC AD) was established at NAS Patuxent

River, Md. Rear Admiral Strohsahl was its first comman-

der (acting). Rear Admiral (sel.) Barton Strong was

scheduled to arrive in February or March to assume

command of the division. Under the realignment, NAS

Patuxent River reported to Commander, NAWC AD.

NAWC AD was responsible for aircraft, engines, avion-

ics, and aircraft support. It absorbed activities of the

Naval Air Development Center, Warminster, Pa.; the

Naval Air Engineering Center, Lakehurst, N.J.; the Naval

Air Propulsion Center, Trenton, N.J.; the Naval Avionics