George Washington (CVN 73) - Naval Cruise Book

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COMMANDING OFFICER CDR Douglas Heady EXECUTIVE OFFICER CDR Paul Foster PHOTO NOT AVAILABLE COMMAND MASTER CHIEF CMDCM(SW AW) Katherine Moore VS-22 was established on May 18, 1960 at Naval Air Station, Quonset Point, Rhode Island, concurrently with the establishment of Carrier Antisubmarine Air Group FIFTY- FOUR. Since the squadron’s inception, the Checkmates have operated form the decks of legendary carriers: Essex, Intrepid, Randolph, Wasp, Oriskany, Lake Champlain, Saratoga, Independence, Kitty Hawk, Enterprise, America, John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and George Washington. From 1960 until 1974, VS-22 flew the venerable Grumman S-2 “Tracker” best known as the “Stoof”. Transitioning to the S-3A, the squadron continued to operate throughout the world. The squadron now flies the sophisticated S-3B “Viking” aircraft built by Lockheed. The Checkmates have routinely been at the forefront of naval aviation operations and setting VS community standards. The highlight of 1961 was the recovery of America’s first astronaut, Alan B. Shepard, after his pioneering space flight on May 5 of that year. In August 1965, VS-22 embarked in USS Lake Champlain for another space capsule recovery, this time Gemini 5 with astronauts Gordon Cooper and “Pete” Conrad. Returning to USS Essex, VS-22 participated in the recovery of Apollo 7 with astronauts Shirra, Eisele, and Cunningham. In 1970, VS-22 ASW operations provided more data and tactical experience in hunting nuclear submarines than had ever been done before. Q