REGIONAL AIRPORT
WATERTOWN, SOUTH DAKOTA

September 2, 1988 to March 2, 1998 wile the Nimitz was in the Pacific the Blue Diamond were assigned to her.

July 1987, completing the first NIMITZ/NINE WESTPAC/IO/Arabian Gulf cruise in February 1989, which included Operation EARNEST WILL in defense of reflagged Kuwaiti tankers. In this era, CVW-9 flew Northrup-Grumman F-14 A/A+/B TOMCATs, E-2B/C/C+ HAWKEYEs, A-6E/F INTRUDERs, and EA-6B PROWLERs; McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18A/C HORNETs and EA-3B SKYWARRIORs; Vought A-7E CORSAIR IIs; Lockheed S-3 VIKINGs; and Sikorsky SH-3D/H SEA KINGs.

CVW-9

ã All photos are taken and copyrighted by Len Mozey

VA-146 BLUE DIAMOND
Web-Site
http://www.csfwp.navy.mil/vfa-146/history.htm

The Corsair II was developed in response to a Navy requirement for a single-place, fair-weather subsonic attack aircraft capable of carrying a much heavier weapons load than the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. First flight of the new aircraft (Vought A-7) took place on September 27, 1965. In addition to the Navy and Marine Corps, the USAF as well as air forces of two other nations operated the A-7. The definitive versions of the aircraft are the USAF A-7D and the closely related Navy A-7E.