VU-7 Provided Services for the Fleet with Navy FJ-4 Fury Jets

Navy FJ-4 Fury Jet assigned to VU-7, stationed at NAAS Brown Field during 1960-1961

Realizing the need for a multipurpose squadron to handle target towing and a variety of

other important fleet tasks outside of the realm of other units, the Navy established the first

utility squadron (VJ-l) at NAS San Diego, California in 1926. The WW II utility squadrons were

active in all combat theaters involving Naval Aviation. The primary function of the utility

squadrons was to ensure fleet readiness by providing a variety of services for both shore based

and sea borne units. Their greatest achievements during WWII included helping to produce

thousands of top notch pilots, aircrewmen and antiaircraft gunners; the development of reliable

target drone aircraft; and their assistance in development of the top secret radio proximity fused

antiaircraft round. The very word “utility,” which suggests a type of duty far from glamorous,

has a special luster when you realize how the squadrons gave year after year of steady, effective

service in many different ways. Utility squadrons operated a large variety of aircraft and their

assigned personnel qualified in flying and maintaining more aircraft types than any other

squadrons in the Navy. By the end of WW II, there were 25 utility squadrons operating

hundreds of every conceivable type of aircraft. However, soon after the end of WWII, most of

this useful force was gone, victims of demobilization. On 15 November 1946, the VJ for utility

became VU, V=heavier than air, U=Utility. Also, soon after the end of WWII on 10 March 1948,

the carrier suitability of the FJ-1 Fury jet fighter was tested on board Boxer off San Diego, with a

number of landings and takeoffs by VF-5A. The FJ Fury jet was destined to serve with the utility

squadrons.

Navy FJ-4 Fury Jet assigned to VU-7, stationed at NAAS Brown Field during 1960-1961

On the eve of the outbreak of the Korean War, the Navy had only a few utility squadrons

and detachments remaining. They were located as follows: VU-3, MCAS El Toro, California;

VU-4, NAF Chincoteague, Va., with Det 1, U.S. Naval Air Activities, Port Lyautey. Morocco;

VU-10, NAS Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and VU-7, NAAS Miramar, California, with detachments

at NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii, and Det B at NAS Agana, Guam.

All the aircraft assigned to utility squadrons were painted in some of the most colorful

paint schemes in the Navy. On 2 January1947 a new specification for aircraft color was issued

for target towing aircraft to have glossy orange-yellow wings, and glossy sea blue fuselage with

glossy insignia-red wing bands and rudder for high visibility. Target drones were painted glossy

insignia red.

North American FJ-4 Fury BuNo 139291 at NAAS Brown Field circa1959. Drawing

courtesy of www.wings.de.ms.

VU-7 was one of the surviving utility squadrons and operated from almost every

Navy airfield on the West Coast. Following WWII, VU-7 was stationed at NAS San Diego CA

in 1946 and moved to Naval Auxiliary Air Field Miramar, CA in April 1949, then onto Auxiliary

Landing Field, Ream, San Ysidro, CA (the present OLF Imperial Beach) in September 1951. By

summer 1951, VU-7 had spawned two new squadrons from its existing Pacific detachments.

VU-1 was established at NAS Barbers Point with five JD-Is, five TBM-3Us and one SNB-2P

Navigator for photo work. At NAS Agana, Guam, VU-5 flew four JD-1s and five TBM-3Es. In

June 1952, VU-7 moved again back to NAS San Diego, CA. By the time of the Korean War

cease-fire on 27 July 1953, the utility squadron community had more than quadrupled in men

and flying machines, especially those most vital to the war effort supplying tow target and drone

services to the fleet. Utility squadrons were here to stay and their numbers and effectiveness

continued to increase as the Cold War went into high gear. Utility squadrons reinforced their

commitment to serve the fleet by continuing to prepare Naval Aviation personnel for war.

FJ Fury jets of VU-1 in flight 1959-1960, photo courtesy of Charles Hansen, Fleet Air

Photo Lab.

VU-7 arrived at NAAS Brown Field, Chula Vista, CA in February 1955. Naval

Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Brown Field was located five miles from the coast in Otay Mesa

California at an elevation of 500 feet. The location was chosen because it is less subject to ocean

fog that reduced flying hours at other airfields in the San Diego area. The stationed was

originally commissioned in 1918 and was used by military and civilian aviation until it was

closed in 1946 and became a civilian airport. The Korean War necessitated reopening the field

as an Auxiliary Landing Field (ALF) on November 1, 1951. In 1954, Brown recommissioned as

an NAAS. During the 1950s the station became home base to VU-7, two antisubmarine

squadrons, and a Regulus air missile unit. The population of the entire base in 1961 was about

900 people. The Navy closed Brown for the last time during 1962 and it again became a civilian

airport.

Six VU-7 JD aircraft lined up on the ramp at NAAS Brown Field early 1960s. Note the

wide variety of aircraft on the flight line including FJ Fury jets, photo courtesy the Tail

Hook Association.

When the squadron arrived at NAAS Brown Field they had five different kinds of

aircraft. The squadron consisted of an R4D-5 for troop transport, a SNB-5P (D-18) for

miscellaneous (including photo) work, two JD-1s “Jig dogs” (Air Force A-26 Invaders), a TBM

and an F9F-8 Panther Jet. All these aircraft were obsolete at the time, but they performed

extremely well in their function. Later, FJ-4s Fury jets were added and by 31 March 1960, VU-7

had ten FJ-4 Jury jets assigned. The unit provided aircraft-towed target services for ship and

aircraft gunnery exercises, as well as some photographic and other "utility" services. Utility

really meant variety there and they could be considered as the aerial handymen of the fleet. They

did a little of everything. The R4D was used to haul anything and everything, and took the

squadron Commanding Officer where ever he wanted to go. They used the JD-1 for towing

targets for the jets stationed at Fallon, Nevada. They also towed targets for ships off the coast.

Gunnery practice was a requirement for proficiency by the ships' gunnery crews. All the guns

were removed from the JD-1s and the hydraulics from the lower turret were redirected to operate

the tow reel. The tow reel held about eight thousand feet of steel cable. The targets were big

nylon sleeves in various colors that were 6 feet tall and 40 feet long. The reel operators sat in the

after station and rigged the targets and operated the tow reel. The gunners were briefed on the

details of the target session, but some of the gunnery tracking radars were a little too good. They

would lock onto the cable and follow it right up to the aircraft, nearly shooting down the tow

aircraft, every once in a while, the planes came back with shrapnel damage. The SNB was used

as a photo recon aircraft. A sled target was towed by a tug for the ships to fire at and the SNB

with a photographer would take pictures of the "splashes" or hits of the target. The F9F Panther

jets were used primarily as targets for the Navy trainees at Point Loma to track with their radar.

They would head out toward San Clemente Island and the turn around and head back while being

tracked on radar.

Pair of FJ Furies keeps a rendezvous with 7

th

fleet ships for CIC exercises, US Navy Photo.

The FJ-4 Fury jets performed an important service for the Combat Information Center

(CIC) crews of fleet ships, which are charged with directing the interception of “bogie” aircraft

detected by their long range air search radars. To keep the CIC crews proficient, a pair of fury

jets worked as a team. One was vectored out as a “bogie” and the other was directed as an

interceptor by the ship’s air controllers in detection and intercept exercises. The FJ-4 Furies

were also used in high speed towing for aircraft gunnery work. The FJ-4 was a single place

aircraft, so the pilot had to do it all. The tow rig was called a "Del-Mar" pod and was carried on

one of the wing stations. All of the work could be dangerous, but many of the squadron pilots

thought it was just boring.

FJ fury jets on the flight line undergoing maintenance at NAS Barbers Pt Hawaii assigned

to VU-1, circa 1959-1960, photo courtesy of Charles Hansen, Fleet Air Photo Lab.

The FJ Fury jets were an interesting aircraft to work on. They were very compact, and the

electronics were stuffed away in extremely cramped spaces. Engine replacement required the

aircraft to be separated in two pieces; the tail section was supported on a special cradle which

allowed it to be wheeled away. Then another rig was attached to the fuselage, and the engine slid

back on rails.

FJ Fury in flight, photo courtesy of Charles Hansen, Fleet Air Photo Lab.

The familiar Naval Aviation axiom "hours of intense boredom occasionally interrupted

by a few moments of abject terror" aptly described the utility squadron mission. The hours of

boredom and hard, thankless work of the VUs were indeed interrupted by moments of terror,

sometimes coupled with loss of life. There was true danger here. Real weapons were fired at

these aircraft, day and night, often by personnel fresh out of boot camp spraying the sky with .50

caliber, 20 mm, 40 mm, three-inch and five-inch gun ammunition at targets towed by VU planes.

If the utility squadrons didn’t spend long grueling days towing targets, gun crews and combat

pilots would have to jump into battle without the vitally necessary gunnery practice. In drone

target aircraft operations, midair collisions between control aircraft and drones were also not

unknown, particularly during check rides. Drone pilots earned their pay.

An FJ Fury jet escorts a Regulus missile, photo courtesy of Charles Hansen, Fleet Air

Photo Lab.

Three FJ Furies with Regulus missile 1959-1960, photo courtesy of Charles Hansen, Fleet

Air Photo Lab.

VU-7 stayed at NAAS Brown Field until April 1961 when they transferred to NAS North

Island, CA. The FJ-4 Furies of VU-7 were replaced by F8U Crusaders by June 1961. The

squadron permanently moved to NAS Miramar with 52 officers and 415 enlisted men on 30

October 1964, and also by that date, all prop driven aircraft had been transferred out. VU-7

initially flew F-8A’s from NAS Miramar; by 1965 the squadron had four F-8A’s, fourteen F-

8C’s and four DF-8F’s in its inventory. These aircraft were used for controlling remotely piloted

target aircraft, early cruise missiles and tow Del-Mar air to air missile targets. VU-7 was

redesignated Fleet Composite Squadron SEVEN (VC-7) and placed under the command of

Commander, Fleet Air Miramar 2 July 1965.

Drone-controller DF-8F of VU-7 at NAS Miramar circa mid 1960s, photo from

gator.crouze.com

A short history of the FJ-4 Fury is summarized from Hal Humphrey and Joe Baugher.

The last of the naval Furies was the FJ-4. Some people argue that the FJ-4 was the best version

of the entire F-86 Sabre/FJ Fury series. The FJ-4 at first glance appears to be a modified F-86

Sabre that had first flown back in 1947. However, when one looks closer, it has many differences

and only the family ancestry is apparent.

The FJ-4 began its life in June 1953 as company project NA-208 which called for two

prototypes and as company project NA-209 which was the production version. The Navy wanted

a maximum speed of Mach 0.95 and a combat altitude of 49,000 feet, requirements never before

having been met without using an afterburning engine.

On October 16, the Navy issued a contract for 132 examples under the designation FJ-4.

On June 26, 1954, the Navy added 45 more FJ-4s. Serials were 139279 and 139280 for the NA-

208 prototypes, and 139281/139323 and 139424/139530 for the NA-209 production run.

The FJ-4 differed from the FJ-3 in that it could carry 50 percent more internal fuel. To

accommodate the extra fuel, an extra tank was added underneath the engine, which required that

the airframe be redesigned. A dorsal spine was added that began at the rear of the canopy and

extended all the way the tail which provided the FJ-4 with a "turtledeck" appearance reminiscent

of the F-84F Thunderstreak.

A thinner "wet" wing with a larger area of 338.66 square feet was used. The wing was

reduced to a thickness/chord ratio of six percent. The wing span was increased by two feet and

the inboard chord length was increased while maintaining the 35-degree leading edge

sweepback. The wing skins were milled from solid aluminum plate. Other wing features

included a four-degree washout at the wingtip, mid-span trailing-edge aileron surfaces (all earlier

Sabres and Furies had their control surfaces on the outer wing), and inboard high-lift trailing-

edge flaps. The wings folded at a point immediately outboard of the ailerons.

The FJ-4 also differed from earlier Furies in incorporating a drooping wing leading edge.

The earlier Furies and Sabres used leading-edge slats that were aerodynamically actuated. The

leading edge droops provided additional lift during landing and improved low-speed handling.

The drooping leading edges were mechanically linked to the trailing edge flaps and could only

be extended when these flaps went down.

The tail surfaces were also almost completely new. The horizontal tail surfaces of the FJ-

4 had no dihedral and had a smaller span and a larger chord than on previous Furies. They were

also much thinner and had mid-span control surfaces that did not extend all the way to the tip.

The tail was the all all-flying variety and moved as a unit, with the elevators being mechanically

linked so that they moved in conjunction with the stabilizer to provide better high-speed

controllability

The vertical tail of the FJ-4 was taller than that of the earlier Fury models. It also differed

from earlier Furies in having a fuel overflow vent which protruded from the rear of the surface

about mid-height. This fuel overflow vent was only used to prevent overfilling and should not be

confused with the fuel dump nozzles in the wingtips. The ribbed rudder was located below the

fuel vent, in contrast with that of earlier Furies, which had the rudder extending nearly all the

way to the tip.

The landing gear was also entirely new, being levered and having the track increased

from 9 feet to 11 feet 7 inches. The undercarriage was also redesigned so that upon retraction it

would leave enough space for an acceptable wing box.

The primary armament was four 20-mm cannon mounted in the fuselage sides just aft of

the nose air intake. FJ-4s could also carry up to four AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles on

under wing hard points. The FJ-4 was equipped with a radar-ranging gun sight in the upper nose,

which was used to calculate the lead angle for firing the guns during air-to-air gunnery. The FJ-4

was intended to operate primarily as an air-to-air fighter, but had a limited ground-attack

capability. They could carry some bombs and rockets plus the 20mm cannon could be used for

strafing.

The FJ series were similar to the F-86 as used by the Army Air Force, but heavier, and

therefore slower, due to the catapult and arresting gear fittings. The engine was an Allison J-35

axial flow, with a thrust rating around four thousand pounds. The FJ-4 was the most numerous

model fury produced with 252 manufactured.

On October 1, 1962, the US Defense Department adopted a uniform designation system

for both Navy and USAF aircraft. Under this system, the FJ-4 Fury was redesignated F-1E. By

this time, the F-1Es no longer served with operational Navy or Marine squadrons, all of the

survivors having been transferred to reserve units until the mid 1960s when they were finally

withdrawn. Today there is only one FJ Fury jet in flying condition.

Specifications of the FJ-4 Fury: Engine: One Wright J65-W-16A turbojet rated at 7700

lb. Dimensions: wingspan 39 feet 1 inch, length 36 feet 4 inches, height 13 feet 11 inches, wing

area 338.66 square feet. Weights: 13,210 pounds empty, 20,130 pounds takeoff (clean), 23,700

pounds takeoff. Performance: Maximum speed: 680 mph at sea level, 631 mph at 35,000 feet.

Combat ceiling: 46,800 feet. Initial climb rate: 7660 feet per minute. Climb to 30,000 feet in 6.3

minutes. Take off run to clear 50 foot obstacle 4250 feet. Combat range: 1485 miles (clean),

2020 miles with two 200-gallon drop tanks and 2 Sidewinders. Combat radius: 518-840 miles.

Armament: Four 20-mm cannon and up to 3000 pounds of under wing ordinance.

On a bright and sunny Saturday, 9 Feburary 2008, three intrepid hikers began a journey

down a steep mountainside to visit the remains of one of the VU-7, FJ-4 Fury jets. The site is the

scene of a tragedy that happened more than 46 years ago. A Navy FJ-4 Fury jet fighter plane,

Buno#139291, belonging to VU-7 stationed at NAAS Brown Field California crashed into the

side of Otay Mountain at the 2,500 foot level on 27 March 1961. The jet was piloted by Ensign

Henry "Hank" Harding, Jr. and crashed in cloudy weather killing the pilot. The pilot was flying

to NAAS Brown Field where his squadron was based from Yuma Arizona. The pilot was

following a flight path, or vector, given him by the control tower at NAS North Island. The plane

appeared to have hit a ridge, and then skipped over before breaking up. The wreckage is

scattered across the top of a ridge along the side of the mountain. Even after all these years,

parts of the wreckage were well preserved with bright yellow and red painted parts in the debris.

FJ-4 Fury jet debris at the crash site on Otay Mountain.

A memorial was left at the crash site by Marc Harding, the son of Lt. JG Henry M.

"Hank" Harding, Jr. The memorial plaque reads: Lt. JG Henry “Hank” Marcus Harding, Jr., USN

from Mechanicsville, Virginia June 22, 1933 – March 27, 1961. “To our loving husband, son,

brother, father; We miss you so much. We will forever love you. We will never forget you. –

Your family" The plaque was placed there by his son Henry Marcus “Marc” Harding, III January

21, 2006. The pilot was 27 years old at the time of the accident.

This story is dedicated to all those unsung heroes who served in Utility Squadrons.

Memorial at the crash site