FAIRECON-1 Mug

[mysteriousoozlefinch]

Not quite sure what forum to post this in, but a neat mug with a name I picked up a month or so back.

 

 

 

[northcoastaero]

The U.S. Navy squadron is VQ-1 World Watchers or Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron One. The squadron is stationed at Naval

Air Station Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor, Washington state with detachments around the world. They flew aircraft such as the

P4M Mercator, C-121 Constellation, EA-3B Skywarrior, and EP-3 variants of the P-3 Orion aircraft. Their sister squadron was

VQ-2. The mug could be from the 1960s because of the lighter blue background on the insignia? The color in recent years seems

to be a darker blue. Also, the gold or silver bar is the ensign or lieutenant junior grade officer rank. The wings are Naval

Aviation Observer (NAO) worn by officer and enlisted personnel. If officer, could be worn before the establishment of the Naval

Flight Officer (NFO) wings (by navigators) during the late 1960s or could be worn by officer intelligence operators. Some

enlisted personnel can wear the NAO wings such as OV-10 Bronco rear seat crew spotters/directors of various firepower,

cryptological/intelligence operators aboard reconnaissance and patrol aircraft, and personnel who fly often but are not

considered aircrew (aircrew wear aircrew wings-AC). Are there any markings on the bottom of the mug such as country of mfr.?

Hope this helps.

[mysteriousoozlefinch]

Oh, sorry, no, this wasn't an "UNKNOWN", just a "MISC" since I saw that topic on unit shirts and such here. I collect military mugs and Navy memorabilia.

 

It is (probably) 1960s; Gaedecke was a tactical coordinator and Lieutenant Commander by 1971 with VP-4, making him also most likely an Orion crewmen judging by the fact he'd gone over to a patrol squadron. It has no makers marks, but it does have some of the most completely remaining gold trim in my collection.

[northcoastaero]

Understand. Also, the NAO wings were issued to flight meteorologists aboard weather reconnaissance aircraft. Nice mug.

[4mygal]

This mug is Japanese porcelain made and purchased from a street vendor as a souvenir mug when a military person would travel through or were stationed in Japan. The porcelain is made using crushed white quartz rock ground to powder. This quartz gave the mug it's heavy weight and it's bright white appearance. The street vendor would then custom paint a blank mug and run it through his kiln to dry the paint. Usually the vendor would copy the persons patch insignia and sometimes personalize the mug. I am interested in buying these Japanese made coffee mugs. These mug are still being produced today. However, during the later part of the Viet-Nam War, mug makers automated like American mug manufactures and the mugs were machine made with decals applied instead of painted on by hand. The mugs I like are from the occupational period 1945 -1975 end of the Viet-nam war. If anyone has any of these mugs for sale, feel free to reach out to me.

[11thcavsniper]

Was the FAIRECONRON-ONE present in Vietnam and if so what years. Thanks

[4mygal]

FAIRECON-1 (VQ-1) - VIET-NAM

 

In 1960, VQ-1 moved to Atsugi, Japan, and re-designated Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron ONE, but the last Mercator was retired and replaced by the first of many WV-2Q Super Constellations (also known as "Willie Victor"). They would remain the backbone of VQ-1's long-range, land-based reconnaissance efforts through the Vietnam War.^[1]

The squadron's involvement in the Vietnam War started characteristically, at the very beginning when a Skywarrior crew was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for their role in the Gulf of Tonkin incident of 2–5 August 1964. For the next nine years, VQ-1 would operate from Da Nang, NAS Cubi Point, Bangkok, and aircraft carriers on patrol in Yankee Station and other bases in Southeast Asia. VQ-1's aircrews supported countless air strikes and are credited with assisting in the destruction of numerous MiG aircraft and Komar patrol boats.^[1]

15 April 1969, an EC-121M Warning Star of VQ-1 on a reconnaissance mission was shot down by North Korean MiG-21 aircraft over the Sea of Japan. All 31 Americans (30 sailors and 1 marine) on board were killed, which constitutes the largest single loss of U.S. aircrew during the Cold War era.^[2]

The first EP-3 Aries I joined the squadron in 1969, beginning the replacement program for the Super Constellations.^[1]

On 16 March 1970, a Super Constellation crashed while landing at Da Nang with the loss of the majority of the crew.

The next aircraft lost by VQ-1 was in September 1973 when an EA-3B, with five crewmen, was on an overwater navigational training flight from Guam to the Philippines. Unable to locate land, the crew was forced to bail out at the fuel exhaustion point. The entire crew was picked up by a helicopter from the Japanese destroyer Haruna.^[3]

In 1971, VQ-1 moved its homeport to NAS Agana, Guam, while retaining a permanent detachment at Atsugi, Japan. At that time it absorbed Heavy Photographic Squadron 61 (VAP-61) and its former parent unit, VW-1.^[1]

At the end of U.S. combat operations in Vietnam in 1973 VQ-1 began a move back to providing open ocean tactical electronic support to Seventh Fleet carrier battle groups.^[4]

In April 1975, two VQ-1 EP-3B aircraft and three aircrews were tasked and deployed to NAS Cubi Point, Philippines, in support of the pending evacuation of Vietnam as part of CTF 72. VQ-1 was given the responsibility of providing 24-hour-a-day overlapping coverage in the Vietnam Combat Zone with supporting maintenance, intelligence and operations personnel. Given a specific list of criteria, VQ-1 personnel made the first call to recommend the start of Operation Frequent Wind. Those squadron aircrew members directly involved in the flight operations were recognized as serving in the Vietnam Combat Zone and were eventually awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation, Humanitarian Action Medal, and Vietnam Service Medal when in 2003 Operation Frequent Wind was reclassified as the 18th and final campaign of the Vietnam War.

 

Ref: Wikipedia

[11thcavsniper]

Thank You for all the information. Very interesting History.