Since commissioning on 1 July 1938, CVW-1 has served aboard nineteen different aircraft carriers and made over 50 major deployments and had a majority of the East Coast squadrons as members of the Navy's "First and Foremost." CVW-1 was originally "The Ranger Air Group" and served aboard USS RANGER (CV 4) during the early years of carrier aviation. Air Wing ONE also operated aboard all three carrie
rs in commission at that time - USS LANGLEY (CV 1), USS LEXINGTON (CV 2) and USS SARATOGA (CV 3). After commencement of World War II and until 1943, Air Wing ONE participated in the North African Campaign and operated in all parts of the Atlantic and Pacific. The air wing saw action against Japan from the Philippines to Tokyo, earning two Presidential Unit Citations in addition to having nurtured many naval heroes. Between 1946 and 1957 Air Wing ONE served aboard nine different carriers, including around-the-world cruises on USS TARAWA (CV 40) and USS MIDWAY (CV 41). During the 1956-57 Suez Crisis the air wing was aboard the first super carrier USS FORRESTAL (CV 59) in support of Allied Forces in the Mediterranean. In 1962, the air wing was assigned to USS ENTERPRISE (CVN 65) for her shakedown cruise and fleet review for President John F. Later, aboard USS FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT (CV 42), the air wing conducted flight operations off the coast of Vietnam between June 1966 and February 1967. Carrier Air Wing ONE was assigned to USS AMERICA (CV 66) in mid 1982 and again in 1984 for deployments, completing a record setting 102 consecutive day underway period while on GONZO station in the Indian Ocean. In response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on 28 December 1990 CVW-1 embarked on board USS AMERICA and departed Norfolk, Virginia, en route to the Red Sea to be on station for the beginning of Operation DESERT STORM on 17 January 1991. During this campaign the air wing amassed over 1,300 sorties flown into the Kuwait Theater of Operations. In August of 1991 CVW-1 left homeport aboard AMERICA to participate in exercise NORTH STAR off the Norwegian coast. In December CVW-1 deployed aboard AMERICA to the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea and North Arabian Gulf in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. CVW-1 was once again on the tip of the spear departing Norfolk, Virginia on board AMERICA in August of 1993 for their forty-third deployment. CVW-1 assumed the watch for Operations DENY FLIGHT, PROVIDE PROMISE and SHARP GUARD, enforcing the No-Fly Zone over the war-torn countryside of Bosnia-Herzegovina. In late October the AMERICA and CVW-1 team was called upon to operate off the coast of Somalia in support of Operation CONTINUE HOPE. On the return transit CVW-1 flew several missions in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH over Iraq. In October 1995 CVW-1 departed from Norfolk aboard AMERICA for another Mediterranean cruise. The deployment began with a bang launching strikes into Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Operations DELIBERATE FORCE and DENY FLIGHT three days after entering the Mediterranean. In mid-November, AMERICA transited the Suez Canal en route to the Persian Gulf where CVW-1 conducted flight operations in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. While operating in the Gulf the AMERICA/CVW-1 team was ordered to the Adriatic Sea to support the peace agreement in Bosnia. AMERICA remained in the Adriatic for the rest of the deployment after steaming 4,000 miles in nine days. During this deployment Carrier Air Wing ONE accumulated over 26,000 flight hours and 11,500 arrested carrier landings. Upon return to homeport USS AMERICA (CV 66) was scheduled for decommissioning after 31 years of service. CVW-1 busily started 1997 with extensive work-ups on board USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73), ultimately leading to the participation in Exercise BRIGHT STAR. While engaged in the exercise, the National Command Authority tasked the GEORGE WASHINGTON to proceed to the Persian Gulf to join up with the USS NIMITZ Battle Group in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH and United Nations sanctions enforcement against Iraq. CVW-1 began 1999 with the Tactical Weapons Training Detachment to Fallon, Nevada in February which was followed by several underway periods on board JOHN F. KENNEDY and the participation in the highly successful El Morro Castle exercise in April. Team KENNEDY and Air Wing ONE departed for its scheduled deployment in September to the Mediterranean Sea. One of the first events was participating in Exercise BRIGHT STAR 1999 in October. The high operating tempo resulted in over 10,465 flight hours and 5,260 successful aircraft recoveries from October through December. CVW-1 continued on to the Arabian Gulf and returned to homeport in March 2000. CVW-1 deployed again in September 2001 on board ROOSEVELT, just eight days after the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon to continue the attacks on the Taliban and Al-Qaida forces in Afghanistan. Carrier Air Wing ONE flew 7,086 sorties, 3,016 in direct support of OEF and employing a multitude of munitions during its deployment. Carrier Air Wing ONE continued to support America's war on terrorism during the 2003 deployment as part of the Enterprise Strike Group in ex*****on of an aggressive Strike Warfare Campaign during Operations IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM, the air wing flew 11,029 sorties, 19,524 flight hours. The 2006 combat deployment was followed by a second surge deployment seven months later to the U.S. Central Command Theater of operations supporting combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. During its 2007 deployment CVW-1 flew more than 1,678 combat missions, expending 73 air-to-ground weapons in support of coalition forces. Following the successful 2007 surge deployment, CVW-1 and USS ENTERPRISE returned to the Hampton Roads area for an extended maintenance and training period. April 2010 marked the beginning of CVW-1’s work-ups for the upcoming 2011 deployment. Carrier Air Wing ONE deployed in early January 2011 in support of Overseas Contingency Operations. During this deployment, CVW-1 safely executed 1,448 combat missions in support of International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. In total, Air Wing ONE executed 7,926 sorties, and surpassed over 400,000 arrested carrier landings in the USS ENTERPRISE’s history. This deployment marked the very first Navy employment of the GBU-54 Laser Guided Joint Direct Attack munition in combat; ultimately resulting in the GBU-54 becoming the weapon of choice for Joint Terminal Air Controllers in Afghanistan. Additionally, ENTERPRISE and Air Wing ONE supported three counter piracy operations directly resulting in 21 suspected pirates being captured and four killed in action. The ENTERPRISE/CVW-1 team returned home in July of that year, and immediately commenced a short turn-around workup cycle in preparation to deploy once again in the beginning of the following year. Carrier Air Wing ONE squadrons:
VFA-11: F/A-18F
VFA-211: F/A-18F
VFA-136: F/A-18E
VMFA-251: F/A-18C
VAQ-137: EA-6B
VAW-123: E-2C
HS-11: SH-60F and HH-60H
VRC-40 Det 1: C-2A
