USS Constellation CV-64 · America’s Flagship Open the Book
1994–95 Western Pacific & Persian Gulf Deployment 435 pages · searchable by name, division, squadron, and port
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VS-38 “Red Griffins” squadron insignia
Sea Control Squadron (VS) · CVW-2

VS-38 — “Red Griffins”

The sea-control squadron, flying the versatile S-3 Viking.

Designation
VS-38
Aircraft
S-3 Viking
Role
Sea Control Squadron (VS)

The Squadron

Sea Control Squadron 38, the “Red Griffins,” flew the S-3 Viking as the sea-control squadron of Carrier Air Wing Two. Its work spanned the breadth of the ocean around the carrier: hunting submarines beneath the surface, watching the ships upon it, and refueling other aircraft in the air.

The sea-control mission made the squadron a quiet but constant presence in the air wing. Where the fighters guarded the sky and the strikers reached for the shore, the Vikings tended to the waters around the battle group and kept the air wing’s other aircraft flying through their tanking role.

The Aircraft

The S-3 Viking was a twin-engine, carrier-based aircraft built for sea control, carrying a crew and a suite of sensors for detecting and tracking submarines and surface ships. With sonobuoys and other equipment, it patrolled the waters around the fleet, contributing to the anti-submarine and surveillance picture.

The Viking was also a capable aerial tanker. Configured to pass fuel, it could extend the range and endurance of the air wing’s thirsty fighters and strikers — a workaday but vital role that kept other aircraft aloft and on mission far from the ship.

In the Cruise

Across the 1994–95 WESTPAC deployment, the sea-control squadron carried out surface surveillance and anti-submarine patrol as Constellation transited the Western Pacific and operated in the confined waters of the Persian Gulf. Its Vikings helped keep watch over the seas around the battle group, a task that took on added weight in the close, crowded waters of the Gulf.

The squadron’s tanking role supported the air wing throughout the deployment, including the operations connected with Operation Southern Watch over southern Iraq. By passing fuel to the carrier’s fighters and strike aircraft, the Vikings helped sustain the endurance and reach of the daily flight operations.

Crew Roster

Officers, aircrew, and maintainers of VS-38 “Red Griffins,” CVW-2, USS Constellation (CV-64), 1994–95 WESTPAC. Names transcribed from the original cruise book; each links to that Sailor’s page in the scanned book. See a misspelling or a shipmate we missed? Tell us and we’ll fix it.

See VS-38’s pages in the cruise book →

Squadron insignia: official U.S. Navy/Marine Corps insignia (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.

Questions & Answers

What aircraft did VS-38 fly?

VS-38 flew the S-3 Viking, a twin-engine carrier-based sea-control aircraft.

What does a sea-control squadron do?

It conducts anti-submarine warfare and surface surveillance around the carrier, and the S-3 also served as an aerial refueling tanker for other aircraft.

Did the S-3 refuel other aircraft?

Yes. The Viking could be configured as an aerial tanker, passing fuel to extend the range and endurance of the air wing's fighters and strike aircraft.

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