Weather reconnaissnace is the mission of two Navy squadrons: Airborne Early Warning Squadron One and Four. VW-1, based at Guam conducts typhoon and tropical storm reconnaissance. VW-4 is based at Jacksonville, Fla., with an advanced detachment at Roosvelt Roads during the hurricane season. Both squadrons fly the Super Constellations.
In June 1966, VW-1 received the Outstanding Performance Award for the Naval Weather Service for its 1965 season. In this period, the squadron completed 325 weather fixes out of 327 assigned, a 99.1 percent completion record. The overall fix accuracy was seven nautical miles. VW-1 flew a total of 9,994 hours during the year of which approximately 26% (2,676 hours) were in support of tropical weather missions. This impressive record accomplished with four to six operational aircraft, required flight crews of VW-1 to fly on the average of 119 flight hours each month.
VW-4's mission was expanded in April 1965 to include year-around ocean-wide meteorological/oceanographic reconnaissance and to test and evaluate equipment. During the 1965 hurricane season, June 1 through November 30, the squadron logged 2,190 weather observations and transmitted 183 dropsonde soundings.
