By mid-1943 the tide of war in the Pacific had shifted against Japan. America’s superior production capacity and its ability to mobilize its fighting forces were the prime reasons for this dramatic reversal.
Established 1 July 1943 at NAS Alameda under the command of Lieutenant Commander C. L. Tetley, Bombing Squadron One Forty- Four (VB-144) was part of naval aviation’s growth from 7,058 heavier-than-air aircraft at the beginning of the year to 16,691 by the end of 1943. Active-duty aviation personnel grew from 42,793 to 148,024 officer and enlisted.
The new squadron, unofficially known as the “Feather- merchants,” began immediate preparation for deployment. Flying Lockheed PV-1 Venturas, VB-144 completed its training in October, then embarked in USS Copahee (CVE-12) for transportation to NAS Kaneohe. Brief detachments to Midway and Johnston Islands were followed in December by the squadron’s combat deployment to Tarawa. In March 1944, the squadron followed the U.S. advance westward and flew patrols from Roi Island and Kwajelein until it was relieved in September by VB-133.
Following its post-combat stand down, VB-144 re-formed at NAS Whidbey Island and was redesignated VPB-144 under Commander Bill Theis. It began making ready for its second combat deployment, this time with PV-2 Harpoons.
On 4 April 1944, VPB-144 loaded aboard USS Kadashan Bay (CVE-76), staging through Kaneohe, before deploying to Eniwetok on 27 June. The final strike of the war for the Feathermerchants was flown against Wake Island 13 August 1945. After moving to Tinian, VPB-144 began demobilization while still deployed and effectively was a nonoperational squadron by the end of the year when remaining personnel returned to the United States.
VPB-144 was redesignated VP-144 on 15 May 1946, VP-ML-4 on 15 November, and finally, VP-4 on 1 September 1948, the designation it carries today, now known as the “Skinny Dragons.” Transitioning to Lockheed P2V-2 Neptunes in 1947, the squadron remained in the Pacific Fleet based at Naha, Okinawa (1956-1964) and at NAS Barber’s Point while deploying throughout the Far Fast. VP-4 flew Market Time and Yankee Station missions during the Vietnam War. Flying Lockheed P-3C Orions, VP- 4, currently under Commander Patrick S. O’Brien, is scheduled to move to MCAF Kaneohe Bay by 1999.