#1386 P-8A Poseidon
Purchased products will not feature the Squadron Prints watermark
Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 1386 - 168848, P-8A Poseidon and 162777, P-3C Orion, Patrol Squadron 'TWENTY SIX', VP-26, NAS Jacksonville, Florida.
Patrol Squadron 26 “Tridents†history can be traced back to August 26, 1943. Tasked with convoy protection duty, Bombing Squadron 114, flying the PB4Y Liberator, helped win the crucial battle to resupply allied forces in Europe during World War II. In 1948, the squadron participated in the Berlin Airlift, flying tons of medical supplies to that isolated city. Following re-designation, Patrol Squadron 26 moved to Port Lyautey, Morocco until 1950. On April 8, 1950 the squadron lost a PB4Y-2 Privateer along with the 10 sailors onboard over the Baltic Sea after being shot down by a Soviet fighter jet in what is considered one of the first hostile acts of the Cold War. In 1951 the squadron received its second type of aircraft, the P-2V Neptune, and subsequently moved from Patuxent River, Maryland to Brunswick, Maine where they transitioned to the P-3 Orion in 1966. VP-26 played an integral role in the Vietnam War, participating in Operation MARKET TIME and conducting surveillance of hostile traffic at sea and ashore. Two aircraft and their crews lost in combat during the conflict are memorialized by a college scholarship established by the squadron. The Tridents participated in numerous North Atlantic and Mediterranean deployments from 1968 to 1980 earning various awards, commendations, and medals. In 1979, VP-26 transitioned to the P-3C Update II. In the 1980’s, VP-26 deployed to Iceland, Spain, the Azores, England, Turkey, Africa, and the Ascension Islands. As the world scene changed in the 1990’s, VP-26 faced new challenges. With the disintegration of Yugoslavia, the Tridents conducted three consecutive deployments to Sigonella, Italy with detachments sent to Saudi Arabia to monitor the UN embargo against Iraq. In January 1995, the Tridents began an intense seven month transition to retrofit P-3C Update III aircraft. Through the early 2000’s, Patrol Squadron Twenty-Six deployed to such locations as NAS Keflavik, Iceland; NAS Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico; and Sigonella, Italy. During this time the Tridents were integral in Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOR and sent crews to participate in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. In 2009 the squadron conducted a homeport change from NAS Brunswick to NAS Jacksonville, Florida where they are stationed to this day. In 2015 the Tridents had the honor of being the last active-duty P-3C squadron to deploy from the east coast. Following this historic deployment, VP-26 began a transition to the P-8A, the Navy’s newest maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. In the years ahead, ‘Team Trident’ looks forward to employing the P-8 on many challenging worldwide deployments to guard liberty and protect our Nation’s interests.
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