55th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron

55th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
	Detachment 1, 55th WRS at Ladd AFB in 1958
Active	August 21, 1944 – July 16, 2002
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Weather Reconnaissance
Engagements	World War II; Cold War

The 55th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 50th Operations Group, being stationed at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado. It was inactivated on 16 July 2002.

History[]

Established in mid-1944 as a weather reconnaissance squadron; trained under Third Air Force using B-24 Liberator aircraft. Deployed to XXI Bomber Command on Guam in April 1945. Equipped with B-29 Superfortress very long range aircraft and provided weather reconnaissance for Twentieth Air Force B-29 raids on Japan in the Western Pacific theater. Returned to the United States in 1946, where it trained and conducted weather reconnaissance. Between July and Oct 1947, when it inactivated, the squadron flew daily missions over the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Reactivated as part of Strategic Air Command in 1951, assigned to McClellan AFB, California. The squadron flew weather reconnaissance missions over the northern Pacific using WB-29s. Upgraded to WB-50 Superfortresses in 1954. Tested WB-50 aircraft flying long-duration missions over 24 hours in length and trained crews for other weather squadrons.

During the 1950s, supported atomic tests by monitoring radioactive clouds and taking atmospheric samples. Provided weather reconnaissance data for northeast Pacific Ocean, parts of Arctic Ocean, and northwestern Atlantic Ocean in late 1950s. Tracked Hurricanes Dot and Donna in 1959 and 1960. Provided weather data for transoceanic fighter deployments, photographic reconnaissance for testing experimental CORONA reconnaissance satellite imagery, and surveillance for space flight recoveries. Operated detachments in Alaska, Hawaii and Washington until inactivation in 1961 due to budget reductions.

Reactivated in late 1961 and reorganized and equipped with new RB-57F Canberra aircraft modified for high altitude, long range intelligence gathering, assigned to the meteorological role. Part of their duties involved high-altitude atmospheric sampling and radiation detection work in support of nuclear test monitoring. Replaced Canberras in 1964 with WB-47 Stratojets and flew weather reconnaissance and atmospheric sampling missions over the Pacific and Arctic. Between 1965 and 1993, used WB-47s to test air for radiation from possible nuclear tests to verify treaty limitations, flying missions worldwide.

Retired RB-47s in 1969; re-equipped with WC-135 Stratolifters. In 1986, monitored atmospheric radiation in Europe after Chernobyl nuclear accident in the Soviet Union. In 1988 and 1989, tested special photographic equipment for Strategic Defense Initiative research. Inactivated in 1993 with the end of the Cold War. Reactivated under Space Command in 1997; inactivated in 2002 due to budget reductions.

Lineage[]

Constituted as: 655th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 11 Aug 1944

Activated on 21 Aug 1944

Redesignated: 55th Reconnaissance Squadron, Long Range, Weather, on 16 Jun 1945

Redesignated: 55th Reconnaissance Squadron, Very Long Range, Weather, on 27 Nov 1945

Inactivated on 15 Oct 1947

Redesignated 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Medium, Weather, on 22 Jan 1951

Activated on 21 Feb 1951

Redesignated 55th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron on 15 Feb 1954

Discontinued, and inactivated, on 8 Jul 1961

Activated on 12 Oct 1961

Organized on 8 Jan 1962

Inactivated on 1 Oct 1993

Redesignated 55th Space Weather Squadron on 1 Mar 1997

Activated on 17 Mar 1997

Inactivated 16 Jul 2002

Assignments[]

Third Air Force, 21 Aug 1944
III Tactical Air Command, 1 Oct 1944
III Tactical Air Division, (by Nov) 1944
Twentieth Air Force, 11 Apr 1945

Attached to XXI Bomber Command, c. 11 Apr-c. 26 Nov 1945

311th Reconnaissance Wing, 27 Nov 1945

Attached to U.S. Army Strategic Air Forces, 27 Nov 1945-c. 19 Mar 1946

Air Transport Command, 13 Mar 1946
Air Weather Service, 20 Mar 1946-15 Oct 1947; 21 Feb 1951
9th Weather Group, 20 Apr 1953-8 Jul 1961
Military Air Transport Service, 12 Oct 1961
9th Weather Reconnaissance Group, 8 Jan 1962
9th Weather Reconnaissance Wing, 8 Jul 1965
41st Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing, 1 Sep 1975
Air Rescue Service, 1 Aug 1989
60th Operations Group, 1 Feb-1 Oct 1993
50th Operations Group, 17 Mar 1997-16 Jul 2002

Stations[]

Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, 21 Aug 1944-5 Mar 1945
Depot (later, Harmon) Field, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, 11 Apr 1945-28 Feb 1946
Buckley Field, Colorado, 20 Mar 1946
Langley Field, Virginia, 9 May 1946
Morrison Field, Florida, Jul 1946
Fairfield-Suisun Army Airfield, California, 1 Jun-15 Oct 1947
McClellan AFB, California, 21 Feb 1951-8 Jul 1961; 8 Jan 1962-1 Oct 1993

Detachment 1, located at: Ladd AFB, Alaska, 1 Jul 1958-8 Jul 1961

Detachment 2, located at: Hickam AFB, Hawaii, 1 Jul 1958-8 Jul 1961

Detachment 3, located at: McChord AFB, Washington, 1 Jul 1958-8 Jul 1961

Falcon (later, Schriever) AFB, Colorado, 17 Mar 1997-16 Jul 2002

Aircraft[]

A-20 Havoc, 1944
B-24 Liberator, 1944–1945
B-29 Superfortress, 1946–1947; WB/TB-29, 1951–1955
WB-50 Superfortress, 1954–1961, 1962–1963; TB-50, 1958–1960
WB-47 Stratojet, 1957–1961, 1962–1969; JB-57, 1960–1961, 1962–1963
C/WC-130 Hercules, 1962–1965; WC-130, 1970–1975; HC-130, 1975.
RB-57F Canberra, 1963–1964
C-135, 1965; Boeing WC-135, 1965–1993

References[]

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

External links[]

55th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Factsheet

External links[]

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