VRC-30 DET II Roughnecks Patch
Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30, Detachment II (VRC-30 DET II) — "Roughnecks" — U.S. Navy Carrier Onboard Delivery
VRC-30, nicknamed the "Providers," traces its ancestry to Air Transport Squadron 5 (VR-5), commissioned on 24 June 1943 at Naval Air Station Seattle, Washington. The squadron flew Douglas R4D Skytrains, R5D Skymasters, and Beechcraft SNB Expeditors in regular service across the Alaskan frontier from Seattle to the Aleutian Islands, Fairbanks, and Point Barrow. After evolving through VR-21 and VR-30, the squadron was redesignated Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 (VRC-30) on 1 October 1978 at NAS North Island, San Diego, California.
VRC-30 operated through five separately designated detachments, each assigned to different carrier air wings — a unique structure among Navy squadrons. The Providers' mission was carrier onboard delivery (COD), transporting high-priority cargo, mail, duty passengers, and distinguished visitors between shore bases and aircraft carriers at sea using the Grumman C-2A Greyhound. From 1968 to 1973, the squadron's detachments supported recovery operations for Apollo missions X, XI, XII, and XVI. During Vietnam, squadron C-1A crews operated from Da Nang in support of Carrier Task Force 77. The Providers supported Operations Desert Fox, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. In calendar year 1998 alone, VRC-30 completed 1,356 carrier landings, transported 14,360 passengers and 1,877,973 pounds of cargo with a 99.9% sortie completion rate. The squadron achieved over 149,600 hours of accident-free flight and earned the Chief of Naval Operations Safety Award six times. VRC-30 was deactivated on 8 December 2023 following the retirement of the C-2A Greyhound, closing an 80-year chapter of fleet logistics excellence.
Perfect For: VRC-30 Providers veterans from any detachment, C-2A Greyhound pilots and aircrew, carrier onboard delivery community members, NAS North Island personnel, Pacific Fleet logistics aviation alumni, and Navy COD enthusiasts.
This Roughnecks patch honors Detachment II's role in the Providers' legendary mission — ensuring that no carrier at sea ever went without the people, parts, and mail that kept the fleet fighting.
