Marine Air Control Squadron 3

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Marine Air Control Squadron 3
Aerial surveillance
ground-controlled interception
Nickname(s)"Doodlebug"
EngagementsKorean War
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Edward S. Fris

Marine Air Control Squadron 3 (MACS-3) was a former

aerial surveillance and ground-controlled interception (GCI) for Marine Corps forces during amphibious operations. The squadron did not participate in combat operations during WWII however it did deploy and operate during the Korean War. In 1961, MACS-3 was transferred from the Fleet Marine Force to the administrative control of Air, Fleet Marine Forces Pacific in order to serve as the operational test and evaluation squadron for what was at the time, the largest research and development project in the Marine Corps - Marine Tactical Data System (MTDS).[1] After MTDS testing was complete the Marine Corps recognized that it was not properly staffed to develop, test, and acquire new digital equipment. On 1 July 1970, MACS-3 was decommissioned and its structure and equipment were utilized to form Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA) at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.[2][3] Of note, MCTSSA does not carry MACS-3's lineage and honors
.

History

World War II

Air Warning Squadron 12 (AWS-12) was commissioned on 1 May 1944 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina.[4] At the end of May, the squadron moved to Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Oak Grove, NC except for a small detachment that was sent to Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Atlantic, NC. During this time, they trained in day and night radar operations and fighter control. Equipment utilized included the SCR-270, SCR-527 and the SCR-602.

Beginning on 15 August 1944, the squadron began travel from MCAS Cherry Point to

Sasebo Harbor, Japan on 8 October reporting to Marine Aircraft Group 22 but never disembarked. They left Sasebo on 25 November arriving back at Pearl Harbor on 9 December. At sea again from 11–21 December arriving at San Francisco. A week later they arrived at San Pedro, Los Angeles
, and made their way back to MCAS Miramar.

AWS-12 was re-designated as Marine Ground Control Intercept Squadron 3 on 1 August 1946 as part of a larger reorganization within Marine Aviation after the war.[5] In September 1947, the squadron moved further north to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in Orange County, California.

Korean War & the 1950s

In early 1951,

AN/MPS-4, and the AN/CPS-5. On 29 June 1951, the squadron also places an early warning radar site on Jeju Island
.

MACS-3 remained in Korea until June 1956 when it moved to Japan along with the remainder of 1st Marine Aircraft Wing units still on the peninsula. The squadron departed MCAS Iwakuni in August 1959 and re-established operations that same month at

3d Marine Aircraft Wing and Terrier and HAWK Missile units from Marine Corps Base Twentynine Palms, CA.[9][10]

MTDS Testing and decommissioning

In early 1961, MACS-3 at

Marine Corps Base Twentynine Palms, CA for the purposes of testing MTDS with HAWK Missile units.[12] In early July 1962, Sub-Unit 1 took delivery of the second Tactical Air Operations Center delivered in order to begin testing.[13] MACS-3 graduated its first class of MTDS operators and maintainers on 8 October 1963. The initial course was twenty weeks long for maintainers and six weeks long for operators. Classroom instructions were provided by the Marines of MACS-3, field representatives from Litton Industries, and civilians from the US Navy's Naval Aviation Engineering Service Unit.[14]

In late 1964, MACS-3 was also tasked with testing MTDS interoperability with the Navy's new Airborne Tactical Data System that was installed aboard the first E-2A Hawkeye early warning aircraft.[11]

In March 1966, MACS-3 accepted the first production model of MTDS's new Tactical Air Operations Central. This included a fully automated TAOC (designated the AN/TYQ-2), as well as a Tactical Data Communications Central (TDCC - designated the AN/TYQ-3). The TDCC utilized a UNIVAC CP-808 computer to exchange air command and control data.[3][15] The squadron put the new equipment through 30 weeks of rigorous operational test and evaluation before it fielding it to the FMF.[16]

By 1968, the Marine Corps realized that MACS-3 was not organized or staffed to meet the growing demands to acquire and support new automated digital systems. Litton Industries initiated a study to explore the requirements to support new and emerging tactical data systems. The study recommended the creation of a Tactical Data Systems Support Center at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.[17] In May 1970, the Marine Corps Development and Education Command (MCDEC) plan were approved wherein the equipment and facilities of MACS-3 would serve as the foundation of this new organization. In June 1970, a Marine Corps Bulletin was published transferring MACS-3's equipment and facilities over to the new organization known as "Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity" (MCTSSA)[3] MACS-3 was formally decommissioned on 1 July 1970.[2] Of note, the lineage and honors of MACS-3 did not transfer to MCTSSA.

Unit awards

A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation. MACS-3 has been presented with the following awards:

Streamer Award Year(s) Additional Info
Presidential Unit Citation Streamer with two Bronze Stars 1951 Korea
Navy Unit Commendation Streamer 1952-1953 Korea
American Campaign Streamer 1944-1946 World War II
National Defense Service Streamer with one Bronze Star 1950–1954, 1961–1970 Korean War, Vietnam War
Korean Service Streamer with one Silver Star and one Bronze Stars 1951-1953

See also

Citations

  1. ^ Shulimson et al. 1997, pp. 468.
  2. ^ a b "MACS-3 is Deactivated, Gets New Designation". MCAS El Toro Flight Jacket. MCAS El Toro. 3 July 1970. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "MCTSSA History". United States Marine Corps. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  4. ^ Rottman 2002, pp. 450.
  5. ^ Rottman 2002, pp. 410.
  6. ^ Montross, Kuokka & Hicks 1962, pp. 90–91.
  7. ^ Futrell 1983, pp. 427.
  8. ^ "MACS-3 Joins Squadrons at Air Facility". The Flight Jacket. Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, CA. 21 August 1959. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  9. ^ "Field and Air Defense Exercise Conducted Here By 1st AA Group". The Observation Post. Marine Corps Base 29 Palms. 16 February 1960. Retrieved 16 November 2019.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  10. ^ "Artillery joins Aviation Units for Air Control Maneuvers". The Flight Jacket. Marine Corps Air Station 29 Palms. 18 March 1960. Retrieved 16 November 2019.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  11. ^ a b Boslaugh, David L. (1999). "When Computers Went to Sea: The Digitization of the United States Navy". IEEE Computer Society Press. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  12. ^ "Sub Unit of Control Squadron Forms Here". The Observation Post. Marine Corps Base Twentynine Palms. 6 March 1962. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  13. ^ "Sub Unit, MACS-3 Begins Evaluation". The Observation Post. Marine Corps Base Twentynine Palms. 17 July 1962. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  14. ^ "MACS-3 Ends First TAC Center Course". MCAS El Toro Flight Jacket. MCAS El Toro. 11 October 1963. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  15. ^ "UNIVAC 1213 MILITARY COMPUTER (SPECIAL) (CP-BOB(V) TYK)" (PDF). Sperry UNIVAC Defense Systems. September 1974. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  16. ^ "New TAOC Equipment Accepted for Evaluation". MCAS El Toro Flight Jacket. MCAS El Toro. 1 April 1966. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  17. ^ Bendell, Lee R. (1975). "Automation Aids to Combat Effectiveness". Marine Corps Gazette. 59 (1): 36. Retrieved 31 October 2019.

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.


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