1940s The first air group to carry the CVG-8 designation existed from June 1943 to November 1945. After exercises in the Caribbean and passing through the Panama Canal, CVG-8 left the carrier in January 1944 in Pearl Harbor. Here the carrier
USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) took over the squadron in March 1944. From this carrier the squadron flew attacks on the Palau Islands, Yap, Ulithi Atoll and Woleai on 30 March and 1 April 1944. A month later attacks were flown on Truk, Satawan and Ponape as well as Hollandia Bay in New Guinea. Between 12 June and 10 August CVG-8 was deployed in the conquest of the Marianas and took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the naval and air battle in Leyte Gulf. In September, the squadron operated in the western Carolines, and in October and November it participated in raids on Okinawa, Luzon, and Formosa. For its operations on Bunker Hill, Carrier Air Group 8 (CVG-8) received a Presidential Unit Citation.
1950s The second air group to carry the CVG-8 designation was created 9 April 1951 and has been in continuous operation since that date.
1970s F-4J Phantom on USS
America in 1974 From 5 March to 17 December 1970, CVW-8 made its first combat deployment to
Vietnam. This was to be the last deployment of
Shangri-La which was
decommissioned in 1971. The air wing was reassigned to the in 1971. All of its squadrons were replaced and received the latest models of the F-4 Phantom II,
A-7 Corsair II and
A-6 Intruder. In 1971
America went to the Mediterranean Sea, again, before being deployed to Vietnam from 5 June 1972 to 24 March 1973. The wing returned to the Mediterranean aboard
America in 1975, before being reassigned to the
nuclear-powered in 1975.
Iran Between June 1976 and May 1980, CVW-8 embarked on board
Nimitz for three Mediterranean deployments. CVW-8 made a special appearance in the 1980 movie
The Final Countdown. During their third Mediterranean deployment and in response to the
Iranian hostage crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan,
Nimitz with CVW-8 embarked left
Naples, Italy in January 1980 and sailed around the
Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean. Established at "Gonzo Station," the air wing supported the Iranian hostage rescue attempt,
Operation Eagle Claw, while remaining at-sea for more than 140 consecutive days. Returning to the United States in May 1980, CVW-8 embarked once again in USS
Nimitz for the North Atlantic
NATO exercise "Teamwork 80" from August to November 1980. On 8 September 2008, CVW-8 deployed on board USS
Theodore Roosevelt on a regularly scheduled deployment. On 4 October, the
Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Group arrived in
Cape Town, South Africa, the first visit by an American aircraft carrier since 1967 and three days later the carrier left Cape Town. CVW-8 and
Theodore Roosevelt supported Operation Enduring Freedom and flew more than 3,100 sorties and dropped more than 59,500 pounds of ordnance while providing
Close Air Support for
ISAF-forces in Afghanistan. On 21 March 2009
Theodore Roosevelt was relieved by . On 29 August 2009
Theodore Roosevelt entered Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding at Newport News, Virginia, to begin a Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) which is scheduled to last until February 2013. CVW-8 was assigned to . On 11 May 2011, the squadrons of CVW-8 embarked on USS
George H.W. Bushs maiden deployment, scheduled to conduct operations in the US 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations. During this deployment, CVW-8 commander Captain Jeff Davis completed his 1,000 flight deck landing ("trap") when he flew on board the carrier
George H.W. Bush on 1 August 2011. CVW-8 deputy commander Captain Daniel W. Dwyer made his 1,000 trap on 18 July 2011. Following the 2012-2013 deployment of
Carrier Strike Group Three, the electronic-warfare squadron
VAQ-131 was reassigned to Carrier Air Wing Eight based aboard the carrier
George H.W. Bush. This reassign was originally slated to occur in January 2014 but changing operational requirements accelerated this reassignment until immediately after the end of the 2012-2013 deployment. Finally, the squadron transitioned from the
EA-6B Prowler to the
EA-18G Growler electronic-warfare aircraft. CVW-8 made its next scheduled deployment aboard
George H.W. Bush in the U.S. Navy's 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility from 23 January to 21 August 2017. On 18 June 2017, a F/A-18E shot down a Syrian Air Force Su-22 in the Tabqa region. In 2022, CVW-8 was assigned to the aircraft carrier .
Fords
Carrier Strike Group 12 left
Naval Station Norfolk for her maiden deployment on 4 October 2022 to conduct operations and training exercises alongside
NATO allies and partners throughout the
Atlantic Ocean. ==Current force==