• • 1 February 1944: VH-1 was established at
NAS Alameda, California.. • 1 June 1944: VH-1 commences rescue operations based out of
Saipan. • 22 June 1944: Lt Sharp is awarded the
Air Medal for the open sea landing and rescue of two downed airmen. • 16 September 1944: VH-1 temporarily relocates operations to
Palau. • mid-October 1944: VH-1 temporarily relocates operations to the
Philippines for the
Invasion of Leyte. • November 1944: VH-1 locates 6 survivors from downed
Boeing B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers and guides surface vessels to make the rescues. • December 1944: VH-1 assists in the rescue of 30 aircrew from two B-29 Superfortress and a
Consolidated B-24 Liberator by destroyers. • January 1945: VH-1 assists in the rescue by surface vessels of 39 surviving aircrew from three B-29's, one
Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter, and two Martin PBM Mariner's. 27 of these survivors come from two PBMs of sister rescue squadron
VH-3 which had crash landed after suffering engine failure. • 10 February 1945: Lt Evans of VH-1 rescues the lone survivor of a B-24 that exploded mid-air after being hit by anti-aircraft fire, and he is awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross. • March 1945: Lt Hutchinson of VH-1 rescues nine survivors of a downed B-29. VH-1 spots another nine downed airmen and directs surface vessels to their rescue. • 27 April 1945: Lt Cmdr R.R. Barrett takes over command of VH-1. He had previously been the executive officer of VH-3 and had made eight rescues with VH-3 in April 1945 before reassigned to VH-1. • June 1945: VH-1 spots 7 survivors in a life raft and directs
USS Sea Fox (SS-402) to the rescue site. • July 1945: VH-1 spots 28 survivors from 4 downed B-29s and directs surface vessels to effect the rescues. • 1 August 1945: VH-1 relocates to
Okinawa Island to relieve Rescue Squadron VH-3, which has been there since April. In the final week of the war, VH-1 makes 7 rescues of downed aviators. • 12 August 1945: Lt (jg) McClure of VH-1 lands under fire from shore batteries one mile off of western
Kyushu to pick up a badly burned pilot from the
318th Fighter Group as an enemy boat approached to make capture. McClure is awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for this rescue. • 24 December 1945: VH-1 relocates operations to
Shanghai. • April 1946: VH-1 was disestablished. == See also ==