VQ-5

In 1991, with the retirement of the EA-3B Skywarrior after 40 years of flying the US Navy,[2] the Navy prepared for the delivery of their new ES-3As. Before this, VQ-5 was established on August 15 of that year at NAS Agana, Guam, receiving their first 2 S-3A Vikings for pilot and crew training on 10 November 1991. On May 8, 1992, the first ES-3A was delivered to VQ-5,[1] with ES-3A's VQ-5 Det. A, on board the USS Independence, [3] becoming the first ES-3A unit to deploy on a carrier.[4]

Starting in 1994, VQ-5 operated in detachments were deployed to numerous carrier air wings. As part of a 7th Fleet directive that year,[1] it assigned a two-plane permanently attached detachment (VQ-5 Detachment 5) to Carrier Air Wing 5 based in Japan with the Independence.[4] Unlike CVW-5 which was based at NAF Atsugi, VQ-5 Det. 5 was based in NAF Misawa. During that same year, they participated in operation during the tensions in the Korean Peninsula.[5] VQ-5 also deployed to CVW-15 on board the Kitty Hawk during 1994 before their disestablishment in 1995.[6]

The C.A.G. bird of VQ-5 as part of CVW-14 over the Abraham Lincoln in 1998.

In 1995, with the impending closure of NAS Agana in Guam, the Sea Shadows moved to NAS North Island in San Diego. During the 1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis, VQ-5 was deployed on two carriers in the region, the USS Nimitz as well as the USS Independence.[7][5] Other deployments to carriers in the following years included CVW-14 and CVW-11 on board the Carl Vinson,[8] Nimitz as part of CVW-9,[9] Abraham Lincoln with CVW-11 and CVW-14[10] and the Constellation with CVW-2.[11]

In 1998, VQ-5 made their last cruise ever as Detachment C deployed with the Carl Vinson and CVW-11 during Operation Desert Fox[1] before returning in May 1999.[10] VQ-5 never deployed again and remained back in North Island. In June 1999, a ceremony was held for the decommissioning of the squadron although they were officially inactivated on July 31, 1999.[1]