 On 1 July 1938 the Saratoga Air Group was formally established as a unit.With the rapid fleet buildup of World War II, the Navy ceased naming its carrier air groups with the carrier's name and initially numbered them with the carrier's hull number, and on 25 September 1943 Saratoga Air Group was redesignated Carrier Air Group THREE (CVG-3).After the war, on 15 November 1946 the air group was redesignated in accordance with the Navy's new carrier air group designation scheme in which all remaining air groups were designated in accordance with the type of carrier to which they were assigned with those assigned to s being designated "attack" carrier air groups and those assigned to the larger being designated "battle" carrier air groups and CVG-3 was redesignated CVAG-3.