Four Douglas A4D-2 <i>Skyhawk</i> (BuNo 144894 in front) from Attack Squadron 34 (VA-34) "Blue Blasters" in flight. VA-34 Det.45 was assigned to Carrier Anti-Submarine Air Group 60 (CVSG-60) aboard the aircraft carrier USS <i>Essex</i> (CVS-9) for a short deployment to the Caribbean from 3 to 29 April 1961. The aircraft flew sorties over combat areas during the Bay of Pigs Invasion, Cuba, on 17–19 April 1961.
Robert L. Lawson
Photo <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.history.state.gov/milestones/bay-pigs.jpg">[1]</a> from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/bay-of-pigs">U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian: <i>The Bay of Pigs Invasion and its Aftermath, April 1961–October 1962</i></a>