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This article focusses on an Australian squadron and the RAAF does not refer to it as "Super" -- see RAAF website |
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|dates=1943–1948<br />1966–current
|role=[[Tactical airlift|Medium tactical airlift]]
|battles=[[World War II]]<br />[[Military history of Australia during the Vietnam War|Vietnam War]]<br />[[Operation Solace]]<br />[[Operation Warden]]<br />[[Operation Slipper|War in Afghanistan]]<br />[[Australian contribution to the 2003 invasion of Iraq|2003 invasion of Iraq]]<br />[[
|aircraft_transport=[[Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar|C-60 Lodestar]] (1943–1945)<br />[[Douglas C-47 Skytrain|C-47 Dakota]] (1945–1948)<br />[[Lockheed C-130 Hercules|C-130E Hercules]] (
}}
'''No. 37 Squadron''' is a [[Royal Australian Air Force]] (RAAF) [[Tactical airlift|medium tactical airlift]] squadron. It operates [[Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules]] aircraft from [[RAAF Base Richmond]], New South Wales. The squadron has seen active service flying transport aircraft during
The squadron was formed at [[RAAF Williams#RAAF Williams, Laverton
==Role and equipment==
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[[File:RAAF airman in a C-130J at Red Flag 15-1.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|left|Ground crewman of No. 37 Squadron in a C-130J Hercules during a US exercise in February 2015|alt=Bespectacled man in camouflage uniform with fluorescent jacket in cockpit of military aircraft]]
No. 37 Squadron is tasked with [[Tactical airlift|medium tactical airlift]] in Australia and overseas, transporting troops and cargo, and conducting medical evacuation, [[search-and-rescue]], and [[airdrop]] missions.<ref name=37SQN>{{cite web|url=http://www.airforce.gov.au/docs/37SQN-Media-Pack.pdf|title=Today's No. 37 Squadron|work=No. 37 Squadron 70th Anniversary|publisher=[[Royal Australian Air Force]]|page=3|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref><ref name=Media70th>{{cite
The squadron operates twelve [[Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules]], which entered service in 1999.<ref name=Media70th/><ref name=MuseumC-130>{{cite web |url=http://www.airforce.gov.au/raafmuseum/research/aircraft/series2/A97.htm |title= Lockheed Hercules |publisher=RAAF Museum |access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> The aircraft are generally crewed by two pilots and a [[loadmaster]], the latter being responsible for the loading, carriage and unloading of cargo and passengers.<ref>McPhedran, ''Air Force'', pp. 53–55</ref> The C-130J can carry {{convert|19500|kg|lb}} of cargo, or 120 passengers. It has a range of over {{convert|6800|km|mi|abbr=in}} without payload, and is able to operate from short and unsealed airstrips.<ref name=C-130>{{cite web|title=C-130J Hercules description and specifications |url=http://www.airforce.gov.au/Technology/Aircraft/C-130-Hercules/?RAAF-EPzAnXmgjWuyTq8XSZbcAUaUIYIcntiB|publisher=Royal Australian Air Force|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> From 1999 to 2017, [[No. 285 Squadron RAAF|No. 285 Squadron]] operated a C-130J [[Flight simulator]] at Richmond and was responsible for training No. 37 Squadron's aircrew and maintenance personnel; its role and most of its personnel were subsequently transferred to No. 37 Squadron's Training Flight.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Hamilton|first1=Eamon|title=285SQN Gears up for Farewell|url=http://airforcenews.realviewdigital.com/?startpage=8&iid=155928#folio=8|access-date=20 June 2020|magazine= [[Air Force (newspaper)|Air Force]]|volume=59|issue=19|date=18 October 2017|page=9}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Air Force disbands No. 285 Squadron at RAAF Base Richmond|url=https://news.defence.gov.au/media/media-releases/air-force-disbands-no-285-squadron-raaf-base-richmond|website=Defence News and Media|publisher=Department of Defence|access-date=20 June 2020|date=8 December 2017}}</ref> {{nowrap|No. 37 Squadron}} maintains a detachment of two aircraft at [[Al Minhad Air Base]] in the United Arab Emirates to support operations in the Middle East Region under [[Operation Slipper|Operation Accordion]].<ref name=Burning>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.defence.gov.au/publications/newspapers/raaf/editions/5613/5613.pdf|last=Croce|first=Peter|title=Burning the midnight oil|magazine=Air Force |volume=56|issue=13|date=17 July 2014|pages=12–13|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref><ref name=Accordion>{{cite web|url=http://www.defence.gov.au/Operations/OpAccordion/|title=Operation Accordion|publisher=Department of Defence|access-date=28 November 2016|date=13 March 2014}}</ref> The C-130Js are expected to remain in RAAF service until 2030.<ref name=Aviation>{{cite news|title=RAAF marks 800,000 Hercules flying hours|url=http://australianaviation.com.au/2014/09/raaf-marks-800000-hercules-flying-hours/|access-date=28 November 2016|newspaper=Australian Aviation|date=15 September 2014}}</ref>
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No. 37 (Transport) Squadron was formed on 15 July 1943 at [[RAAF Williams|RAAF Station Laverton]], Victoria, with a staff of two officers and thirteen airmen.<ref name=Ops180>No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", p. 180</ref><ref name=Units62>RAAF Historical Section, ''Maritime and Transport Units'', pp. 62–63</ref> Its first commanding officer, [[Squadron Leader]] Neville Hemsworth (late of [[No. 34 Squadron RAAF|No. 34 Squadron]]), arrived on 21 July, and its first aircraft, a single-engined [[Northrop Delta]] (also formerly of No. 34 Squadron), was delivered on 2 August.<ref name=Ops179>No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", pp. 179–180</ref><ref name=MuseumDelta>{{cite web| url=http://www.airforce.gov.au/raafmuseum/research/aircraft/series2/A61.htm|title=Northrop Delta|publisher=RAAF Museum|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> The squadron was allocated the first of a batch of ten twin-engined [[Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar|Lockheed C-60 Lodestar]] transports on 23 August.<ref name=Units62/><ref name=MuseumLodestar>{{cite web| url=http://www.airforce.gov.au/raafmuseum/research/aircraft/series2/A67.htm|title=Lockheed Lodestar|publisher=RAAF Museum|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> The Delta was written off following an accident on 30 September.<ref name=MuseumDelta/> By then the squadron's staff numbered 190, including forty-five officers.<ref name=Ops176>No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", p. 176</ref> It was declared operational on 11 October 1943, undertaking regular courier flights across Australia to destinations including [[Perth]], Western Australia; [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]] and [[Alice Springs]], Northern Territory; [[Adelaide]], South Australia; [[Maryborough, Queensland|Maryborough]], Queensland; and [[Launceston, Tasmania|Launceston]], Tasmania.<ref name=Units62/>
[[File:No. 37 Squadron RAAF Dakota 1945 (AWM P01627.001).JPG|right|thumb|upright=1.3|
By mid-1944, the squadron had expanded its operations to New Guinea, making courier flights to [[Merauke]] initially, and later [[Wewak]], [[Noemfoor]] and [[Jayapura|Hollandia]].<ref name=Units62/> It transferred to [[Essendon Airport|Essendon]], Victoria, on 1 September.<ref>No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", p. 151</ref> The unit was now one of eight Australian transport squadrons, all of which operated under the control of RAAF Headquarters, [[Melbourne]]. Their primary duty was supporting the Australian military, though they could also be released for urgent requests by General [[Douglas MacArthur]]'s [[South West Pacific Area (command)|South West Pacific Area]] headquarters.<ref>Odgers, [https://www.awm.gov.au/images/collection/pdf/RCDIG1070397--1-.pdf ''Air War Against Japan'', pp. 381–383]</ref> A Lodestar crashed and burned on takeoff at Merauke on 26 January 1945 but all aboard escaped injury; it was the only hull loss suffered by the type in Australian service.<ref name=MuseumLodestar/><ref>No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", p. 133</ref> No. 37 Squadron received its first three [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain|Douglas C-47 Dakotas]] the following month, and by the end of March had a complement of eighteen aircraft: nine Dakotas, seven Lodestars, a [[Douglas DC-2]], and a [[de Havilland Tiger Moth]].<ref name=Units62/><ref>No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", p. 124</ref> The next month it began operating detachments out of [[Parafield Airport|Parafield]], South Australia, and [[Morotai]] in the [[Dutch East Indies]].<ref name=Roylance>Roylance, ''Air Base Richmond'', p. 92</ref><ref>No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", pp. 119, 122</ref> On 6 July 1945, one of the squadron's Dakotas transported the body of Prime Minister [[John Curtin]] from Canberra to Perth for burial.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/REL/02368.001|title=Douglas C-47B-20-DK, Dakota Mk IV Transport Aircraft|publisher=Australian War Memorial|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> By September 1945, No. 37 Squadron's strength was 357 staff, including 111 officers, sixteen Dakotas, two Lodestars, a DC-2, and a Tiger Moth.<ref name=Ops96>No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", p. 96</ref>
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As well as participating in military exercises and overseas peacekeeping commitments, the Hercules became a familiar sight in the Southern Pacific, called on for relief operations following many natural disasters including tsunamis in New Guinea, cyclones in the [[Solomon Islands|Solomons]] and [[Tonga]], and fires and floods throughout Australia.<ref>Stephens, ''The Royal Australian Air Force'', p. 311</ref> It played a major role in the evacuation of civilians following [[Cyclone Tracy]] in Darwin in 1974–75; a No. 37 Squadron C-130E was the first aircraft to touch down in Darwin following the disaster.<ref name="Roylance100–103"/> The squadron contributed eleven aircraft to the relief effort, carrying 4,400 passengers and {{convert|1300000|lb|kg}} of cargo.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Air Force (newspaper)|RAAF News]]|volume= 37 |issue= 1| date=Jan–Feb 1995|page=7|title=Looking back: 20 years ago}}</ref> No. 37 Squadron aircraft took part in [[Operation Babylift]], the US-led effort to evacuate the orphaned children of American servicemen from Vietnam in April 1975. Later that month, two of the squadron's aircraft were assigned to the [[United Nations]] (UN) to transport supplies throughout South East Asia; the C-130s' Australian [[roundel]]s were painted over with UN symbols to signify the mission's neutrality. Commencing operations in May, the aircraft flew supplies into Laos and transported cargo between Thailand, Butterworth, Hong Kong and Singapore, completing ninety-one sorties by the time the mission ended in early June.<ref name=Bullard>{{cite web|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/wartime/53/bullard_after_the_fall/|last=Bullard|first=Stephen|title=After the Fall|publisher=[[Australian War Memorial]]|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> The Hercules also evacuated Australian embassy personnel from [[Saigon]], South Vietnam, and [[Phnom Penh]], Cambodia, following the end of the Vietnam War.<ref name="Roylance100–103"/><ref>Stephens, ''The Royal Australian Air Force'', p. 274</ref> No. 37 Squadron was awarded the [[Gloucester Cup]] by the [[Governor General of Australia|Governor General]] in June 1976 for its performance in 1974–75.<ref name=Units64/>
In January–February 1979, two No. 37 Squadron C-130Es evacuated Australian and other foreign embassy staff from [[Tehran]], shortly before the collapse of royal rule during the [[Iranian Revolution]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title = RAAF evacuation of Australians from Iran, 1979 | magazine = Pathfinder| date = April 2007| issue = 64| url = http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/admin/productfiles/publication/materials/313/pf64_apr07.pdf|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> The same year, the squadron began operations with two ex-[[Qantas]] [[Boeing 707]]s, handing them over to No. 33 Flight (later [[No. 33 Squadron RAAF|No. 33 Squadron]]) at the beginning of 1981.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airforce.gov.au/raafmuseum/research/aircraft/series3/A20.htm |title=Boeing 707|publisher= RAAF Museum|access-date= 28 November 2016}}</ref> No. 37 Squadron transported the [[Popemobile]]s on [[John Paul II]]'s 1986 tour of Australia; its other unusual cargoes have included a stud bull presented to the Chinese government, kangaroos and sheep to Malaysia, and an exhibition of China's [[Terracotta Army|Entombed Warriors]].<ref name="Roylance100–103"/><ref name=Units64/> In February 1987, the unit again joined No. 36 Squadron, along with No. 33 Squadron, as part of a re-formed No. 86 Wing under the newly established [[Air Lift Group RAAF|Air Lift Group]] (later Air Mobility Group).<ref>Roylance, ''Air Base Richmond'', pp. 107–108, 116–117</ref><ref name=AMG>{{cite magazine|url=http://airforcenews.realviewdigital.com/?startpage=6&iid=91526|last=Hamilton|first=Eamon|title=Symbolic change is perfect timing|magazine=Air Force|volume=56|issue=8|date=8 May 2014|page=7|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> The following year, No. 37 Squadron achieved 200,000 accident-free flying hours on the Hercules.<ref name="Roylance100–103"/> The Australian public had the experience of flying in the C-130s when the aircraft were employed by the Federal government to provide transport during the [[1989 Australian pilots' dispute]] that curtailed operations by the two domestic airlines.<ref name="Roylance110–111">Roylance, ''Air Base Richmond'', pp. 110–111</ref> In December 1990 and January 1991, a detachment of C-130s from Nos. 36 and 37 Squadrons flew missions to [[Dubai]] in support of [[Australian contribution to the 1991 Gulf War|Australia's naval contribution to the Gulf War]].<ref>RAAF Historical Section, ''Maritime and Transport Units'', p. 59</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/units/Gulf+War,+1990-1991/|title=Gulf War, 1990–91|publisher=Australian War Memorial |access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> No. 37 Squadron transported Australian troops to Somalia as part of [[Operation Solace]] in January 1993, and provided a shuttle service between Kenya and Somalia during May.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/HistoryRecord/HistoryRecordDetail.aspx?rid=131 |title=Advance party headed for Somalia|publisher= Air Power Development Centre|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/HistoryRecord/HistoryRecordDetail.aspx?rid=450|title=Airlift returned Army battalion from Somalia|publisher= Air Power Development Centre|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> No. 486 Squadron was disbanded in October 1998, having transferred its C-130 maintenance functions to Nos. 36 and 37 Squadrons.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Bulletin board|magazine=[[Air Force (newspaper)|Air Force News]] |volume=40 |issue=8|date=September 1998| page=12}}</ref> No. 37 Squadron began re-equipping with new-model C-130J Hercules in September 1999.<ref name=Museum37Sqn/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airforce.gov.au/docs/37SQN-Media-Pack.pdf|title=A History of No. 37 Squadron |work=No. 37 Squadron 70th Anniversary|publisher=Royal Australian Air Force|page=10|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> Its aircraft formed part of a detachment of C-130s supporting [[International Force for East Timor|INTERFET]] forces in [[East Timor]] between September 1999 and February 2000, under [[Operation Warden]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.awm.gov.au/units/east_timor/raaf/|title=RAAF units in East Timor|publisher=Australian War Memorial |access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> The
[[File:RAAF C-130J Hercules 37 Squadron.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.3|C-130J Hercules and personnel of No. 37 Squadron in the Middle East during 2009|alt=Personnel in camouflage uniforms with RAAF flag lined up in front of four-engined military cargo plane in grey livery]]
In September 2004, aircraft from No. 37 Squadron joined the rotating detachment of C-130s established by No. 36 Squadron in the [[Middle East Area of Operations]] (MEAO) in February 2003, following the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]]; the C-130Js were required to be fitted with self-protection equipment before deploying to the MEAO.<ref name=MediaHercs>{{cite
No. 37 Squadron was awarded the Gloucester Cup for proficiency in March 2013.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://airforcenews.realviewdigital.com/?iid=90146&crd=0&searchKey=gloucester%20cup#folio=16|title=Proficiency and leadership awards 2013|magazine=Air Force |volume=56 |issue=6|date=10 April 2014|page=16|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> It celebrated its 70th
==See also==
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{{List of RAAF Squadrons}}
[[Category:
[[Category:RAAF squadrons|37]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1943]]
[[Category:Recipient of the Duke of Gloucester's Cup]]
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