SALTWATER DIVISION
During the course of their history under the command of the United States Air Force, these squadrons underwent different configurations to remain consistent with the alignments within the USAF. These changes included the aircraft of these units being assigned to central control of a maintenance squadron, while the operating personnel were assigned to operational squadrons. These changes also involved changes in the home bases of these units. In the case of VR-7 and VR-8, this meant a move from their long time base in the Pacific in Hawaii, to the west coast at Naval Air Station Moffett Field California. The Super Constellation aircraft of both squadrons were combined and assigned to Transport Eight. The operational personnel were combined and assigned to Transport Seven and the name of the USAF command changed from Military Air Transport Service to the Military Airlift Command.
In the early Sixties, all units of the Military Air Transport Service underwent a transition to more modern aircraft. Most Naval Air Transport Squadrons serving within the Military Air Transport Service gave up their obsolete R6D Skymaster and R7V Super Constellation aircraft for the modern C-130E Hercules. This then involved the maintenance and operational personnel to undergo quite a change in operational procedures. The transition for these naval personnel went quite smoothly, and by 1963, the units were trained and qualified, and became fully operational with the new aircraft, theater of operations and methods of equipment and personnel delivery.
During the latter part of their history, the USAF underwent a further configuration change of it's airlift resources and a change in mission concepts, resulting in the Military Air Transport Service being renamed the Military Airlift Command. It was during this time that the Navy's role in airlift capability was reduced to specific fleet command requirements only and the Naval Air Transport Squadrons supporting the USAF were decommissioned. At the time of this event the naval units included the original three (3) squadrons who were involved in the Berlin Airlift, plus the three (3) additional units (VR-7, VR-7A and VR-22) that had been added since it's inception.
