"Orion's Game" An Original Oil Painting by Peter Wenman

 

This is the official website of the PATRON FOUR FIVE Association, an incorporated, non-profit organization whose membership is open to all former members of Navy squadrons VP-45, VP-205, VP-45(PBY), current Patrol Squadron Forty-Five active-duty members and others with various connections to the squadron. While this website is NOT officially associated with the active duty squadron, VP-45, it is for the general benefit of current and future association members and any others who might be interested in the "World Famous Pelicans" of Patrol Squadron FORTY-FIVE.

Our Mission:

To provide a wealth of information about arguably the consistently most outstanding U.S. Navy Patrol Squadron in history and to allow an avenue for former shipmates to reconnect and re-establish friendships. Additionally, the Association will publish a biannual newsletter, preserve a written squadron history, provide association members (who have as a common bond active duty or interest in VP-45) a means to promote camaraderie by holding biennial reunions for members and will, lastly, perform other functions as defined by the Association's elected officers. All site visitors are cordially invited to peruse the various sections of this website using the panel of blue and red navigation links on the left side of this page.

Membership:

Open to anyone who has served in the above mentioned squadrons or is currently serving in Patrol Squadron FORTY-FIVE. (Associate memberships are available for other interested parties). Dues for membership are $10 for 1 year, $40 for 5 years, or $200 for life - payable by 31 December on year dues expire.

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Honoring Our Shipmates This Veterans' Day

The VP45 Association honors our shipmates past and present, who not only flew with us, but served in all branches of the armed services. Whatever your branch of service, whatever your community, whenever you wore the nation's uniform, we're proud to fly with you and thank you for answering the nation's call. Please enjoy this very special video honoring the past and present of Maritime Patrol (via YouTube; click through to YouTube to enable viewing in full screen).

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Photo Albums Are Back!

We've converted our photo albums going all the way back to the PBM era to a more modern, web-friendly format. Check out all your favorite memories in the Photos/Videos section.

New to the photo album page are videos, featuring the "VP-45 through the years" video set. You can also find the Veteran's Day keynote presented by our very own webmaster at the University of North Florida.

And we're always on the lookout for photos and videos, especially from the 80s onward. If you have photos/videos you'd like to share with us, please contact us.

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New Sea Stories!

Check out the delightful tale of "Clarke's Stork Taxi" in the Sea Stories section, as well as a video interview with Vietnam-era veteran PJ Imhof.

And definitely don't miss "The MRCI From Hell," which is a harrowing encounter between one of the squadron's aircraft and a flock of birds.

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San Antonio - another Pelican success!

Stay tuned to the Reunions page for details on the highly successful San Antonion reunion, including photos, videos of the speaker presentations and keynote address by VADM(ret) Wally Massenburg.

Call for photos! If you have photos of the reunion or the various activities, including our visit to the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, please send them to us using the email links in the Contact Us page so we can feature them here.

The site for the 2026 reunion will be Jacksonville, FL, to coincide with VP-45's at-home cycle. Stay tuned for details as the date approaches, and we'll see everyone there!

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The newsletter linked above is the previous (March 2024) edition of the "Pelican Post," in digital PDF format. If you are a current member, you should receive the most recent September 2024 Newsletter either as a PDF file attached to an email or (if you do not have an email address) as a printed black & white copy via regular mail. To view and/or download the previous edition online, click on the word "Newsletter" in large print just above. Only current members have access the most recent newsletter. All previous Association Newsletters can be found in the "Newsletter" section of the navigation menu just to the upper left on this page.

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