It consisted of a conventional pair of Naval Aviation wings superimposed on a silhouette of the Western Hemisphere and symmetrically contained in a compass rose.

This design was not officially approved for VP-33 because it was still in use by the former VP-5S that had gone through numerous redesignations since 1931 and was known as VP-32 and VPB-32 during World War II.

VP-33 was destined to become one of ten well-known Black Cat squadrons operating in the South Pacific during WWII.

After reaching the combat zone and being assigned its unique mission, the squadron submitted a new design to CNO.

The squadron was assigned the following aircraft, effective on the dates shown:[1] The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown:[1] Name - Date Assumed Command LCDR H. D. Hale - 1 Apr 1942 LCDR R. C. Bengston - 22 Dec 1942 LCDR F. P. Anderson - 15 Aug 1943 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons.