A notable pilot in the squadron was fighter ace Arthur Van Haren, Jr. From November 1943 to January 1944, VF-2 saw action during the invasion of the Gilbert Islands, Makin Atoll and Tarawa Atoll.
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There are pictures of 27 of the unit's Aces including Roy "Butch" Voris, later to become Blue Angel 1 in the original Blue Angels flight demonstration team, Connie Hargreaves, who became an Ace in a Day, and Wilbur "Spider" Webb, another Ace in a Day.
VFA-34 | VFA-2 | VFA-151 | VFA-83 | VFA-106 | VFA-94 | VFA-87 | VFA-81 | VFA-25 | VFA-211 | VFA-195 | VFA-14 | VFA-113 | VFA-105 |
VFA-113 (Strike Fighter Squadron 113), a unit of the United States Navy
VFA-81 (Fighter Attack Squadron 81), a unit of the United States Navy
VFA-83 (Strike Fighter Squadron 83), a unit of the United States Navy
VFA-94 (Strike Fighter Squadron 94), a unit of the United States Navy
He represented the VFA at the 1966 Australian National Football Carnival in Hobart, the last time that a VFA team took part in any ANFC carnival.
He would later fly with other NAS Lemoore-based squadrons, the “Fist of the Fleet” of Attack Squadron 25 (VA-25) and the "Flying Eagles" of VA-122, the latter as an A-7 instructor pilot.
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He then transitioned to the F/A-18 Hornet for his command tour with the “Rampagers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 83 (VFA-83), also based at NAS Cecil Field.
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Subsequent flying assignments took him to Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Florida for recurrent training with the "Hellrazors" of Attack Squadron 174 (VA-174) followed by assignment to the “Gunslingers” of Attack Squadron 105 (VA-105), where he deployed with the Atlantic Fleet.
The Inglewood Football Club was formed around 1873 and was a foundation member of the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1877.
NAS Oceana also was the location where the F-14 took off for the last time for final flight of the type when F-14D, Bureau Number (BuNo) 164603, Modex 101, of Fighter Squadron 31 (VF-31) was ferried from NAS Oceana to Calverton on Long Island, NY for permanent static display at the Northrop Grumman facilities where the Tomcat was originally built.
Following his VFL career, Ellingsen moved to the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1920 where he was suspended for a season, a sentence later overturned as an act of clemency during the visit of the Prince of Wales.
With the disestablishment VF-33, VF-102 became America's sole F-14 unit, completing its final deployment on February 24, 1996.
The squadron’s first insignia, designed by Walt Disney, was approved by Chief of Naval Operations on 25 June 1945, consisting of a black torpedo and a winged cherub wearing a green helmet.
The Knighthawks next deployed aboard the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, USS George Washington (CVN-73) for her maiden cruise in May 1994.
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The change of command ceremony was attended by Admiral John Harvey, Rear Admiral Ted N. Branch, Rear Admiral Greg Nosal, and former Mayor of Virginia Beach, Meyera E. Oberndorf.
The Kestrels returned home in June 2003, and began the transition to the new Lot XXV F/A-18E Super Hornet.
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Between 24–31 March 2006, during Foal Eagle 2006 exercises, strike squadrons VFA-2, VFA-34, VFA-137, and VFA-151 from Carrier Air Wing Two teamed with U.S. Air Force aircraft from the 18th Wing based at Kadena Air Base to provide combat air patrols and coordinated bombing runs via the exercise’s Combined Air Operations Center.
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Strike Fighter Squadron 137 (VFA-137), also known as the "Kestrels", are a United States Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore.
Once past the Rock of Gibraltar, VF-14 began flying air superiority and reconnaissance missions in the Adriatic Sea in support of UN policies in the former Yugoslavia.
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During this deployment, the Tophatters also participated in several highly successful exercises with Egypt, Morocco and Turkey, while continuing to support operations off the coast of the former Yugoslavia and Operation Provide Comfort in Iraq.
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During OIF, VFA-14 expended laser-guided bomb's, JDAM bombs and AGM-65 Maverick missiles and conducted numerous long-range missions to northern Baghdad and Tikrit.
Attack Squadron 147 was commissioned as the Navy's First A-7E Corsair II squadron on February 1, 1967 in Lemoore, California.
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In May 1998 the Argonauts conducted a wholesale swap of their Lot XVI Hornets for Lot XI Hornets from VFA-195.
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The squadron is named after a band of heroes in Greek mythology, Jason and the Argonauts), who searched the oceans in quest of adventure and personal reward.
The Valions were aboard the Ranger when it escorted the RMS Queen Mary, with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill aboard, to the Quebec Conference in August 1943.
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The first Valion squadron was established just one month after the attack on Pearl Harbor as Torpedo Squadron FOUR (VT-4) on January 10, 1942 aboard the USS Ranger in Grassy Bay, Bermuda.
Thus VF-154, and sister squadron VF-21, were among the last units to convert to the F-14A.
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After a cross Pacific transit to Pearl Harbor the air wing cross decked to their new home - USS Kitty Hawk.
VFA-195 was originally established as Torpedo Squadron 19 (VT-19), at NAAS Los Alamitos, California on 15 August 1943, flying the TBM-1 Avenger.
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On 5 November 1944, squadron aircraft participated in the sinking of the Nachi, a Japanese heavy cruiser, which was making a sortie out of Manila Bay.
Later the unit would also be able to conduct TARPS reconnaissance missions, which were originally carried out by VF-202.
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In March, VF-201 deployed to NAS Key West for a two-week detachment providing training to new F-14 crews from VF-101.
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In July 1996 VF-201 deployed to NAS Key West in Florida to provide dissimilar air training for VFA-106 Gladiators, the U.S. East Coast F/A-18 training squadron.
At the Al Faw peninsula long range artillery guns and 155mm howitzers near Az Zubayr were targeted.
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In Apr 1980, VA-27 participated in the Iranian hostage rescue attempt by providing air cover for the forces directly involved in the rescue operation.
On 29 Sep 1970, VA-37 participated in an air power demonstration for President Richard Nixon during his two day visit to Saratoga while she steamed in the Med.
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From October 1992 to April 1993, the Bulls deployed to the Mediterranean Sea and were key participants in Operation Provide Comfort in northern Iraq and Operation Provide Promise in the airspace near the former Yugoslavia.
If not that situation had been solved by other means, it's quite probable that VF-41 (and its sister squadron VF-84) would have been employed in the same way as VF-74 and VF-103 during the Achille Lauro incident, to intercept the hijackers and force them down to be arrested.
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VF-41’s first strike was against an ammunition storage facility in Pristina, Kosovo on April 6.
Their first deployment was with CVG-17 in late 1956 aboard the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt in response to the Suez Crisis.
In 1992, the Sidewinders accomplished the first East Coast F/A-18 Standoff Land Attack Missile shoot to a target on San Nicolas Island, California.
Following a hasty transit to the Adriatic, the squadron spent four months flying combat sorties over the increasingly embattled former Yugoslavia.
In April 1980 while embarked on USS Coral Sea (CV-43), the Warhawks were part of the task force involved in supporting Operation Eagle Claw, the Iranian hostage rescue attempt.
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After returning to Lemoore, their efforts were recognized with the 2001 Battle “E", the 2001 Captain Michael J. Estocin Award and the Chief of Naval Operations Safety “S”, resulting in the so-called "triple-crown" achievement for the Warhawks.
In 2006, VFC-12 traded these F/A-18 A+ models (which had low arrested landing fatigue life) for F/A-18C's from VFA-87.
The squadron history or lineages should not be confused with the VS-41 "Tophatters" that flew the SBD-3 Dauntless torpedo bombers during World War II from the deck of USS Ranger.