VFA-146

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Strike Fighter Squadron 146 (VFA-146)
VFA-146 Insignia
Active	February 1, 1956
Country	United States
Branch	US Navy
Type	Fighter/Attack
Part of	Carrier Air Wing Nine
Garrison/HQ	Naval Air Station Lemoore
Equipment	F/A-18C Hornet
Nickname	"Blue Diamonds"
Battles/wars	Vietnam War Iranian Hostage Crisis Operation Desert Storm Operation Southern Watch Operation Enduring Freedom
Decorations	Presidential Unit Citation Captain Michael J. Estocin Award Rear Admiral Clarence Wade McClusky Award Scott F. Kirby Award
Commanders
Current commander	Commander Loiselle
Ceremonial chief	CMDCM(SS) Aric J. Murfield

VFA-146 Strike Fighter Squadron 146 (VFA-146) also known as the "Blue Diamonds" is a United States Navy strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore California.

The "Blue Diamonds" are an operational fleet squadron and fly the F/A-18C Hornet. The transition from the A-7E Corsair II to the dual mission capable F/A-18 strike fighter was completed in 1990. The Blue Diamonds are attached to Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW 9), deployed onboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74).

[edit] History

On 1 February 1956 CDR E.V. Davidson assumed command of Attack Squadron 146, the Navy's newest jet attack squadron. In ceremonies held at NAS Miramar, VA 146 was commissioned at 0900 as a unit of Air Group 14. The squadron's original nickname was the Blacktails, which was derived from its assigned color as the sixth squadron of the air group. Since there were no replacement squadrons at this time, VA 146 started with only a handful of aircraft and began an "in-house" training schedule for the F9F Cougar in the squadron spaces.

In December 1968, VA 146 was completely re-equipped with the Navy's newest attack aircraft, the Vought A-7B Corsair II, and shortly thereafter, the A-7E. On January 5, 1973, VA 146 headed west with Carrier Air Wing Nine embarked again in USS Constellation (CV-64). This cruise would bring to an end Navy's participation in the Vietnam War. For the deployment, USS Constellation (CV-64) AND CVW 9 were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for the last Vietnam combat cruise.

The Blue Diamonds spent the majority of the Cold War deployed with CVW 9 and USS Constellation (CV-64) to the Western Pacific. During the 1980 deployment, the squadron spent 110 days at sea, the longest continuous at-sea period for any West Coast carrier since World War II. On 25 April 1980, VA 146 was named the safest A-7 squadron in combined Navy-Air Force history by surpassing all previous records for accident-free flight operations at 36,175 hours.

A 14-year association with Carrier Air Wing 9 was broken in 1983 when VA 146 was reassigned to Carrier Air Wing Two. Upon their return from a WestPac in August 1984, the Diamonds were reassigned to CVW 9. CVW 9 and USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) made two more deployments which culminated in the 1987 World Cruise which brought the carrier back to the East Coast for entry into the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP). In September 1988, the Blue Diamonds and CVW 9 embarked in USS Nimitz (CVN-68) for a Western Pacific deployment. The highlight of this cruise was operations in the Sea of Japan during the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.

The Blue diamonds spent the majority of 1997 preparing for a World Cruise on board USS Nimitz (CVN-68), and extended their 13-year history of over 55,000 hours without a Class "A" safety mishap. The highlight of the work-up cycle was a 96-hour surge operation in which the Diamonds flew 226 sorties. On 4 September 1997, the Blue Diamonds departed San Diego with the Nitmitz Battle Group in support of Operation Southern Watch. The Battle Group surged to the Persian Gulf and provided a stabilizing influence to the region at a time of heightened tensions. After four months of supporting Operation Southern Watch, the crisis subsided allowing the Diamonds to return home on time. During the deployment, the Blue Diamonds earned the CVW 9 Top Hook Award for the 14th consecutive time and maintained a 99% sortie completion rate while participating in Operation Southern Watch. Shortly after their return to Lemoore, the Blue Diamonds were named the 1997 COMNAVAIRPAC Battle "E" winner. The Diamonds were also awarded the Captain Michael J. Estocin, Rear Admiral Clarence Wade McClusky and the Scott F. Kirby Awards.

The Diamonds began their most recent cruise aboard USS Carl Vinson on January 17, 2005. The "around-the-world" deployment took them across the Pacific and Indian Oceans into the Persian Gulf. For three months the Blue Diamonds, along with the rest of Carrier Air Wing 9, flew missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Vinson then turned south to steam around the Sinai Peninsula into the Red Sea, through the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea, then across the Atlantic. On July 31, 2005, the Vinson pulled into its new homeport of Norfolk, VA completing another successful deployment for the Blue Diamond team.