VFA-103

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Strike Fighter Squadron 103 (the Jolly Rogers) is a Strike Fighter Squadron flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet and is based at NAS Oceana.

Contents

[edit] History of the Jolly Rogers

F4U-1s from VF-17 in 1943
F4U-1s from VF-17 in 1943
"Tired member of VF-17 pauses under the squadron scoreboard at Bougainville" February 1944
"Tired member of VF-17 pauses under the squadron scoreboard at Bougainville" February 1944

Three U.S. Naval Aviation squadrons have used the name and insignia of the Jolly Roger: VF-17/VF-5B/VF-61, VF-84 (est. 1955), and VFA-103, the subject of this article. While VFA-103 is not the lineal descendant of either of the prior squadrons, it has assumed their insignia and name and carries on their traditions.

The first incarnation of the Jolly Rogers was established on January 1, 1943 at NAS Norfolk, as VF-17 by LtCdr John T. "Tommy" Blackburn[1]. It was the second Navy fighter squadron to receive the F4U-1 Corsair and the most successful of them all. Blackburn wanted a squadron insignia which would live up to the Corsair name; hence the skull and crossbones were chosen. The original design was developed by Harry Hollmeyer who became an ace pilot. The squadron helped during the development of the F4U Corsair resulting in some design changes, resulting in the F4U-1A. Unfortunately, the Navy still deemed the Corsair "unfit" for carrier service and instead of joining USS Bunker Hill, VF-17 became a land-based squadron in the Solomon Islands during most of its deployment to the South Pacific. On November 8, 1943, the squadron Executive Officer, Roger Hedrick, led a flight which intercepted 39 Japanese fighters over Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville. As the Japanese fighters fled back to their base, VF-17 was responsible for downing 3 fighters and damaging 4 others. Though outnumbered, the squadron survived the encounter with no losses. This action was typical of the squadron's land-based service in the Solomon Islands in 1943 and 1944, when it went up against the cream of Imperial Japanese Navy pilots then based at Rabaul. In its two tours of duty in the Solomon Islands, VF-17 had 152 aerial victories and produced 11 aces. VF-17 finished its combat tour on May 10, 1944 and many pilots were reassigned.

Many of the pilots of VF-17 Jolly Rogers formed a new F4U-1D Corsair squadron designated VF-84 on 1 May 1944 with Hedrick as commanding officer. A formal request was made by Hedrick to allow VF-84 to carry the "Jolly Rogers" name, but was denied by the US Navy and they became the "Wolf Gang"[2]. However, VF-84 saw themselves as inheritors of the true Jolly Rogers traditions. VF-84 was stationed on the USS Bunker Hill when a Japanese Kamikaze struck the squadron's ready room off of Okinawa, killing several members of the squadron. VF-84 was disestablished in Oct 1945 and is not related to the later VF-84 Jolly Rogers.

Meanwhile, VF-17 was equipped with the F6F-5 Hellcat in May 1944 and based on USS Hornet. The squadron amassed 161 victories, and produced 12 aces. Overall, the two combat tours of VF-17 were credited with 313 victories, the most of any US Navy squadron. VF-17 was redesignated as VF-5B in 1946, and as VF-61 in 1948. In addition to the F4U-4 Corsair and F6F-5P Hellcat, it flew the F8F-2 Bearcat, F9F-2 Panther and the F9F-8 Cougar. It was disestablished on April 15, 1959.

[edit] VF-84 Jolly Rogers

The squadron patch for VF-84.

The VF-84 Vagabonds, flying the FJ-3 Fury, was established on July 1, 1955, at NAS Oceana. After deactivation of VF-61, VF-84's new commanding officer, formerly with VF-61, requested to carry on the name and insignia of the Jolly Rogers. His request was approved on April 1, 1960. VF-84 F-8C Crusaders carried the skull and crossbones, VF-84 was on the USS Independence (CVA-62) during the Cuban Crisis and the Bay of Pigs incident, the squadron made several Mediterranean cruises on board the Independence.The squadron flew the F8UD Crusaders for several years prior to being introduced to the F-4B during 1964.

In 1964 VF-84 transitioned to the F-4 Phantom II and flew the F-4B, F-4J and the F-4N until they transitioned to the F-14 Tomcat in early 1976. In 1965 the squadron deployed for 7 months on board Independence in the Gulf of Tonkin and flew 1507 combat sorties, logging 2200 flight hours over both North Vietnam and South Vietnam.

After its transition to the F-14 was completed, the squadron embarked on its first cruise on Nimitz in December 1977. In 1979 the unit was the first TARPS capable squadron of the fleet. In 1980 it participated in the motion picture The Final Countdown which propelled the skull-and-crossbones-adorned F-14's to international stardom. The movie featured a memorable scene involving two VF-84 Tomcats engaging two Japanese A6M Zeros.

In January 1980, Nimitz diverted from the Mediterranean to take up station in the Arabian Sea in response to the Iranian hostage crisis and in April participated in the failed hostage rescue attempt. In November 1983, the squadron embarked on an extended deployment off the coast of Beirut, Lebanon, in support of a multinational peacekeeping force. During 1985, VF-84 spent 68 days off the coast of Lebanon in response to the hijacking of TWA Flight 847.

F-4Bs of VF-84, flying from the USS Independence in 1965/67
F-4Bs of VF-84, flying from the USS Independence in 1965/67

The squadron's last cruise with Nimitz lasted from December 1986 until June 1987, when the Nimitz was rebased to Bremerton, WA. In October that year, CVW-8 (the carrier wing of which VF-84 was a part) was deployed with Theodore Roosevelt, beginning in the North Atlantic for Exercise Teamwork '88 which involved operations with the Royal Norwegian Air Force. The Roosevelt's first Mediterranean deployment was in December.

In December 1990, Theodore Roosevelt was joined by Ranger and Midway in the Persian Gulf. Throughout the Gulf War, VF-84 flew combat air patrols for the fleet, escorting the air wing’s strike aircraft and performing TARPS missions to collect bomb damage assessments. In total, squadron members flew 468 combat sorties. After the war, VF-84 flew an additional 111 sorties in support of Operation Provide Comfort before the Roosevelt was relieved by Forrestal in June 1991.

In March 1993, VF-84 deployed again on Theodore Roosevelt, the only F-14 squadron in a reconfigured airwing that included Marine F/A-18, CH-53 and UH-1 squadrons. VF-84 flew critical TARPS reconnaissance missions during Operation Deny Flight, providing information about Bosnian Serb positions around Sarajevo. The squadron also flew in support of Operation Southern Watch, enforcing the no-fly zone over southern Iraq. VF-84 returned to NAS Oceana in September 1993. It was to be the squadron's last Mediterranean deployment.

An F-14A Tomcat of VF-84, in its color scheme from the 1970's.
An F-14A Tomcat of VF-84, in its color scheme from the 1970's.

Due to the downsizing of the Navy after the Cold War, the Navy disestablished several squadrons, and VF-84 was one of them. The squadron spent its last eighteen months of existence participating in several joint service operations, honing its skills in air-to-air combat, strike and TARPS. The squadron also made another memorable appearance in another motion picture, Executive Decision. VF-84 was disestablished on October 1, 1995, but VF-103 Sluggers adopted the name and insignia of the Jolly Rogers. From its transition to the F-14 until its disestablishment, VF-84 had been a part of CVW-8.

[edit] The VF-103 Sluggers

VF-103 F8U-2 Crusaders from the USS Forrestal (CVA-59).
VF-103 F8U-2 Crusaders from the USS Forrestal (CVA-59).
An F-4J Phantom II from VF-103 lands on the USS Saratoga (CV-60).
An F-4J Phantom II from VF-103 lands on the USS Saratoga (CV-60).

VF-103 (the "Sluggers") was activated in 1952 as an F4U Corsair squadron. VF-103 shortly transitioned to the F9F Cougar. After a few years with the Cougar, VF-103 was one of the first squadrons to transition to the F-8 Crusader. Once the transition was completed they were teamed up with VF-102 on board Forrestal. Before the introduction to supersonic Crusader jets, American carrier battle groups were often embarrassed by British bombers during allied exercises as the RAF English Electric Canberras had always been able to make mock attacks on US Carriers with impunity. The carrier-based fighters at the time simply could not put up much resistance. During the 1958 Mediterranean cruise, British pilots were shocked when VF-103 tore through their formation of Canberras before they even had a chance to start their simulated attack.

The Sluggers became an F-4 Phantom II squadron during the Vietnam War. When the war escalated again in the summer of 1972, Saratoga with Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW-3) aboard, including the Sluggers, was rushed to the South China Sea in an attempt to deter a second 1972 attempt at a North Vietnamese invasion. On August 10, Lieutenant Commander Robert Tucker and Lieutenant Junior Grade Stanley Edens shot down a MiG-21 'Fishbed' with an AIM-7 Sparrow missile during a night interception. It was the first and only night MiG kill by the US Navy.

In January 1983, VF-103 was among the last fighter squadrons to transition to the F-14 Tomcat. The squadron conducted the first East Coast fighter squadron’s low altitude AIM-54 Phoenix missile shoot a month later. In October 1985, VF-103 and VF-74 participated in the interception of the Egyptian 737 carrying the Achille Lauro hijackers in 1985. During a long range night intercept by VF-74 and VF-103, the 737 was forced to land at NAS Sigonella on Sicily. The terrorists were taken into custody and then set free by Italian authorities.

VF-103 and the rest of the airwing participated in Operation Attain Document and Operation El Dorado Canyon in the spring of 1986.

VF-103 F-14A+ Tomcats enroute to Iraq while flying off USS Saratoga (CV-60) during Desert Storm.
VF-103 F-14A+ Tomcats enroute to Iraq while flying off USS Saratoga (CV-60) during Desert Storm.

In 1989 VF-103 transitioned to the F-14A+ (now known as the F-14B), and along with VF-74 took the more powerful breed of the Tomcat to sea in August 1990. When Kuwait was invaded by Iraq the same month, Saratoga was in the Mediterranean and soon joined Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea. VF-103 and VF-74 worked together to develop the tactics which was used in Operation Desert Storm. When the war started in January 1991, VF-103 conducted fighter escort for the air wing’s strike packages, reconnaissance and bomb damage assessment and combat air patrols. VF-103 lost an F-14 during the war, on the fourth day; an F-14 was shot down by what is believed to be an SA-2 'Guideline' surface-to-air missile while on an escort mission. After ejecting from his F-14B, the RIO (Radar Intercept Officer), Lieutenant Larry Slade, was captured by Iraqi troops and held in Baghdad as a POW until the end of the war. The pilot, Lieutenant Devon Jones was able to evade being captured, and after eight long hours deep into enemy territory, he was eventually rescued by USAF Special Forces.

[edit] Sluggers become Jolly Rogers

On October 1, 1995, VF-84 was disestablished. Not wanting the Jolly Rogers insignia to disappear or be transfered to an attack (VFA) squadron, VF-103 requested to adopt the Jolly Rogers name and insignia. (Ironically, VF-103 would in the future transition into VFA-103 flying F/A-18F Super Hornet variant.) Also in 1995, VF-103 conducted the fleet feasibility testing of the Air Force's LANTIRN targeting pod in a rapid prototyping initiative that led to adoption of the LANTIRN in the Tomcat community. In 1996, VF-103 became the first Tomcat squadron to introduce the LANTIRN targeting pod to operational service when it deployed in the summer. The LANTIRN radically improved the F-14's strike capabilities by providing a precision strike capability without having to rely on buddy lasing. In 1996 VF-103 deployed with the LANTIRN pod on a Mediterranean cruise with Enterprise. It participated on short joint-fleet exercise with the British Royal Navy, where they used their LANTIRN pods to designate targets for LGB-equipped Sea Harriers from the carrier HMS Illustrious. On August 30, Enterprise went on heightened alert in response to Iraqi armor movements near the northern Kurdish territories; Enterprise redeployed to the Persian Gulf from her previous station in Bosnia as a reaction to a stepped-up military presence against Iraq following a US joint-service attack. In 1997 VF-103 transferred from Enterprise to Dwight D. Eisenhower, and set sail to former Yugoslavia in June 1998 in order to protect the province of Kosovo. In November the carrier moved to the Persian Gulf in response to aggressive Iraqi posturing.

VF-103 F-14B Jolly Roger in high visibility markings.
VF-103 F-14B Jolly Roger in high visibility markings.

In the spring of 2002, VF-103 and its carrier George Washington deployed to the Persian Gulf and participated in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Southern Watch. VF-103 supported Coalition forces in Afghanistan flying Close Air Support, Forward Air Controller and TARPS missions. In September 2002, some poor bombing by VF-103 almost resulted in the severing of an Iraqi oil pipeline north of Basrah; consequently, further bombing with the F-14 was banned until almost at the outbreak of the war in March 2003. VF-103 was already on their way home by the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

VF-103 returned to the Persian Gulf for its final Tomcat cruise with John F. Kennedy on July 10, 2004 and just ten days later the squadron bombed an insurgent position. The unit saw more action then any other F-14 squadron deployed in the area after the end of the war. F-14s were usually paired with F/A-18s, and the unit participated in Operation Phantom Fury in October 2004 to provide aerial support over Falluja for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and 5000 Iraqi Army soldiers. During one mission an F-14 from VF-103 provided laser designation for an AH-1 Cobra helicopter’s AGM-114 Hellfire missile to destroy a building where insurgents had taken cover. This operation had never previously been attempted with a Hellfire, but the F-14 crew had been briefed on how to provide laser designation for AGM-65 Maverick missiles and believed it would be quite similar. The Hellfire missile successfully hit the building, which stopped the fire that the US troops were receiving. The Hellfire missile caused only minimal damage and soon the F-14 crew was ordered to two drop two GBU-12 laser guided bombs on the building, which levelled the structure. VF-103 had flown 384 sorties totalling 1913.4 hours and dropped 21 GBU-12 bombs in support Operation Iraqi Freedom Phase II.

An F/A-18F Super Hornet from VFA-103 prepares to launch from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
An F/A-18F Super Hornet from VFA-103 prepares to launch from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Until becoming the Jolly Rogers, VF-103 adorned their tailfins of their aircraft with a horizontal yellow arrow outlined in black. The original squadron insignia was a cloverleaf. Later a stylized aircraft darting through the leaf was added, along with a baseball bat. The baseball stemmed from an early skipper who often carried one with him. In 1991, VF-103's birds began to use its squadron insignia as their tail-art, in place of the trademark bold arrow. When the Sluggers became the Jolly Rogers it adopted the famous white skull-and-crossbones on black background as their new tail adornment. Because VF-103 took over the Jolly Roger after the disestablishment of VF-84 (rather than being organized as a new squadron), the Navy does not consider it to be part of the Jolly Rogers lineage; however they are listed here in the squadron history because they are the present Jolly Rogers.

[edit] Transition to Super Hornet

After a last deployment on John F. Kennedy with Carrier Air Wing Seventeen and returning to NAS Oceana in December 2004, VF-103 gave up their F-14B Tomcats and began transitioning to the F/A-18F Super Hornet and Carrier Air Wing Seven. The first deployment with the F/A-18F commenced in 2006 and ended in the spring of 2007. During the cruise with USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, VFA-103 and VFA-143 supported Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and operations off the Somali coast, and alongside "Legacy Hornet" squadrons VFA-131 and VFA-83, they dropped 140 precision guided weapons and performed nearly 70 strafing runs[1]. For their outstanding performance on this deployment, VFA-103 was awarded the AIRLANT Battle "E" for both 2006 & 2007, as well as the McKlusky Award as the best Attack Squadron in the US Navy for 2007.

[edit] The skull and crossbones

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The Jolly Rogers have always displayed some of the most recognizable squadron markings in the world: sinister white skull-and-crossbones on all-black tails, with gold bands wrapped around the tip of the tail fins, and black bands with gold chevrons (known as vagabonds strips from the Crusader days of VF-84) run down the sides of the forward fuselage . The squadron's prized mascot is a set of skull and crossbones enclosed in a glass encasement. "Passing of the bones" to the "FNG" (F'ing New Guy) is a time-honored Jolly Rogers tradition. The bones are supposedly the remains of Ensign Jack Ernie of VF-17. Ernie was allegedly killed during the Okinawa invasion in World War II, earning a posthumous Navy Cross. As his flaming aircraft spiraled towards earth, he made one last radio transmission in which he asked "to be remembered with the skull-and-crossbones." According to the story, Ernie's family later presented the squadron with the set of skull and crossbones and asked the squadron to fulfill Ernie's last wish. However no Jack Ernie appears on 1945 squadron rosters for either VF-17, VF-61, or VF-84. VF-17 did not serve in the Okinawa campaign. No one named Ernie is on the Navy's list of Navy Cross recipients, [3] for example. None of this has stopped the "Jolly Rogers", regardless of year or squadron number, from embracing the story.

[edit] Chronology of Squadrons using the Jolly Roger

[edit] The Jolly Rogers in Popular culture

[edit] References

  1. ^ CVW-7 Sailors Complete an Eight-Month Deployment

[edit] External links