VFA-154
Strike Fighter Squadron 154 | |
---|---|
Commanders | |
Commanding Officer | CMD. Timothy P. Walsh |
Executive Officer | CMD. Michael Feagans |
Command Master Chief | CMDCM. Kyle Davis |
Aircraft flown | |
Fighter | F6F Hellcat F4U Corsair F9F-2 Panther FJ-3 Fury F-8 Crusader F-4 Phantom II F-14 Tomcat F/A-18F Super Hornet |
Strike Fighter Squadron 154 (VFA-154), also known as the "Black Knights", is a United States Navy strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore. The Black Knights are an operational fleet squadron flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet. They are currently attached to Carrier Air Wing Eleven and deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. Their tailcode is NH and their callsign is "Knight".[1]
History
Late 1940s to the 1980s
VFB-718 was established on 1 July 1946 as a Naval Reserve squadron at NAS New York in New York flying the F6F Hellcat. Soon they transitioned to the F4U Corsair. The unit went through several designation changes, becoming VF-68A then VF-837.
When the unit was called VF-837 the squadron moved to NAS Moffett Field in California. VF-837 flew a combat cruise in the Korean War of USS Antietam. By this time they were flying the F9F-2 Panther.
VF-837 returned from their first cruise and started working up for a second cruise. On 4 February 1953 while passing under the Golden Gate Bridge on board USS Princeton and on their way back to Korea, VF-837 was redesignated VF-154. VF-154 dropped 470 tons of bombs and expended 1,500,000 rounds of ammunition in Korea and on 15 June 1953 VF-154 flew 48 sorties on a single day, setting a record for a Navy squadron. By now the squadron had transitioned to the F9F-5 Panther. During this period until late 1957, the VF-154 insignia was a flaming black panther on a yellow background. In the late 1950s VF-154 flew the FJ-3 Fury.
In 1957 VF-154 transitioned to the Navy's first operational supersonic carrier aircraft, the F-8 Crusader. The combination of supersonic aircraft and modified World War II small deck, "27-Charley" carriers such as USS Hancock – VF-154's assigned carrier – was not easy on aircraft or pilots – VF-154 lost a full squadron of aircraft (14) and 20% of its pilots in the process.
In recognition of the new era and aircraft, VF-154 changed its insignia. Because of the new 1,000 mph fighters, the squadron was designated "The Grand Slammers" and a new insignia was designed by squadron pilot, John "Crash" Miottel with the final version drawn by the famous cartoonist
In 1965 the squadron deployed as part of Carrier Air Wing 15 on board
During 1968–69, 1969–70 and 1970–71 WestPac cruises aboard USS Ranger, VF-154 was equipped with the F-4J Phantom II which used the Westinghouse AWG-10 RADAR system. Beginning with their 16 November 1972 deployment on board USS Ranger, VF-154 participated in some of the last US Navy strikes of the war, they undertook the squadrons final Vietnam cruise, and they were awarded the Clifton Award – recognizing them as the best fighter squadron in the United States Navy.
In 1979 the unit transitioned to the F-4S, the last Navy version of the aircraft, but returned to the F-4N in January 1981. Several cruises with USS Coral Sea followed, as the carrier did not have strong enough decks to carry the
1990s
After the cruises with USS Constellation, CVW-14 moved to
In August 1991, USS Independence become home based at
With the cut back on F-14 squadrons, VF-154's sister squadron, VF-21, was disestablished, leaving them as the only F-14 squadron in CVW-5. It was at this time that VF-154 absorbed a large number of personnel and aircraft from VF-21. This increased the number of aircraft to 16 and VF-154 turned in to a "super squadron" due to size of personnel and number of aircraft. As well as keeping their TARPS role, VF-154 have become very active in the air-to-ground role. Regular deployments aboard USS Independence continued with carrier qualifications on board during November 1996.
The squadron arrived in
On 5 January 1998 CVW-5 was called to action due to trouble in the Persian Gulf. USS Independence arrived to the area on 4 February. VF-154 was leading the first CVW-5 flight package into southern Iraq within 24 hours. Although the tension eased the carrier and air wing remained on station until the end of May. Several missions were flown each day as part of Operation Southern Watch. With their new LANTIRN pods VF-154 were able to provide high quality video of potential targets day or night.
In July 1998 CVW-5 made their last cruise on board USS Independence. After a cross
In January 1999 squadron aircraft deployed to
2000's
Between 1999 and 2002, VF-154 would participate in five deployments in the Pacific as well as the Indian Ocean. In 2001, CVW-5 flew more than 600 missions and 100 combat sorties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
In 2003, VF-154 would make their last cruise with the F-14, this time in support of
On 1 April 2003, VF-154 lost one of its aircraft over southern Iraq when it suffered a single engine and fuel transfer system failure which caused the remaining engine to run dry. The crew, already two hours into its mission and having dropped some bombs, ejected and was soon picked up by an HH-60G helicopter. This F-14A was the first coalition aircraft to crash as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The remaining F-14s on USS Kitty Hawk, piloted mostly by junior officers, expended 246 GBU-12s, ten
In September 2003 VF-154 left NAF Atsugi for the last time and ended their 13 years in Japan and 20 years in the Tomcat. A month later, VF-154 was redesignated VFA-154 at its new home at
As USS Carl Vinson entered its overhaul cycle, CVW-9 and VFA-154 deployed to USS John C. Stennis. VFA-154 and CVW-9 embarked on a new deployment to the Persian Gulf in the spring of 2007 supporting Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and a joint-military exercise off Guam called Valiant Shield.
VFA-154 and CVW-9 deployed with USS John C. Stennis on a scheduled Western Pacific deployment on 13 January 2009. VFA-154 and CVW-9 returned to the United States on 6 July after participating in exercises with
In October 2009 VFA-154 transitioned to the new F/A-18F Block II Lot 30/31A AN/APG-79 AESA radar Rhino. In 2010 the squadron re-located from Carrier Air Wing Nine to Carrier Air Wing Fourteen aboard USS Ronald Reagan and departed on their 2011 deployment on 2 February. In March VFA-154 found itself in the familiar waters of Northern Japan supporting the tsunami relief efforts as part of Operation Tomodachi. The squadron flew reconnaissance flights identifying groups of survivors later to be rescued by CVW-14 Helicopters. Early to mid 2011 took the squadron to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan, respectively; as well as counter-piracy efforts throughout the Indian Ocean. The cruise was the final for CVW-14, bringing the squadron to CVW-11 aboard USS Nimitz in 2012. VFA-154 is currently assigned to Carrier Air Wing 11 aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.
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See also
- List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons
- List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons
- Modern United States Navy carrier air operations
- Naval aviation
References
- ^ "History". vfa154.navy.mil. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ USS Carl Vinson CVN-70 History
- ^ "Carrier Air Wing 9 Completes 2009 Deployment". CVW-9. US Navy. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
External links
- CRASH: VF-154 PILOT'S WEBSITE*[1]
- CRASH: FIRST VF-154 F8U-1 CARRIER OPERATIONS-WESPAC*[2]
- VF-154 History
- VFA-154 Black Knights
- Black Knights of VF-154 Official Site
- Tony Holmes (2005). US Navy F-14 Tomcat Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Osprey Publishing Limited.