VFA-14 (U.S. Navy)
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The Strike Fighter Squadron 14 (VFA-14) "Tophatters" are a United States Navy fighter attack squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore. They fly the F/A-18E Super Hornet, and are the Navy's oldest active squadron, having formed in 1919. Their callsign is ''Camelot'', and their tail code is ''NG.''


History

Since its inception the squadron has flown 23 different type aircraft, had its designation changed fourteen times, operated from 20 different aircraft carriers (and several battleships) and had 90 commanding officers (the 91st is now in command). Over the years the squadron has been assigned many different missions, including patrol and observation in its early years, and scouting, attack, fighter, bombing, and forward air control missions when it became associated with carrier-based operations. The squadron adopted the classic Top Hat as its squadron patch and called themselves the "High Hats".


Early years

The squadron began carrier operations on board the Navy's first aircraft carrier in 1926. The squadron, then designated Fighter Plane Squadron One, set the record for carrier landings in a single day. Flying the TS-1, they logged 127 traps by the end of flight operations. In 1929 the squadron was assigned to , where it began as a fighter squadron and transitioned to a bomber squadron. Throughout the 1930s, it flew the
Boeing FB-5 The Boeing Model 15 was a United States single-seat open-cockpit biplane fighter aircraft of the 1920s, manufactured by the Boeing company. The Model 15 saw service with the United States Army Air Service (as the PW-9 series) and with the United ...
, Boeing F2B,
Boeing F4B The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...
,
Curtiss F11C Goshawk The Curtiss F11C Goshawk was an American naval biplane fighter aircraft that saw limited success. It was part of a long line of Curtiss Hawk airplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company for the American military. Design and develo ...
, Curtiss SBC Helldiver and the SB2U-1 Vindicator. In 1939, while flying the Vindicator, the squadron was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet and .


1940s

While on ''Ranger'', the squadron provided air support for the
Allied invasion of North Africa Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – 16 November 1942) was an Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa while all ...
in November 1942. During the four days of 8 – 11 November, the pilots destroyed 16 enemy aircraft. Flying the Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber, the squadron participated in
Operation Leader Operation Leader was an air attack conducted against German shipping in the vicinity of Bodø, Norway, on 4 October 1943, during World War II. The raid was executed by aircraft flying from the United States Navy aircraft carrier , which was at ...
, the only American naval air strike against German forces in Norway. In November 1944, the squadron transferred to the Pacific Fleet, and participated in the
Leyte Campaign Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...
while attached to . After transferring to , the squadron bombed fortifications on
Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territorie ...
in January 1945, supported the assault on Iwo Jima in February, participated in the first naval carrier strike on Tokyo, and completed Pacific combat operations with strikes on Okinawa in early March 1945. After the war's end VB-4 made four cruises aboard , including a world cruise between 28 September 1948 and 21 February 1949, after which the squadron was based on the U.S. East Coast. On 15 November 1946 VB-4 became Attack Squadron 1A (VA-1A), and in August 1948 the squadron was again redesignated Attack Squadron 14 (VA-14) and transitioned from the SB2C-5 Helldiver to the
F4U-4 Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contract ...
. In December 1949 VA-14 was redesignated Fighter Squadron 14 (VF-14).


1950s

In 1951 and 1952 VF-14 made two deployments to the Mediterranean Sea aboard the modernized , still flying the F4U Corsair. In 1953, they deployed in USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) on another Med cruise with Air Task Group (ATG-201), (which included VF-11, VA-12, VF-13, AND VA-15). In 1954, VF-14 took on the role of all-weather interceptor when they transitioned to the F3D-2 Skyknight, but only made a three-months deployment aboard in late 1954. As the F3D proved unsuitable for carrier operations, the squadron transitioned to the F3H-2N Demon in 1955. VF-14 made two deployments aboard in 1957. The squadron was then re-equipped with F3H-2s. VF-14 and its parent CVG-1 were then reassigned to and made eight deployments to the Mediterranean Sea up to 1969.


1960s

In May 1963, the squadron transitioned to the
F-4B Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II variants were numerous versions and designations of the F-4 and are described below. Production numbers for major versions asterisk indicates converted from other version Variants ;XF4H-1 :Two prototyp ...
and on 23 January 1964 they became the first Phantom squadron to operate on board ''Franklin D. Roosevelt''. In June 1966, after moving to NAS Oceana, the squadron deployed to the South China Sea to conduct air strikes and support missions against military targets in North Vietnam. During this combat deployment, the squadron flew 1,688 hours on 967 combat sorties and delivered 651,624 pounds of ordnance, in addition to flying its traditional combat air patrol and fighter escort missions. When ''Franklin D. Roosevelt'' entered the
Norfolk Naval Shipyard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility tha ...
for modernization, CVW-1 and VF-14 were reassigned to in 1969 and stayed with it for nine deployments until 1982.


1970s

In January 1974, after four Mediterranean deployments, the squadron transitioned to the Navy's newest fighter, the
F-14A Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after t ...
at NAS Miramar and was teamed with
VF-32 Strike Fighter Squadron 32 (VFA-32), nicknamed the "Fighting Swordsmen" are a United States Navy strike fighter squadron presently flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet and based ashore at Naval Air Station Oceana. Their radio callsign is ''Gypsy'' an ...
as the first two Tomcat squadrons to arrive at NAS Oceana. In June 1975 they became the first Atlantic squadron to deploy with the F-14A alongside VF-32 aboard USS ''John F. Kennedy''. In October 1978, the squadron set an all-time F-14 flight hour record when they flew 977 hours in one month while deployed in the Mediterranean. In 1976, VF-14 launched the 100th AIM-54 Phoenix missile against a simulated cruise missile at a range of , killing it at a range of from ''John F. Kennedy''. During the same cruise, VF-14 intercepted a Soviet Tu-95 on 21 July. VF-14 escorted the bomber for around 45 minutes, during which the Soviet bomber made two passes over ''John F. Kennedy''.


1980s

In August 1980, the squadron deployed to the Mediterranean Sea on ''John F Kennedy''. During this deployment, VF-14 won the Silver Anchor Award and the Battle "E" Award for combat readiness, for the second year in a row. The achievements that contributed to the awards included 3 missile firing exercises with a 100% kill ratio, first East Coast TCS installations and 26,500 accident free flying hours over the space of 8 years. In June 1982 VF-14 was reassigned to
Carrier Air Wing 6 Carrier Air Wing Six (CVW-6) was a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing whose operational history spans from the middle of World War II to the end of the Cold War. Established in 1943 as Carrier Air Group Seventeen (CVG-17), it would b ...
aboard , and in July was named the "Best Fighter Squadron" for its performance in the Fleet Fighter Air Combat Readiness Program (FFARP). In October and early November 1983 the squadron supported the American-led
Invasion of Grenada The United States invasion of Grenada began at dawn on 25 October 1983. The United States and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, ...
. Following this, VF-14 proceeded east to the Mediterranean to participate in contingency operations off the coast of Lebanon. In early December 1983, the Tophatters were again called upon to provide combat air support for the elements of the multi-national forces in Beirut. On 1 April 1985, the squadron returned to ''John F. Kennedy'', where they spent the rest of the year on a turnaround-training schedule, which included eleven detachments to various parts of the United States and Canada. Although again aboard ''John F. Kennedy'', VF-14 was now assigned to Carrier Air Wing 3. On 18 April 1986, the squadron departed for the Mediterranean once again and were extended on deployment due to the Lebanon hostage crisis. Upon their return to the United States, the squadron was again proclaimed the "Best Fighter Squadron" by winning the 1987 FFARP award. In 1989, VF-14 was presented with the "Grand Slam" award in recognition of their perfect missile firing record. The squadron entered 1990 conducting workups for deployment and making portcalls in Portland, Mayport, New York City and Boston. During exercises off Puerto Rico, the squadron operated against French
Super Étendard Super may refer to: Computing * SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter / player * Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages * Super key (keyboard butto ...
and F-8 Crusaders from the .


1990s

On 10 August 1990, eight days after the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait, the squadron was ordered to emergency deploy to the Red Sea aboard ''John F. Kennedy'' to take part in Operation Desert Shield. During the months leading up to the war, the squadron assisted in enforcing the Iraqi embargo flying combat air patrol (CAP) and standing alert duty continuously. On the morning of 17 January 1991, the squadron once again flew into combat when they joined United Nations forces in the air assault on Iraq. VF-14 and VF-32 flew CAP and fighter escort missions for CVW-3 strike and support aircraft throughout Desert Storm operating in Western and Central Iraq initially and then conducting long range barrier CAP missions in eastern Iraq near the Iranian border with other Tomcat squadrons from the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf that lasted an unprecedented 7–8 hours. After combat operations ended, ''John F. Kennedy'' remained briefly in the Red Sea stopping off the coast of Egypt for a portcall before returning to NAS Oceana after eight months at sea. In December 1991, VF-14 became one of the first squadrons to begin training for the Tomcat's new air-to-ground mission. After low altitude flight training and several strike-related schools, the squadron put their new skills to the test during Air Wing work-ups in Fallon, Nevada. In October 1992, the squadron again headed east for a Mediterranean deployment. Once past the
Rock of Gibraltar The Rock of Gibraltar (from the Arabic name Jabel-al-Tariq) is a monolithic limestone promontory located in the British territory of Gibraltar, near the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, and near the entrance to the Mediterr ...
, VF-14 began flying air superiority and reconnaissance missions in the Adriatic Sea in support of UN policies in the former Yugoslavia. During this deployment, the squadron also participated in several exercises with Egypt, Morocco and Turkey, while continuing to support operations off the coast of the former Yugoslavia and Operation Provide Comfort in Iraq. In 1995, the squadron was the test bed for the Tomcat air-to-ground rockets program. The squadron was awarded the Fighter Fling Banner Blaster award for their superior performance in the air-to-air gunnery arena. In late 1995, the squadron was detached from CVW-3 when the Navy began reducing the number of Tomcat squadrons to carrier air wings from two to one and retaining the TARPS-capable squadrons. As a non-TARPS squadron, VF-14 was originally slated for disestablishment and temporarily assigned to Fighter Wing One at NAS Oceana. The following year saw much uncertainty for many Tomcat squadrons, but a grassroots campaign to continue the lineage of the Navy's oldest squadron was successful in saving the squadron from extinction and the squadron was assigned to
Carrier Air Wing 8 Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8), is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier Mission To conduct carrier air warfare operations and assist in the ...
, which was losing VF-84, with sister squadron VF-41. In January 1996, the squadron once again rejoined ''John F. Kennedy''. In March, the squadron deployed on . In June the squadron took a 40-day cruise aboard ''John F. Kennedy'' to Ireland and England. Next, VF-14 visited the Mediterranean and other areas. During March 1998, VF-14 changed its home to . In 1999, the squadron participated in NATO's Operation Allied Force and in Operation Southern Watch. VF-14 dropped more than 395,000 pounds of ordnance on various targets in support of Operation Allied Force, and guided 190 different weapons fired from other aircraft onto targets, including laser guided bombs and laser guided AGM-65 Maverick missiles, scoring a 100% success rate while guiding AGM-65 Maverick missiles


2000s

In April 2001, VF-14 embarked on their final F-14 cruise on board , supporting Operation Southern Watch and
Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...
. As the carrier headed for home and on its way to South Africa they were given order to head to the North Persian Gulf after the September 11 attacks. USS ''Enterprise''/CVW-8 had been elected to be the night carrier during
Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...
and thus did not see action until 8 October, VF-14 attacked a radar warning installation near Kabul during CVW-8's initial strike, which had been envisioned to have a section of F/A-18s, a section of F-14s from VF-14 and an EA-6B from
VAQ-141 Electronic Attack Squadron 141 (VAQ-141), also known as the "Shadowhawks", is an EA-18G Growler squadron of the United States Navy that is based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, located in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan. VAQ-141 falls under the cog ...
, but due to insufficient fuel available for the Hornets, only the F-14s and the EA-6B pressed on. After their return to the US in November, VF-14 had dropped 173,324 lbs of ordnance (174 laser-guided bombs), VF-14 also buddy-lased 28 AGM-65s and 23 laser-guided bombs. After their last F-14 cruise VF-14 and VF-41 relocated to NAS Lemoore and began the transition to the
F/A-18 Super Hornet The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft variants based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The F/A-18E single-seat and F/A-18F tandem-seat variants are larger and more adv ...
switching to CVW-11 and . Both squadrons deployed to participate in
Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
(OIF) aboard USS ''Nimitz'' and prior to arrival in the Persian Gulf, two VF-14 F/A-18Es and two F/A-18Fs ( VFA-41) were forward deployed to in late March 2003 to augment its airwing. The Super Hornets were requested to boost the air refueling capabilities of CVW-14 as well as qualified Forward Air Controllers, Airborne (FAC (A)) (the F/A-18Fs). The division of F/A-18s flew from USS ''Nimitz'' to USS ''Abraham Lincoln'', a trip. On 6 April, the Hornets returned to USS ''Nimitz''. During OIF, VFA-14 expended laser-guided bombs, JDAM bombs and AGM-65 missiles and conducted numerous long-range missions to northern Baghdad and Tikrit. After its OIF cruise in 2003, VFA-14 conducted Air Wing training at NAS Fallon and made the maiden deployment with in 2004, the cruise took them from Virginia to California around South America. After work-ups in 2004 they deployed for a 2005 cruise, supporting OIF and flying over 2,100 sorties and over 4,300 flight hours. In 2006, VFA-14 made detachments to NAS Fallon and a joint exercise with the Royal Air Force to Scotland. Training continued through 2006 with a Strike Fighter Advance Readiness Program (SFARP) with a three-week detachment to NAS Fallon. VFA-14 and CVW-11 participated in
Navy Fleet Week A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
in San Francisco in early October. During this period, two F/A-18Es made a flyover during a San Francisco 49ers football game. Training continued into 2007 in preparation for the up-coming GULF/WESTPAC deployment in support of OIF and OEF, and exercise Valiant Shield near Guam. On 18 January 2008, it was announced that CVW-11 would deploy on 24 January to the Pacific for a surge-deployment on board ''Nimitz''. During 2009 CVW-11 and the ''Nimitz'' Strike Group conducted several training exercises off the coast of Southern California including composite unit training and joint task force training in anticipation for their 2009–2010 deployment. On 28 July it was reported that CVW-11 and the ''Nimitz'' Strike Group was to depart for a seven-month deployment.


2010s

VFA-14 and VFA-41 changed air wings and carriers to CVW-9 and and on 27 July 2011 CVW-9 deployed on board USS ''John C. Stennis'' to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, counter-piracy and maritime security operations.


2020s

VFA-14 participated in dual carrier operations in the South China Sea with the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike, as well as joint exercise Valiant Shield in June 2022, and bilateral exercises Noble Fusion in February and Jungle Warfare in March, both with the Japanese Self-Defense Force, and, most recently, VFA-14 trained alongside 26 participating nations during Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 in July.


See also

* History of the United States Navy * List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons


Notes


VF-14 1973 historyVFA-14 1974 history
*Tony Holmes (2005). ''US Navy Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom Part One'', Osprey Publishing Limited. *Tony Holmes (2015). ''F-14 Bombcat The US Navy's Ultimate Precision Bomber'', Key Publishing Limited.


External links


The Tophatters Web siteTophatters Veterans WebsiteSlapshot Endorsed Tophatters Virtual/Online SquadronTop Hatters Squadron, USNSCC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vfa-14 Strike fighter squadrons of the United States Navy