VFA-31 or Strike Fighter Squadron 31 is known as the Tomcatters, callsign "Felix", a United States Navy strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana flying the F/A-18E Super Hornet. The Tomcatters are the second oldest Navy Fighter Attack squadron operating today.
Squadron insignia and nickname
The squadron was originally known as the Shooting Stars. The original "Felix the Cat" squadron was VF-3. After the Battle of Midway, VF-3 and VF-6 swapped designations on 15 July 1943, resulting in a three-year controversy as to which squadron owned the Felix name and emblem until VF-3 was re-designated VF-3A on 15 November 1946, and awarded the official approval to adopt Felix the Cat by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). VF-3A was then re-designated VF-31 on August 7, 1948.
The emblem and mascot is the famous cartoon character Felix the Cat, running with a large spherical black bomb with a lit fuse. The yellow field and outline were omitted from the aircraft and four stars at the end of a pair of sweeps were added. This emblem can be seen on the fuselage of the aircraft above the wing.
Several well-known aviators have flown with Felix on their shoulders, including Charles Lindbergh and Butch O'Hare.
The nickname Tomcatters was adopted in 1948.
History
Two US Navy squadrons have held the designation VF-31. The first to be designated VF-31 was in existence from May 1943 to Oct 1945 and is not related to the subject of this article. The second VF-31 has a direct lineage to the current VFA-31 " Tomcatters".
Early years
VFA-31, was originally established as VF-1B on July 1, 1935, flying the F4B, making it the second oldest active US Navy squadron behind VFA-14, which was originally established in 1919.
On 1 July 1937, the squadron combined with VF-8B and was redesignated VF-6, flying the F3F. Between the years 1937 and 1943 VF-6 flew the F3F-1 and two variants of the F4F Wildcat and ended with the F4F-4.
On 15 July 1943, VF-6 swapped designations with VF-3 and began flying the F6F Hellcat.
Through the years the squadron and their predecessors have served on many of the Navy's early aircraft carriers, including the first, ; the second, ; and the sixth, . They were aboard Enterprise during the Attack on Pearl Harbor as well as the battles of Wake Island, Marcus Island, Midway, Guadalcanal, and the Eastern Solomon Islands. The squadron also saw aerial combat over the Philippines, Formosa, Okinawa, and China.
On 7 August 1948, VF-3A was redesignated VF-31. For almost four years, the squadron flew the F9F Panther, the squadron's first jet aircraft.
1950s
In 1952, the squadron transitioned to the F2H Banshee, and then switched to the F3H Demon in 1957, flying it through 1962.
1960s
VF-31 transitioned to the F-4 Phantom II in 1964, flying the B model for two years before transitioning to the F-4J.
1970s
In 1972, squadron aircraft shot down a MiG-21 over North Vietnam with a F-4J Phantom and in doing so made VF-31 the only Navy fighter squadron to achieve aerial victories in three wars – World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
1980s
In 1980, VF-31 and concluded a 24-year period of continuous service together, the longest in US naval history.
VF-31 received the F-14A Tomcat in early 1981. The squadron's first cruise was on board . In 1983, VF-31 embarked on its fourth cruise with Kennedy. The cruise took the carrier and its air wing to the southern Mediterranean off the North African coast. VF-31 regularly flew over Lebanese and Syrian positions in support of multi-national peacekeeping operations, often being fired at by Syrian AAA. During a mission in early December 1983, heat-seeking SA-7 SAMs were launched at two squadron F-14s. Although both Tomcats were able to return safely to Kennedy, this incident led to US Navy retaliatory strikes. On December 4, both carriers in the Mediterranean Sea, Kennedy and , launched strikes against Syrian SAM sites, losing one A-7 Corsair II and one A-6 Intruder.
VF-31 shifted carriers and air wings in April 1985 joining along with its sister squadron, the VF-11 Red Rippers.
In June 1986, VF-31 and the rest of the Forrestal battle group set sail for the Mediterranean. While deployed the squadron participated in numerous fleet exercises. In August 1986, VF-31 participated in joint exercises with the Egyptian Air Force and Navy.