1940s VF-51's roots are traced back to 1927 when the Screaming Eagles insignia could be seen with the VF-3S Striking Eagles which flew the
Curtis F6C-4. In October 1947, the Screaming Eagles became the first Navy squadron to enter the jet age with delivery of the
North American FJ-1 Fury; the squadron used this fighter to conduct the USN's first operational all-jet
aircraft carrier landing at sea on 10 March 1948 aboard . VF-51 then transitioned to the
Grumman F9F-3 Panther. Due to fears of a possible invasion of the
Republic of China on Taiwan, VF-51 and the rest of the Valley Forge's
Air Group and the Triumph moved south to keep watch before rejoining the war on 18 July. Future astronaut and first man to walk on the Moon,
Neil Armstrong, was also a
Naval Aviator in VF-51 during this period.
1960s During the
Vietnam War, VF-51 was the first squadron to evaluate the air-to-ground capability of the
F-8 Crusader, and because of this, VF-51 was picked to fly secret interdiction missions into
Laos in June 1964. In 1965 VF-51 flew F-8 Crusaders off the USS Ticonderoga (CVA 14) flying missions into Vietnam and Laos. The squadron became MiG killers when they shot down two
North Vietnamese MiG-21s in 1968.
1970s In 1971 VF-51 transitioned to the
F-4 Phantom and shot down four
MiG-17s. VF-51 flew from since November 1971 until July 1975. In 1976, VF-51 and the rest of Carrier Air Wing 15 was deployed on a peacetime Mediterranean cruise on , returning in April 1977. The purpose of this cruise on a soon-to-be scrapped carrier was to take the first squadron of
United States Marine Corps AV-8A Harriers to sea. Following this Mediterranean cruise and return to
NAS Miramar, VF-51 phased out its F-4 Phantom IIs. On 16 June 1978, VF-51 transitioned to the Block 100 version of the
F-14A Tomcat and their first cruise with the F-14 was in May 1979 with
Carrier Air Wing 15 aboard . As part of CVW-15, VF-51 remained partnered with its sister squadron,
VF-111, also flying the F-14. This cruise, originally slated to end in early December 1979, was extended by Presidential direction during the
Kitty Hawk Battle Group's final port call in the Philippines in late November 1979 as a result of the seizure of the American Embassy in Iran the same month and the subsequent
Iranian Hostage Crisis. Both squadrons participated in the preparatory efforts to rescue American hostages in Iran, frequently intercepting both Iranian and Soviet aircraft in the region, but departing the Indian Ocean in February 1980 and turning responsibilities over to the Battle Group and its embarked
Carrier Air Wing 8 with
VF-41 and
VF-84 prior to execution of
Operation Eagle Claw. For this 1979–1980 deployment, VF-51 was awarded the
Battle E as the top fighter squadron in the Pacific Fleet.
1980s . During their 1981 cruise, on 7 September;
NL-106 (One of VF-51's aircraft) was struck by an
NL-306, an
A-7E Corsair II from
VA-22. While both aircraft's crew survived, a deckhand from VF-51 was killed in the accident. After that cruise with the
Kitty Hawk, the air wing moved to the East coast for a short period of time, flying from the newly introduced from March to October 1983 as the ship transited via an around-the-world cruise to its new homeport of
NAS Alameda, California and assignment to the Pacific Fleet. VF-51 is credited to be the first F-14 squadron to intercept
Soviet Tu-22M (Tu-26) Backfire bombers, armed
MiG-23 Floggers and
Su-15 Flagons using the Tomcat's TCS (Television Camera Sight). The TCS allowed the crew to passively identify a target to determine if it was hostile or not. During the 1986–1987 cruise with USS
Carl Vinson, VF-51 conducted operations in the
Bering Sea during the winter.
Carl Vinson and CVW-15, with VF-51 attached, departed for the ship's fourth overseas deployment on 15 June 1988. While on station, the carrier supported
Operation Earnest Will, the escort of U.S. flagged
tankers in the
Persian Gulf. The carrier returned to the States on 16 December 1988 and was awarded the Admiral Flatley Memorial Award for aviation safety for 1988. In February 1990, USS
Carl Vinson conducted operations in the
Western Pacific and
Indian Ocean. VF-51 and VF-111 took part in several exercises with regional air forces, including
Singapore,
Malaysia and
Thailand. The air wing returned home on 29 July.
1990s Original Navy plans saw VF-51 and VF-111 becoming the first deployable squadrons to transition to the
F-14D Super Tomcat, however these plans were cancelled in December 1991. After moving back to the
Kitty Hawk with CVW-15, VF-51 participated in
RIMPAC 1992 between June and July 1992. The squadron along with the rest of CVW-15 left on their 1992 WESTPAC cruise on 3 November 1992. in 1993. After relieving the
USS Ranger CV-61 and
CVW-2 on 18 December, VF-51 and the rest of the air wing took up station off the coast of
Somalia as part of
Operation Restore Hope. After turning over to
CVW-9 and the
USS Nimitz CVN-68 on 18 March, VF-51 returned on 3 May 1993. VF-51 and CVW-15 began their final deployment on 24 June 1994. Originally slated to be another
Southern Watch deployment, the Air Wing was diverted to the
Korean Peninsula in light of the
Nuclear crisis and the recent death of North Korean leader
Kim Il-Sung. On 11 July 1994,
NL-102 (An F-14A assigned to VF-51) struck the back deck of the
Kitty Hawk while landing in stormy seas and split into two pieces. Both the Pilot and
RIO ejected from the fireball but the Pilot landed into the flames. Despite this, he survived although he received severe burns. Secretary of the Navy
John H. Dalton visited the ship on 15 October to award those who saved the pilot's life. VF-51 arrived back from their last cruise on 22 December 1994. On 31 March 1995, the squadron was decommissioned. ==In popular culture==