over Vietnam in 1968–69.
1960s Attack Squadron 147 was commissioned as the U.S. Navy's first
A-7 Corsair II Squadron on 1 February 1967 at NAS Lemoore. The Squadron received its first A-7A on 28 June 1967. It was assigned to
CVW-2, and in December 1967, the Squadron flew its first combat missions (and the first for the A-7), striking targets in
North Vietnam from . The Squadron would deploy a total of five times in support of the
Vietnam War. In January 1968 while embarked on
Ranger, the Squadron flew support missions during the siege at
Khe Sanh before the carrier was ordered from
Yankee Station to the
Sea of Japan following the capture of by
North Korea on 23 January 1968. In April 1969, following the
shoot down of a Navy EC-121 aircraft by the North Koreans on 15 April,
Ranger, with VA-147 embarked, again left Yankee Station and proceeded to the Sea of Japan for operations off the coast of Korea. After deployment, the Squadron converted to the A-7E in September 1969.
1970s VA-147 deployed to WestPac/Vietnam aboard in 1970, and in 1971–72. From April 1972 in response to the
Easter Offensive, the Squadron participated in
Operation Freedom Train, tactical air sorties against military and logistic targets in South Vietnam and the Southern part of North Vietnam. In March–June 1973 embarked on
Constellation, VA-147 provided aerial support during
Operation End Sweep, the removal of mines from North Vietnamese waters. In November 1974, VA-147 embarked on USS
Constellation, operated in the
Persian Gulf. This was the first time in 26 years that an American carrier had entered and operated in the Persian Gulf. The Squadron won the Battle "E" Award in 1977 as the top Corsair Squadron in the
Pacific Fleet. refuels in 2005.
1980s VA-147 deployed aboard USS
Constellation in 1980 and 1981–82. During these deployments, the Squadron remained ashore at
NAS Cubi Point as CVW-9’s Beach Detachment as part of the "Swing Wing Concept" during most of
Constellations deployment. Between January 1984 and June 1987, the Squadron deployed three times aboard , including an around-the-world cruise. In September 1988 while embarked on the first of two deployments, VA-147 operated in the Sea of Japan in support of the
1988 Summer Olympic Games in
Seoul,
South Korea. The next month,
Nimitz, with VA-147 embarked, participated in
Operation Earnest Will, the escorting of reflagged
Kuwaiti tankers through the Persian Gulf. The Squadron was redesignated Strike Fighter Squadron 147 (VFA-147) on 20 July 1989, and transitioned to the
F/A-18C Hornet under the instruction of
VFA-125. The Squadron received its first LOT XII "Night Attack" Hornet in December 1989.
1990s The Squadron deployed to the Persian Gulf in March 1991 in support of
Operation Desert Storm during troop withdrawal operations. They became the Navy's first operational F/A-18 Squadron to employ the
Navigational Forward Looking Infra-Red pods (NAV FLIR) and
night vision goggles. In June 1995 they completed the transition to new LOT XVI/XVII F/A-18C aircraft with the
APG-73 radar and Enhanced Performance Engines. They made deployments to the Gulf three more times in support of
Operation Southern Watch aboard USS
Nimitz. In May 1998 the Squadron conducted a wholesale swap of their Lot XVI Hornets for Lot XI Hornets from
VFA-195.
2000s lands on in the Gulf of Oman, 2013. After the
September 11 attacks, the Squadron participated in
Operation Noble Eagle, flying combat patrols over
Los Angeles from . The Squadron deployed aboard USS
John C. Stennis in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom, conducting numerous strikes into
Afghanistan against
Taliban and
Al-Qaeda forces. During these missions, VFA-147 also helped refine the employment of the
Joint Direct Attack Munition. VFA-147 received the 2002 Battle E Award, recognizing them as the top Squadron in the Pacific Strike Fighter Wing. VFA-147 deployed aboard on 17 January 2003 to the Western Pacific for an 8-month deployment in the
South China Sea and the Western Pacific. The Squadron next deployed on USS
Carl Vinson with CVW-9 in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom in January 2005. CVW-9 was reassigned to USS
John C. Stennis in 2007. VFA-147 was awarded the 2007 Battle "E", and was named the U.S. Navy’s top F/A-18C Hornet Squadron for 2007 earning the Capt.
Michael J. Estocin Award. The Squadron began transitioning to the F/A-18E Super Hornets in October 2007, and completed transition in February 2008. VFA-147 and CVW-9 deployed with
John C. Stennis on a scheduled Western Pacific deployment on 13 January 2009. After 40 years of having been assigned to CVW-9, VFA-147 was reassigned to
CVW-14 aboard the for two deployments in 2010 and 2011. The following year, the Squadron was deployed to
CVW-11 aboard USS
Nimitz. VFA-147 participated in exercise
RIMPAC 2012 and began a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean on 30 March 2013. After 2 extensions and after supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, VFA-147 returned home on 12 December 2013. VFA-147 was selected to be the first operational Squadron to transition to the
F-35C in January 2018. On 1 March 2019, it was announced that VFA-147 was to transfer from Carrier Air Wing 11 to
Carrier Air Wing 2 for s next deployment.
Carl Vinson left San Diego for her deployment on 3 August 2021 returning on 14 February 2022. During the deployment, an F-35C,
BuNo169304, crashed into the flight deck of the
Vinson and slid off the carrier into the South China Sea. This marked the first loss of a carrier-variant F-35 fighter. In April of 2024, VFA-147 deployed with USS George Washington and
Carrier Air Wing Seven for Southern Seas 2024. In August of 2024 the Squadron joined
Carrier Air Wing Five and established operations at
MCAS Iwakuni,
Japan in November of 2024. The Squadron is the first forward deployed F-35C squadron in the US Navy. ==See also==