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F/A-18C 163777
Strike Fighter Squadron 146
Lemoore Naval Air Station, California
The Blue Diamonds of
VFA-146 have a long and noted history. In 1956, Attack Squadron 146
was commissioned and given the nickname “Blacktails” because of it's
designated color as the sixth squadron of the Air Group. VA-146
began flying a handful of F9F-8 Cougars as training commenced.
Less than a year after it's commission, VA-146 departed aboard USS Hornet
(CVA-12) for it's first WestPac deployment. Upon return, they
transitioned to the new FJ-4B Fury. Attack Squadron 146 adopted the
“Blue Diamonds” nickname in 1959. In 1962, the Blue Diamonds
moved to their current home aboard NAS Lemoore in California's San Joaquin
Valley. It was also time to transition from the FJ4-Bs to the A4D-2n
(A4C) Skyhawk.
In 1968, VA-146 was
completely re-equipped with the Navy's newest attack aircraft, the Vought
A-7B, and shortly thereafter, the A-7E. They headed west in 1973
aboard USS Constellation (CV-64) to participate in the Vietnam War.
During this deployment, CV-64 and CVW-9 received the Presidential Unit
Citation for service that signaled the end of the Navy's involvement in
Vietnam. The Blue Diamonds spent the majority of the Cold War with
CVW-9. A 14-year association with CVW-9 was broken 1983 when VA-146
was reassigned to Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2). A year later, the
Blue Diamonds were reassigned to CVW-9 and served aboard USS Nimitz.
In 1989, VA-146 was
redesignated VFA-146 and transitioned to the multi-role F/A-18C Night
Strike Fighter. The Blue Diamonds were the first fleet squadron to
receive this new version of the Hornet. With the Hornet, men and
women of VFA-146 were honored with many awards including the Boola-Boola
Award, the Scott F. Kirby Ordinance Efficiency Award, the Captain Jack
McAuley Award, and the Captain Michael Estocin Award. The Blue
Diamonds also received the CINCPAC Pearl Harbor Retention Excellence Award
by surpassing all commands in retention rate.
After the tragic events of
September 11, 2001, a six-plane VFA-146 detachment deployed and flew armed
Combat Air Patrols over the continental United States as a part of
Operation Noble Eagle. In November 2002, the Blue Diamonds set sail
aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) in support of Operation Enduring
Freedom. During this cruise, VFA-146 achieved 100% target
acquisition, 100% target destruction, and 100% target destruction bomb hit
assessment (BHA) video. The Blue Diamonds were the only squadron
in-theatre to accomplish this testament to great maintenance, training and
preparation. VFA-146 won an unprecedented 23rd consecutive CVW-9 Top
Hook Award, a Naval Aviation Record, and has surpassed sixteen years and
66,000 Class-A mishap-free flight hours.
The paint scheme depicted
here is a modification of a previous blue and yellow flamed version.
This scheme was applied for service in support of Operation Enduring
Freedom.
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