# Fighter Squadron 1 (United States Navy)
**Fighter Squadron 1 (VF-1)**, known as the "Wolfpack," was a fighter squadron of the [United States Navy](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-navy) that operated the Grumman F-14A Tomcat from its establishment at Naval Air Station Miramar, California, in October 1972 until its disestablishment on 1 October 1993. It was the fourth squadron in U.S. naval aviation history to bear the VF-1 designation, and in Operation Desert Storm it became the only Tomcat squadron to shoot down an enemy aircraft.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1999/january/lest-we-forget)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Designation history | The most recent Fighter Squadron One (VF-1) was established 1 October 1972 and disestablished 1 October 1993, per the Navy's squadron lineage record; a U.S. Naval Institute account gives the establishment date as 14 October 1972[2](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/pdf/app24.pdf) • [1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1999/january/lest-we-forget) |
| Nickname | Wolfpack[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1999/january/lest-we-forget) |
| Aircraft | F-14A Tomcat, the only aircraft flown by the squadron in almost 21 years of service[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1999/january/lest-we-forget) |
| Air wings and carriers | CVW-14 (1973), then CVW-2 aboard Ranger (CV-61); deployments also from Kitty Hawk (CV-63) in 1984[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1999/january/lest-we-forget) |
| First deployment | F-14 Tomcat's first operational deployment, on board Enterprise (CVN-65) beginning September 1974[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1999/january/lest-we-forget) |
| Desert Storm | More than 540 combat sorties; the only Tomcat squadron to shoot down an enemy aircraft during the campaign[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1999/january/lest-we-forget) |
| Predecessors | Three earlier units had held the VF-1 designation, from the 1920s Langley-era squadron through VF-1B, redesignated VB-2B in 1934[3](https://www.history.navy.mil/research/archives/Collections/command-operations-reports/aviation-commands/vfa-strike-fighter-squadrons.html) • [4](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2022/april/you-could-barely-see-deck) |
## The F-14 Tomcat and first deployments
VF-1 was one of the first two squadrons equipped with the F-14 Tomcat. The F-14 grew out of the Navy's VFX program after the F-111B was deemed too heavy for carrier operations and its contract was canceled in April 1968; Grumman's variable-geometry, two-seat, twin-engined design built around the Hughes AWG-9 weapons system won. The Navy received its initial F-14As in June 1972, and Fighter Squadron (VF) 124 was assigned the task of training crews. VF-1 and VF-2 were the first operational squadrons to receive the new aircraft on the West Coast, while VF-14 and VF-32 became the first Atlantic Fleet Tomcat squadrons.[5](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nnam/explore/collections/aircraft/f/f-14a-tomcat--pedestal-.html)
**First Tomcat cruise.** In July 1973 the Wolfpack became part of Carrier Air Wing 14, and starting in September 1974 it deployed operationally with the Tomcat for the first time aboard the Enterprise (CVN-65). A contemporary aviation review dates fleet deployment with VF-1 and VF-2 in the Enterprise to two months after initial operational capability, which was achieved in July 1974.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1999/january/lest-we-forget) • [6](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/1990/07/July1990.pdf) During that deployment, Enterprise participated in the evacuation of Americans and others from [South Vietnam](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-vietnam) in April 1975, and VF-1 flew air cover, including strafing runs, during the last two days of that month.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1999/january/lest-we-forget)
A period photograph shows a VF-1 F-14A at NAS Miramar releasing an [AIM-54 Phoenix](https://www.edgepedia.org/aim-54-phoenix) missile for firing, the long-range weapon that paired with the Tomcat's AWG-9 radar for fleet air defense.[7](https://nara.getarchive.net/media/a-copy-negative-of-a-us-navy-usn-f-14a-tomcat-fighter-squadron-1-vf-1-wolfpack-54a2c1)
## Later deployments and Desert Storm
After the first deployment, VF-1 made two more WestPac and Indian Ocean deployments with CVW-14, then transferred to CVW-2 on board the Ranger (CV-61) for two further deployments, including 130 days in the Indian Ocean during the 1980 [Iran hostage crisis](https://www.edgepedia.org/iran-hostage-crisis). Following a 1984 cruise aboard the Kitty Hawk (CV-63), the squadron moved up to the F-14A's Block 135 variant, and in 1987 it sailed on the Ranger, helping safeguard Kuwaiti tankers against Iranian and Iraqi attacks in the [Persian Gulf](https://www.edgepedia.org/persian-gulf) under [Operation Earnest Will](https://www.edgepedia.org/operation-earnest-will).[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1999/january/lest-we-forget)
VF-1 made three more deployments with CVW-2 on the Ranger. The second, beginning in December 1990, took the squadron into combat over Iraq and Kuwait in support of Operation Desert Storm. [The Wolfpack](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-wolfpack) flew more than 540 combat sorties during the aerial campaign and became the only Tomcat squadron to shoot down an enemy aircraft during it.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1999/january/lest-we-forget)
The squadron's final deployment flew patrols over Iraq enforcing the Operation Southern Watch no-fly zone, established to prevent Iraqi aircraft from striking Shia rebels in southern Iraq. In January 1993, VF-1 came back to Miramar for what would be its final homecoming, having additionally flown sorties in aid of American forces on the ground assisting famine victims in Somalia.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1999/january/lest-we-forget)
## Disestablishment
The Wolfpack's planned transition to the F-14D Super Tomcat was canceled when its planned disestablishment was announced. VF-1 transferred aircraft and crews to VF-2, the squadron selected to remain as CVW-2's sole but enlarged Tomcat squadron, and was officially disbanded on 1 October 1993.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1999/january/lest-we-forget)
## Earlier squadrons bearing the VF-1 designation
The VF-1 designation predates the 1972 Wolfpack. A Fighter Squadron One flew from the Navy's first carrier, Langley (CV-1), in the 1920s; Gerald F. Bogan, later a vice admiral, served as its executive officer for a year and then as skipper for two, participating in fleet cruises under Commodore J. M. Reeves, who worked to make aviation an integral part of the fleet.[4](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2022/april/you-could-barely-see-deck) A Curtiss TS-1 fighter of VF-1 is recorded as crashing on the Langley in this era.[8](https://navalaviationnews.navy.mil/Portals/59/Documents/InteractiveIssues/2024_Spring/assets/downloads/NAN%20SPRING%202024.pdf)
The Navy's lineage records trace a 1920s chain in which VF-4 was redesignated VF-1 on 1 July 1922, VF-1 was redesignated VF-1B on 1 July 1927, and VF-1B was redesignated VB-2B on 1 July 1934.[3](https://www.history.navy.mil/research/archives/Collections/command-operations-reports/aviation-commands/vfa-strike-fighter-squadrons.html) In the late 1920s VF-1B formed the "High Hatters" aerobatic team, and former Three Sea Hawks pilot Lieutenant Bill Davis flew with VF-1B pilots while assigned to Saratoga (CV-3).[9](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/browse-by-topic/communities/naval-aviation/notable-squadrons/seahawks.html)
**Lineage rules.** The Navy does not treat these units as one continuous squadron. According to the Navy's official squadron lineage guidance, a newly established squadron bearing the designation of a unit that previously existed may carry on the old organization's traditions, but it cannot claim the history or lineage of the previous unit; a squadron's history begins with its own establishment date.[2](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/pdf/app24.pdf)
## References
1. [Rick Burgess, "Lest We Forget: Fighter Squadron One," Proceedings, January 1999, U.S. Naval Institute](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1999/january/lest-we-forget)
2. [United States Naval Aviation 1910–1995, Appendix 24: Current Squadron Lineage, Naval History and Heritage Command](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/pdf/app24.pdf)
3. [VFA (Strike Fighter) Squadrons command history index, Naval History and Heritage Command](https://www.history.navy.mil/research/archives/Collections/command-operations-reports/aviation-commands/vfa-strike-fighter-squadrons.html)
4. [Vice Admiral Gerald F. Bogan, "'You Could Barely See the Deck'," Naval History Magazine, April 2022, U.S. Naval Institute](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2022/april/you-could-barely-see-deck)
5. [F-14A Tomcat (pedestal), National Naval Aviation Museum](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nnam/explore/collections/aircraft/f/f-14a-tomcat--pedestal-.html)
6. ["World Air Power Journal," July 1990, F-14 development summary, Air & Space Forces Magazine archive](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/1990/07/July1990.pdf)
7. [USN F-14A Tomcat of Fighter Squadron 1 (VF-1) Wolfpack releasing an AIM-54 Phoenix missile, NARA and DVIDS Public Domain Archives](https://nara.getarchive.net/media/a-copy-negative-of-a-us-navy-usn-f-14a-tomcat-fighter-squadron-1-vf-1-wolfpack-54a2c1)
8. [Naval Aviation News, Spring 2024, Chief of Naval Air Training](https://navalaviationnews.navy.mil/Portals/59/Documents/InteractiveIssues/2024_Spring/assets/downloads/NAN%20SPRING%202024.pdf)
9. ["The Three Sea Hawks: The Navy's First Aerobatics Team, 1928–29," Naval History and Heritage Command](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/browse-by-topic/communities/naval-aviation/notable-squadrons/seahawks.html)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Conflict and security › Armed forces and security organizations › Naval services and fleets › Fleets, commands, and bases*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license