VF - 142 VF - 142 " Ghostriders " was a US Navy fighter squadron established on 24 August 1948 as VF - 193 . It was renamed VF - 142 on 15 October 1963 , and disestablished on 30 April 1995 . History . Late 1940s to the 1970s . Fighter Squadron 193 ( VF - 193 ) was commissioned on 24 August 1948 and assigned to Carrier Air Group Nineteen . The squadron was equipped with the Vought F4U - 4 Corsair . It made two deployments to Korea during the Korean War between 1950 and 1952 aboard the aircraft carrier . In 1953 the squadron transitioned to the McDonnell F2H - 3 Banshee . CVG - 19 then made two deployments to the Western Pacific aboard the Alan B . Shepard Jr , later of NASA was the executive officer . in 1953 - 54 and 1955 and one on the in 1957 . In 1958 the squadron then transitioned to the supersonic McDonnell F3H - 2 Demon fighter . VF - 193 then made four tours with CVG - 19 aboard the , also to the Western Pacific . In 1963 , VF - 193 transitioned to the McDonnell F - 4B Phantom II . On 15 October 1963 the squadron was re - designated VF - 142 . From 1953 to 1962 there had been another fighter squadron VF - 142 . This squadron had been established as United States Naval Reserve squadron VF - 791 " Fighting Falcons " and was redesignated VF - 142 after becoming a regular squadron on 4 February 1953 . It was again re - designated VF - 96 on 1 June 1962 . Between May 1964 and May 1968 , the Ghostriders made four deployments to the Pacific on board the and the three other deployments with the . During these cruises deployed to the Vietnam War , VF - 142 downed two MiG - 21 ’ s , one MiG - 17 and one AN - 2 Colt This was a result of finding a problem correcting pilots , RIO ' s and line service personnel making adjustments to the Radar display that were incorrect which resulted in incorrect closing velocity information being sent to the missiles , this was discovered by an IMA ( intermediate maintenance activity ) technician and later verified by a Raytheon Tech Rep . Prior to that , success with Sparrow III missiles had not been good . VF 142 was also awarded a Battle Efficiency ( E ) at that time . In 1969 they transitioned from the F - 4B to the F - 4J and headed out for a new cruise with the Constellation on August 11 , 1969 . VF - 142 was awarded the Naval Aviation Safety Award for 1969 - 1970 . In June 1971 , VF - 142 deployed with the for their sixth combat deployment to Vietnam . In September 1972 VF - 142 deployed for their seventh and last combat deployment to Asia . Missions were flown in support for the first B - 52 strikes into the heart of North Vietnam prior to the cease fire . VF - 142 downed their fifth enemy aircraft , a MiG - 21 , making VF - 142 the Navy ’ s first ace squadron of the war . In 1974 , the Ghostriders deployed to the Mediterranean with the and after their return to NAS Miramar they transitioned to the F - 14 Tomcat . On April 1 , 1975 , the squadron changed their home base from Miramar to NAS Oceana , leaving Carrier Air Wing 14 for Carrier Air Wing 6 . In April 1976 VF - 142 deployed to the Mediterranean Sea and conducting the first F - 14 intercept of a Soviet Tu - 95 Bear bomber on April 23 , 1976 . The Ghostriders were awarded the Battle E for their outstanding performance prior to and during the cruise . In 1978 , the Ghostriders changed both ship and air wing as Carrier Air Wing 7 and became their new home . In January 1979 they deployed for Eisenhower ’ s first Mediterranean deployment . They returned to NAS Oceana on July 16 , 1979 . 1980s . In 1980 they began workups before heading to the Indian Ocean on April 16 , 1980 . As part of the 7th Fleet , Eisenhower and CVW - 7 participated in contingency operations in support of US policy during the Iran Hostage Crisis . From April 16 to December 22 , 1980 , the Ghostriders were at sea continuously with the exception of one five - day port visit to Singapore . For this deployment the squadron was awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal and a Navy Unit Commendation . Between January 5 and July 15 , 1982 yet another Mediterranean cruise was underway . After this cruise the squadron conducted a 4 month training cycle which included detachments to Nellis AFB and NAS Fallon , Nevada . On April 27 , 1983 , VF - 142 departed Norfolk , Virginia for operations in the Middle East . From mid July until the end of the deployment in December 1983 , VF - 142 spent all but five days at sea in support of US Marines and multinational peace - keeping forces in Beirut , Lebanon . VF - 142 ’ s 32 officers and 205 enlisted men and 12 F - 14 ’ s accumulated over 3 . 200 flight hours and 1500 carrier landings . During this cruise , VF - 142 would intercept two Libyan MiG - 23 ' s that were heading towards the carrier group , no weapons were fired . In 1984 , VF - 142 had detachments to Nellis AFB , Roosevelt Roads Naval Station and NAS Fallon . In march the squadron set a new standard of excellence by achieving a 6 . 2 : 1 kill ratio during the Fleet Fighter Air Combat Maneuvering Readiness Program ( FFARP ) and captured the CVW - 7 ACM shootdown Trophy for the second year in a row . On May 7 , 1984 , the Ghostriders departed Norfolk for training which followed by a visit to Normandy for the D - Day 40th Anniversary celebration . From July 10 to July 19 and again from August 8 to September 7 , 1984 , VF - 142 cruised the Caribbean Islands for a very successful Operation Readiness Exercise . In October the squadron deployed to the Mediterranean for one of its most successful deployments ever . VF - 142 flew over 4000 accident and FOD free hours and dominated the competition for the coveted Battle E award . They returned to NAS Oceana on May 7 , 1985 , the Ghostriders had a little time home with the loved ones before leaving again on July 18 for the Central American operating area . During this time , they also participated in Ocean Safari , a 3 carrier battle group exercise in the North Atlantic . The squadron finally returned home on September 4 , 1985 for an extended turnaround while Ike went into the shipyard for its first overhaul . After a change of command in April 1987 , the squadron left NAS Oceana on May 2 for a CVW - 7 weapons training detachment to NAS Fallon . There , the Ghostriders spearheaded what was described as " the best fighter performance ever seen " by the Commander of the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center . From June 15 to July 23 , 1987 the Ghostriders were embarked in Ike for her Shakedown Cruise . Thus began several short sea periods in preparation for their upcoming Mediterranean cruise . The squadron spent five weeks in the Caribbean where they participated in joint service operations with the Venezuelan Air Force . In September and late October , during operations in the Caribbean , the Ghostriders successfully fired 2 AIM - 54 , 3 AIM - 7 and 4 AIM - 9 air - to - air missiles . January 1988 saw the Ghostriders once again deployed with Ike . The squadron started the year off on the right foot contributing directly to the success of the first fleet exercise of 1988 . The exercise , which also involved in dual carrier operations , was staged against adversary forces consisting of US Navy and Air Forces assets . The Ghostriders flew around the clock for five days testing their abilities in all aspects of anti - air warfare . Following the exercise , they successfully fired and guided 3 air - to - air missiles . On February 29 , 1988 , the squadron departed NAS Oceana for a 6 month Mediterranean deployment with USS " Dwight D . Eisenhower " . The cruise was highlighted by the Ghostriders participation in several joint NATO , Air Force and Navy exercises . VF - 142 flew overland and over - water missions in several highly successful NATO exercises with Spain , France and Tunisia . The squadron flew over 1200 sorties totaling 2500 hours during a six - month deployment . Following a brief standdown period , VF - 142 commenced preparation for the Fleet Fighter Air Combat Maneuvering Readiness Program . After a highly successful FFARP in October and November , the Ghostriders participated in a missile exercise at Roosevelt Roads from December 7 to December 18 , 1988 . VF - 142 fired 2 AIM - 54 , 3 AIM - 7 and one AIM - 9 missiles to culminate an extremely successful year of operations . 1989 began with an air - to - air gunnery detachment to NAS Key West . April was spent preparing for and then deploying with Ike for a week of Independent Steaming Exercises . Following a brief port visit to Norfolk , Ike and her airwing departed to take part in the highly successful exercise Solid Shield 89 , along with thousands of personnel from the Marines , Navy , Air Force and Army . After returning from Solid Shield , the squadron began transitioning to the F - 14B , receiving its first new aircraft on March 24 , 1989 . The F - 14B , with much more powerful engines and several avionics upgrades , represents a long awaited update to the Tomcat . The Ghostriders and their sister squadron , the VF - 143 Pukin ' Dogs , were the Navy ' s first squadrons to fly the FFARP , conduct airwing strike exercises at NAS Fallon and became the first to deploy with the new F - 14B . 1990s . The squadron deployed on the March 8 , 1990 , to the Mediterranean for a 6 month deployment once again with Ike . Ghostriders aircrew engaged many NATO aircraft in exercise Dragon Hammer 90 , and the new F - 14Bs proved to be superior performers . The Ike transited the Suez Canal on August 8 in response to Iraq ' s invasion of Kuwait . Ike and Airwing 7 were the first to arrive and took up station in the Red Sea in support of Operation Desert Shield . The first ever Red Sea battle group was well protected under the watchful eyes of the F - 14B flying combat air patrol . The squadron exceeded 2300 flight hours and logged over 1200 arrested landings in their new Tomcats . The Ghostriders maintenance did an outstanding job in maintaining the new systems , and the squadron completed 1227 of 1229 assigned sorties . With a conflict in the Persian Gulf brewing , the Ghostriders took a short break after returning , but quickly got back on an accelerated turnaround schedule in case the need arose for more carriers in the Middle East . In October 1990 , the squadron got in a quick at sea period for some carrier refresher . From the end of November to the end of December saw the squadron completing the most successful FFARP ever with an 11 . 5 : 1 kill ratio . This earned the squadron the FFARP trophy for 1990 . The Ghostriders quickly resumed full training as the crisis in the Middle East loomed . The squadron combined regular turnaround training with constant carrier qualification readiness to provide a ready asset . After the crisis passed the next deployment was finally set for September 1991 . The Eisenhower departed Norfolk on September 26 , 1991 for a 6 month deployment to the Persian Gulf . While acting as a deterrent to regional aggression , the Ghostriders participated in many joint and multi - national exercises throughout the 6 month in the region . On the way home , the Ike was tasked to be the focal point of Teamwork 92 , a large multi - national exercise in the North Atlantic . After a brief break that followed their 6 month deployment , the Ghostriders returned to full speed preparing for their transition to the . The newest carrier in the fleet welcomed CVW - 7 in the early fall of 1992 and quickly got underway with a six - week shakedown cruise . Early 1993 saw the Ghostriders excel once again in FFARP against adversaries of VF - 43 . With the new emphasis on using Tomcat in an air - to - ground role , the Ghostriders developed an entirely new syllabus for FFARP which incorporated the F - 14B as self - escorted strike - fighters . The squadron then spent several weeks in the Spring flying as adversaries for the US Air Force Weapons School in Nevada . While in this detachment at Nellis AFB , the aircrew continued to train as strikers by dropping live Mk - 80 series bombs and the first Rockeye delivery of a fleet F - 14 . The Ghostriders pushed into the Summer of ' 93 with a brief at sea period for carrier training and integration with the other squadrons of CVW - 7 . Immediately following , the squadron completed the newly developed air - to - ground intensive AARP training . The new syllabus emphasized the latest in F - 14B strike tactics . The Ghostriders deployed in May , 1994 , on board USS " George Washington " ( CVN - 73 ) for a six - month cruise . Their work included peace keeping operations over Bosnia - Herzegovina and Iraq . For their exceptional work they were awarded the Battle " E " and Golden Wrench . Unfortunately in the climate of budget cuts and air wing reorganization , VF - 142 was disestablished in April 1995 .