![]() In April, 1988 VF-31 and the Forrestal battle group set sail for a six-month Indian Ocean cruise which lasted for six months. In September 1987, VF-31 and the Forrestal battle group participated in North Atlantic exercises above the Arctic Circle. In August 1986, VF-31 participated in joint exercises with the Egyptian Air Force and Navy. While deployed the squadron participated in numerous fleet exercises. In June 1986, VF-31 and the rest of the Forrestal battle group set sail for the Mediterranean. VF-31 shifted carriers and air wings in April 1985 joining USS Forrestal along with its sister squadron, the VF-11 Red Rippers. On December 4, both carriers in the Mediterranean Sea, Kennedy and USS Independence, launched strikes against Syrian SAM sites, losing one A-7 Corsair II and one A-6 Intruder. Although both Tomcats were able to return safely to Kennedy, this incident led to US Navy retaliatory strikes. During a mission in early December 1983, heat-seeking SA-7 SAMs were launched at two squadron F-14s. VF-31 regularly flew over Lebanese and Syrian positions in support of multi-national peacekeeping operations, often being fired at by Syrian AAA. The cruise took the carrier and its air wing to the southern Mediterranean off the North African coast. In 1983, VF-31 embarked on its fourth cruise with Kennedy. The squadron's first cruise was on board USS John F. VF-31 received the F-14A Tomcat in early 1981. In 1980, VF-31 and USS Saratoga concluded a 24-year period of continuous service together, the longest in US naval history. The second VF-31 has a direct lineage to the current VFA-31 " Tomcatters". The first to be designated VF-31 was in existence from May 1943 to Oct 1945 and is not related to the subject of this article. Two US Navy squadrons have held the designation VF-31. ![]() The nickname Tomcatters was adopted in 1948. Several well-known aviators have flown with Felix on their shoulders, including Charles Lindbergh and Butch O'Hare. This emblem can be seen on the fuselage of the aircraft above the wing. The yellow field and outline were omitted from the aircraft and four stars at the end of a pair of sweeps were added. The emblem and mascot is the famous cartoon character Felix the Cat, running with a large spherical black bomb with a lit fuse. VF-3A was then re-designated VF-31 on August 7, 1948. After the Battle of Midway, VF-3 and VF-6 swapped designations on 15 July 1943, resulting in a three-year controversy as to which squadron owned the Felix name and emblem until VF-3 was re-designated VF-3A on 15 November 1946, and awarded the official approval to adopt Felix the Cat by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). The original " Felix the Cat" squadron was VF-3. The squadron was originally known as the Shooting Stars.
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