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The Tomcatters' insignia, which depicts Felix the Cat.
The Tomcatters began as the VF-1B Shooting Stars in July 1935, flying the Boeing F4B . Two years later, the Shooting Stars changed squadron designations to VF-6 and switched aircraft to the F3F Wildcat . Between 1937 and 1943 the squadron flew the F3F-2 and two variants of the Grumman F4F, ending with the F4F-4.
In July 1943, VF-6 swapped designations with VF-3 , The Felix Cat squadron, and began flying the F6F Hellcat. Both squadrons claimed the Felix mascot and call-sign after the switch, which caused a controversy for the next three years. Finally, in 1946, VF-3 became VF-3A , flying the F8F Bearcat, while VF-6 was decommissioned. The Chief of Naval Operations officially approved the adoption of the Felix the Cat name and call sign for VF-3A's use.
On August 7, 1948, VF-3A became the VF-31 Tomcatters. For almost four years the Tomcatters flew the F9F PantherThe Grumman F9F Panther was the manufacturer's first jet fighter and the US Navy's second. It first flew in 1947. Power was a Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet built under license by Pratt & Whitney as the J42. Since there was insufficient space within the wings, the squadron’s first jet aircraft. From 1952Summary of notable events in 1952 . Events January events January 8 West Germany has 8 million refugees inside its borders. January 24 Sudden heavy snowfall in Algeria. January 24 Vincent Massey sworn in as first Canada-born Governor-General of Canada. to 1957Events January January 2 San Francisco and Los Angeles stock exchanges merge. January 3 Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch January 4 After 69 years the last issue of Colliers magazine is published January 5 Russell Endean becomes t, VF-31 flew the F2H BansheeThe McDonnell F2H Banshee was a military carrier-based jet fighter aircraft, used by the US Navy from 1951 to 1959 and by the Royal Canadian Navy from 1955 until 1962. It was a development of the FH-1 Phantom, although it was being planned before the Phan. In 1957Events January January 2 San Francisco and Los Angeles stock exchanges merge. January 3 Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch January 4 After 69 years the last issue of Colliers magazine is published January 5 Russell Endean becomes t, the squadron switched to the F3H DemonThe McDonnell F3H Demon was a US Navy carrier-based jet fighter aircraft. The successor to the F2H Banshee, after initial problems, it served from 1956 until 1964. Development work began in 1949. The aircraft was designed around only a single Westinghouse, flying it through 1962Events January January 1 Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand January 3 Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro January 4 New York City introduces a train that operates without a crew on-board January 8 Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is e. For two years after this the Tomcatters flew the F-3B variant before transitioning to the F-4 Phantom. After two years with the B model, the squadron switched to the F-4J, and flew this through 1981. Then in 1982 the Tomcatters began flying the F-14A Tomcat. VF-31 flew the F-14A for ten years before switching to its current aircraft, the F-14D Super Tomcat, in 1992.
Through the years the Tomcatters and their predecessors have served on many of the Navy's aircraft carriers, including the first, the USS Langley; the second, USS Langley; and the sixth, USS Enterprise. They were aboard USS Enterprise during the bombing of Pearl Harbor as well as the battles of Wake Island, Marcus Island, Midway, Guadalcanal, and the Eastern Solomon Islands. In 1980, VF-31 and USS Saratoga concluded a 24-year period of continuous service together, the longest in naval history.
The Tomcatters’ combat experience includes battles in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, as well as regional conflicts all over the world. In 1972, flying the F-4J Phantom, Tomcatter aircrew shot down a MiG-21 over North Vietnam and in doing so made VF-31 the only Navy fighter squadron to achieve aerial victories in three wars.
During its long history VF-31 has received the Battle "E" for the best fighter squadron in the Atlantic Fleet, the prestigious Admiral Joseph Clifton Award for the top fighter squadron in the Navy, and the Chief of Naval Operations Safety "S" award.
In late 1996, VF-31 returned from its second Western Pacific deployment aboard USS Carl Vinson, flying missions in the Persian Gulf and over southern Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch and Operation Desert Strike . Following the cruise, the Tomcatters returned to NAS Oceana, where they stayed five years before moving to NAS Miramar.
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