Almansur: A Tale of Phantom Bones

A TALE OF PHANTOM BONES

VF-84 last deployment with the Crusader ended on March 4 1964. During that cruise VF-41, the all-weather fighter squadron of CVG-7, was already flying the F-4B Phantom II. VF-84 missed the next cruise of the USS Independence, while transitioning to a new aircraft, new weapons system and new mission. The squadron started its long association with the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II in June 1964.

The Bones made a spectacular return to naval aircraft at that time, with the first F-4Bs of VF-84 displaying a waving Jolly Rogers over their tail surfaces. Flamboyant color schemes were not lacking on the US Navy at the time, but this one made a lasting impression.

Gene Warner (who had two previous tours with the Vagabonds, and remembers the hijacking of the squadron by the Jolly Rogers pretty well) was a Chief with VF-84 at this time, and he told me that an internal contest was held to select the best Bones to put on the tails. The winner was PO2 R G Fore, who got a supersonic ride on a squadron's F-4 as a prize for his fundamental contribution.

VF-84's first cruise with the Phantom began on 10 May 1965, and lasted until 13 December. This was not the usual Med cruise of an Atlantic fighter squadron, but a Vietnam War cruise - the only one that the Jolly Rogers ever did. Their war role was that of a fighter-bomber outfit, and they lost 2 aircraft and crews to the enemy's surface to air defenses, with another aircraft managing to trap aboard with one engine out and some serious holes in the wings.

One more cruise with the F-4B started on 13 June 1966, ending on 1 February 1967. It was during this Med cruise that the infamous "Yankee Air Pirate" moniker took shape. The intelligence community was at odds as to the origin of the term repeated on Soviet circles, until it was traced to the many intercepts done by VF-84 to long range Soviet bomber and spy aircraft. The following is a McDonnell-Douglas photo, via Mark Nankivil.

The third VF-84 deployment with the Phantom introduced the F-4J derivative. The conversion to the newer model Phantoms started on late February 1967, and they were operationally at sea on 30 April 1968.

With the F-4J the Jolly Rogers color scheme introduced two elements that became definitive livery. The fuselage band inherited from the Vagabonds evolved from a yellow band with black chevrons to a black band with yellow chevrons, and the waving flag gave way to a representation of the skull & crossbones over an all-black tail.

VF-84 ended its association with the USS Independence on 27 January 1969. Their new home would be the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, aboard which their F-4Js completed Med cruises in 1970, 71 and 72.

The color scheme was pretty much the same, with the notable addition of a column of stars at the rudder.

Some published photos dated from 1971 show a variation on at least a few aircraft, that flew with white radomes, a feature that would later return on the Jolly Rogers' last Phantom cruise.

The squadron lost its F-4Js and missed the September 73 to March 74 cruise on the Roosevelt. At the same time its sister squadron, the Black Aces of VF-41 gave up their F-4Js and sailed with older F-4Bs. This was probably due to an operational shortage of Phantoms in the Pacific fleet from war attrition and the progressive retirement of the Crusader fighter squadrons.

This onshore period that ranged from 1973 to mid 1974, had the Jolly Rogers reverting to older F-4B airframes, such as the one depicted on the photograph bellow. This photo was taken at NAS Oceana by Frank MacSorely on 26 March 1974. Of note is the absence of tail code and carrier name.

By the close of 1974, VF-84 was receiving the F-4N version of the Phantom. They took the F-4N on their final cruise with the Phantom, starting on 3 January 1975, and ending on 16 July. The color scheme was brightened by the use of white radomes.

The next cruise of the Jolly Rogers would be aboard the USS Nimitz, and flying the aircraft that would make then infamous worldwide: the F-14 Tomcat. VF-84 ended its association with the Phantom and became officially a Tomcat squadron in June 1976.