F
EW FIGHTER SQUADRONS
come with as rich a history as the
US Navy’s VFA-14 ‘Tophatters’,
which traces unbroken service
back to September 1, 1919, at
NAS San Diego, which became
North Island in 1955. Although rst led by
CDR James H. Tomb, CDR Henry C. Mustin
took charge on October 22. Mustin was an
early naval aviator who had conducted the
world’s rst catapult launch from a ship in
1915, and today is held by the squadron
as being ‘Tophatter One’ — the initial
commanding o cer (CO) of the unit.
The new Paci c aviation command went
through a number of reorganizations and
name changes as aircraft were rapidly
accepted into service in a variety of
ghting and patrol roles. As the size ofthe force expanded, June 15, 1920 saw
the establishment of the rst numbered
squadron in the ‘Tophatters’ lineage —
Torpedo Plane Squadron Five (VT-5)
ying both Martin MT and Curtiss R-6L
torpedo bombers. Two more identity
changes took place in 1921 and on July 1,
1922 the squadron became VF-1 — the
VF designation then denoting a ‘Fighting
Plane Squadron’. Di erent aircraft types
passed through their hands, though it
was with Curtiss TS-1 ghters that the
squadron conducted deck quali cations
aboard the US Navy’s rst aircraft carrier,
USS Langley (CV 1), in August 1925.
The unit became VF-1B on July 1, 1927;
the ‘B’ su x indicated that it was assigned
to the Battle Fleet — the main US Fleet
formation in the Paci c region. The BoeingFB-5 ghters used at the time were
problematic; in particular the reliability
of the engine, and squadron morale was
reportedly low. The then commanding
o cer LCDR Gerald F. ‘Gerry’ Bogan
designed a new insignia in the form of
a high hat (top hat) to promote an air of
‘being the best’ in a bid to boost esprit de
corps. The ‘High Hats’ nickname slowly
came into use as the hat motif was applied
to the aircraft.
The squadron moved to the light
bombing role in 1934 and this led to
VF-1B being re-designated on July 1,
1934 as ‘Bombing Two’, or VB-2B. This
lasted exactly three years until the ‘High
Hats’ became VB-3, following a directive
that squadron identi ers match the hull
number of their assigned carrier — in their
case USS Saratoga (CV 3).The move to war
By the time the US entered World War
Two after the attacks on Pearl Harbor on
December 7, 1941, the ‘High Hats’ had
become Scouting Forty One (VS-41) ying
the Vought SB2U-1 Vindicator bomber.VFA-14 ‘Tophatters’ — the US Navy’s ‘oldest and boldest’ air
squadron — marks its centenary in September. Informally
nicknamed the ‘Lids’ in US naval aviation circles, this squadron
and its lineage are explored here by Combat Aircraft.REPORT Mike Crutch
52 September 2019 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
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