[Llarry]

@2008M36MT's post with the VF-84 Jolly Rogers Hornet prompted me to go looking for all the historical aircraft that have worn the Jolly Roger. It starts with Fighting Squadron 17 (VF-17) in 1942-43. The Corsair was initially considered unsuitable for carrier duty and so most F4Us went to the Marines. VF-17 was pulled out of Air Group 17, replaced with an F6F Hellcat squadron, and sent to the South Pacific serving alongside Marine squadrons. Later in the war, VF-17 was re-equipped with the F6F Hellcat and did a second combat tour aboard a carrier. After WW2, the squadron was redesignated VF-5B, then VF-61 and the Jolly Roger tradition continued. The squadron flew the F8F Bearcat 1948-50, then transitioned to jets with the F9F-2 Panther (the period when my Dad was a squadron member) 1950-53, then to the swept-wing F9F-6 Cougar 1954-55, then to the FJ-3 Fury 1955, then to the F9F-8 Cougar 1955-56 and finally to the F3H-2 Demon 1957-59. I've been unable to find a photo depicting the Jolly Roger insignia on squadron FJ-3s.When VF-61 was disestablished in 1959, VF-84 assumed the Jolly Roger traditions. They were flying the FJ-3 briefly before transitioning to the F8U (F-8) Crusader. During the Crusader period, I don't believe they displayed the Jolly Roger on their airplanes. In 1964 they switched to the F-4B Phantom and the Jolly Roger livery returned. In 1976 they transitioned to the F-14 Tomcat and that well-known paint job. In 1995, VF-84 was disestablished as part of the general drawdown in the military after the Cold War's end. Once again another squadron, this time VFA-103, assumed the Jolly Roger tradtion and has maintained that to this day.

So here's the photos (apologies for the small size and poor quality of some of them):