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| Keywords: F-4S VMFA232 Smithsonian.jpg A F-4S Phantom II at the National Air Space Museum The Museum's McDonnell Douglas F-4S-44-MC Phantom II BuNo 157307 was accepted by the U S Navy on 18 December 1970 By 22 June 1971 it was assigned to fighter squadron VF-31 Tomcats stationed at the Naval Air Station NAS Oceana Virginia USA Early in 1972 VF-31 with F-4 Bu No 157307 went aboard the aricraft carrier USS Saratoga CVA-60 and by April en route to the western Pacific for duty in the Vietnam War On 18 May 1972 the squadron started combat operations on Yankee Station off the coast of Vietnam While on a flight on 21 June 1972 its last day on station it was launched that day on a MIGCAP MiG Combat Air Patrol with VF-31's executive officer Cdr S C Flynn USN as pilot and Lt W H John as the radar intercept officer RIO This was not their regularly assigned airplane They spotted three MiGs and in the ensuing engagement shot down one MiG-21 with an AIM-9D Sidewinder missile This action marked a first for Attack Carrier Air Wing Three CVW-3 and for an East Coast fighter squadron After the kill the Museum Phantom's tour in Vietnam continued and was expanded to include support missions for B-52 raids on Hanoi and Haiphong VF-31 completed its deployment to southeast Asia early in 1973 and returned to its home port at NAS Oceana Virginia The Phantom remained assigned to VF-31 until 12 September 1975 when it was transferred to VF-33 Tarsiers After a series of deployments aboard USS Independence CV-62 it was assigned to VF-74 Be-Devilers on 6 May 1977 also based at Oceana It left VF-74 on 17 September 1979 for VF-103 Sluggers then to VF-171 on 21 October 1981 On 8 April 1983 F-4J BuNo 157307 was inducted into the Naval Air Rework Facility at NAS North Island California for conversion from a F-4J to an F-4S When conversion was completed on 27 December 1983 F-4S 157307 joined Marine fighter attack training squadron VMFAT-101 stationed at Marine Corps Air Station MCAS Yuma Arizona It remained there until 11 May 1987 when it was transferred to VMFA-232 Red Devils at MCAS Kaneohe Bay Oahu Hawaii on its last squadron duty On 28 November 1988 it left the Marines for the National Air and Space Museum at which time it had amassed a total of 5 075 hours flight time with 6 804 landings 1 337 were arrested and 1 163 catapult shots off the deck of a carrier http //www nasm si edu/research/aero/aircraft/mcdonnel_f4 htm F-4S of the NASM<br/> Transferred from http //en wikipedia org en wikipedia<br/> Original text own work 2006-03-19 original upload date <br/> Looper5920 Original uploader was Looper5920 at http //en wikipedia org en wikipedia Released into the public domain by the author en wikipedia Looper5920 F-4S Phantom II museum aircraft Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 AIM-9 Sidewinder 2006 in aviation in the United States Aircraft at the National Air and Space Museum Strike Fighter Squadron 31 United States Navy | ||||
