VF-103 Jolly Rogers - Definition and Overview

An F-14A Tomcat of VF-84, in the old color scheme from the beginning of its service.

The VF-103 Jolly Rogers fighter squadron of the U.S. Navy has a long and storied history as one of the Navy's most elite fighter squadrons, starting as the Fighting 17 during World War II. It has, at various times, been assigned the squadron numbers VF-17, VF-61, VF-84, and VF-103.

Squadron history:

• VF-17 ("Fighting 17")
  • Activated: January 1, 1943
  • Deactivated: October, 1944
• VF-61 ("Fighting 61")
  • Activated: April 28, 1948
  • Deactivated:April 15, 1959
• VF-84 ("Fighting 84")
  • Activated: July 1, 1955
    • Acquired Jolly Rogers name: April 1, 1960
  • Deactivated: September 29, 1995
• VF-103 ("Fighting 103")
  • Activated: October, 1995
  • Still active as of 2004