VF-191 F8U-1 145399 landing at NAS Atsugl on 16 August 1961. Aircraft is the squadron's CAG bird. Small tall stripe above the rudder carried the squadron colors of the Air Group: red, yellow, blue, orange, and green. (T. Matsuzaki)
VF-191 was commissioned as VF-19 at NAAS Los Alamitos, Califor¬nia, on 15 August 1943. The squadron equipped with F6F-3 Hellcats and conducted carrier qualifications a¬board the USS Altamaha (CVE-18). The squadron left for Hawaii in Febru¬ary 1944 aboard the USS Lexington (CV-16).
Once in Hawaii VF-19 dis¬embarked for gunnery training and in June was ferried to Eniwetok where they rejoined the Lexington's Air Group 19 (CVG-19) on 9 July 1944. VF-19's war cruise only lasted until early November, but in that short peri¬od of time Fighting Nineteen had shot down 155 Japanese planes as well as nearly 200 on the ground.
In February 1945 the squadron was based at Auxiliary Field Santa
Rosa, California. From here the squadron went to Grumman's Be¬thpage factory to be the first Navy squadron to equip with the new F8F-1 Bearcat. Before the Bearcat could be fielded in combat the war ended. On 15 November 1946 the squadron was redesignated VF-19A and then on 24 August 1948, Satan's Kittens became VF-191.
1949 saw Satan's Kittens re-equip with Grumman F9F-2B Panthers. VF-191 deployed to Korea aboard the USS Boxer (CV-20) and the USS Princeton (CV-37). The squadron's Korean War compliment was aided by the arrival of the six Blue Angels along with their F9F-2s and support person¬nel. 1953 saw the F9F-2s being replaced with F9F-6 Cougars which in turn were replaced by North American FJ-3 Furys in 1955. The squadron be¬came supersonic in October 1957 when the Grumman F11 F-1 Tiger was received.
The sleek, short legged Tiger was upstaged by the potent Vought F8U-1 Crusader in June 1960. VF-191's Crusaders deployed for the first time in 1961 aboard the USS Ban Homme Richard (CVA-31). Tragedy struck in March 1962 when the squadron's skipper, CDR J. M. Heffernan, was lost off the California coast.
The F-8A (F8U-1) was replaced by the all-weather F-8E in 1963 and the squadron deployed to Southeast Asia from 28 January 1964 until 21 November 1964. During this period F-8E 150139 was lost to an opera¬tional accident on 5 August 1964.
The first Crusader war cruise started on 21 April 1965 and contin¬ued for nine months and some 2,000 sorties from the decks of the Bonnie Dick. The squadron lost its first pilot to enemy action on 29 July 1965 when LTJG E. D. Brown was shot down by AAA over South Vietnam in F-8E 150337. This was followed by the loss of three other aircraft late in the cruise. LT D. A. Moore became a POW when on 27 October his aircraft (150655) was hit by a SAM. On 18 November, while flying 150332, LTJG W. D. Sharp was hit by AAA and subse¬quently ejected and was rescued. Another POW was taken on 28 No-vember when CDR Rutledge was shot down by AAA in 150327. One other aircraft, 150331, was lost on 12 September and the pilot was killed during non-combat operations. The Bon Homme Richard left Vietnam waters on 4 January 1966 and returned home on 13 January.
CVW-19 and VF-191 were trans¬ferred to the Ticonderoga (CVA-14) for the next war cruise. The Tico left for Vietnam on 15 October 1966 and returned on 29 May 1967. The F-8E was employed again and there were more losses. AAA fire claimed 149184 and deposited LCDR R. D. Mullen in the Hanoi Hilton on 6 January 1967.
Then on 7 March 1967 another pilot was killed in an operational accident which also claimed F-8E 150350.
The squadron returned to the war zone aboard the Tico on 27 December 1967 again equipped with F-8Es. The highlight of the cruise occurred on 9 July 1968 when LCDR John B. Nich: ois III, bagged a MiG-17 during a photo escort mission while flying 150926. Nichols was following LT William Kocar's RF-8 at 3,000 feet while the photo bird was at 2,000 feet. Nichols spotted a MiG-17 going for Kocar. He alerted Kocar who made a hard turn with Nichols in trail and as Nichols turned tracers from the MiG's wingman streaked by his cockpit. A Sidewinder was fired outside the en¬velope and missed, but the lead MiG rolled out of its turn and Nichols fired his second Sidewinder which was a direct hit.
The MiG did not go down and Nichols used his guns to finish the job. After the wingman's initial pass he had disappeared. The cruise ended on 17 August 1968 with the squadron losing F-8E 150667 and its pilot on 2 February and the loss of 150335 on 24 February 1968.
In July 1968, VF-191 traded its F-8Es for the remanufactured F-8J. CVW-19 again switched carriers and boarded the USS Oriskany (CVA-34) for another Vietnam deployment on 16 April 1969. This cruise proved to be relatively uneventful with the squadron losing only one aircraft, 150284 on 26 October 1969. The squadron returned to Miramar on 10 November.
During the turnaround period the squadron deployed to NAF El Centro, California, for two weeks of air-to-air gunnery. Satan's Kittens recorded 1,739 hits, including three century banners (100 hits each) and one dou¬ble century banner (200 hits). LT Howie Nygard was the TOP GUN.
Three more Vietnam cruises were made by VF-191 on board the Oriskany. These were:
1. 14 May-10 December 1970
2. 14 May-18 December 1971
3. 5 June 1972-30 March 1973 During these cruises, 150289 and its pilot were lost on 6 November 1970, and 150887 was lost on 26 November 1972.
Two more Oriskany deployments followed the end of the war. These two deployments were from 18 October 1973 until 5 June 1974 and from 16 September 1975 until 3 March 1976. When the cruise ended in 1976 so ended F-8 fighter operations from 27 Charlie carriers.
In Mach 1976 conversion to Mc¬Donnell F-4J phantoms started. After a cruise aboard the USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) in 1977, VF-191 was de¬commissioned on 1 March 1978. On 1 December 1986, VF-191 was recom¬missioned along with VF-194 as a F-14 squadron assigned to CVW-10. The resurrection was shot lived when VF-191 was disestablished on 29 April 1988 due to budget cuts which elimi¬nated Air Wing Ten.
VF-191 F8U-1 145370 over the Pacific In late 1960. (USN / Tailhook VF02102)
VF-191 F8U-1 (F-8A) 145370 at NAS Moffett Field on 5-19-62. The tail stripe was red and Satan's Kitten insignia was painted on the forward fuselage behind the cannon ports. (William 7. Larkins)
VF-191 F-8A 145365 with red and white diamonds added to the tail at Litchfield Park, Arizona, after being replaced by the F-8E on 3-18-63. (Swisher)
VF-191 F-8A 145365 attempts Inflight refueling from a VA-192 Skyhawk over the Pacific in November 1962. (USN / Tailhook VF02101)
VF-191's CO, CDR BILLY PHILLIPS', F-8E 150869 at Miramar on 4-28-66. COMMANDER ATTACK CARRIER AIR WING NINETEEN is painted above the main gear door. The intake lips, ra¬dome, and fin tip were red. The red diamond on the rudder was faceted with the colors red-yellow-blue-orange to signify the Air Wing's squadrons. (William Swisher)
VF-191 F-BE 149195 from the USS SON HOMME RICHARD on 2-19-66. (Jansson) F-8E 150326 from the USS TICONDEROGA on 9-17-66. CDR Billy Phillips' second CAG bird. Markings as before with addition of black can¬non areas. (Jansson) F-8E 149213 from the TICONDEROGA on 9-17-66 with LT BILL WORLEY painted below the canopy. (Jansson) ORISKANY CAG bird, F-8J 150299, belonging to CDR BILL Gureck an 4-14-69 (Swisher)
VF-191 F-SJ 150284 at Alameda on 4-14-69. Tail markings on all Oriskany deployments were red and white ex¬cept on CAG birds. The pilot's name under the canopy rail was that of CDR RAY DONNELLY XO. Donnelly would become the squadron's CO. This air¬craft was lost in an operational accident on 10-26-69. (Swisher)
VF-191 F-BJ lands aboard the Oriska¬ny during the 1970 cruise. Notice the battle "E" behind the 107 nose number. (Don Priest)
VF-191 F-8J 150658 at Miramar on 5-12-73. LTJG RAY ROSE is painted below the canopy rail on the black placard which runs into the black anti¬glare panel and radome. (Fred Roos)
VF-191 F-8Js 150318 (#103) and - 150889 (#110) over the Pacific with
150889 flying inverted. "V" missile rails were mounted with Sidewinders only being loaded on the bottom rails. (Arthur Schoeni via AAHS)
VF-191 F-8J 149201 on 5-14-70. Besides the battle "E", the for¬ward fuselage carries CDR RAY DONNELLY CO. (Jansson)
LT CHUCK LOWRY sits in his SATAN'S KITTENS F-8J at Da Nang in June 1970. (B. Miller)
F-8J 150915 with triple ejector racks and practice bombs on 3-31-72. (Swisher)
CDR TOM BROWN's F-8J at Miramar on 5-12-73. (Roos)
VF-191 F-8J 149143 at NAS Miramar on 4-9-71 in Air Wing CAG markings. Radome, fin tip, tail flash and rudder diamond were red. The red rudder di¬amond was faceted with the Air Wing colors of yellow, blue, orange and green. (Swisher)
VF-191 F-8J 149205 rides out heavy seas with a VF-194 Crusader while positioned behind the raised catapult blast shields in 1971. (Don Priest)
VF-191 F-8J 150904 at NAS Miramar on 6-15-74. The pilot's name CDR SPUDS POTOSNAK was painted be-low the canopy rail. (Clay Jansson)
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