Some 50 years ago, a spectacular image of a Vought F-8J Crusader of VF-24, the “Fighting Renegades,” in flight, 1975.
U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.253.7337.016
Assigned to Carrier Air Wing 21 (CVW-21) aboard the Essex-class fleet carrier USS Hancock (CVA-19), the Renegades deployed to the West Pac on “Hannah” from March 18 to October 20, 1975, a period that included the Fall of Saigon (Operation Frequent Wind).
Notably, it was the last of nine Vietnam deployments for Hancock, which was headed to mothballs, and the final Crusader deployment for VF-24, a type they had flown since 1956.
Upon return to San Diego, VF-24 on 9 December 1975 received its first F-14A and soon after updated its name to the “Red Checkertails,” one they would carry through 1996 when they were disestablished.
