"Pirates of the Caribbean" |
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| The original “Jolly Rogers” were established on January 1, 1943, flying the F4U Corsair. With many of the squadrons adopting symbols based upon Disney characters, the Jolly Rogers wanted something more sinister, and settled on the skull-and-crossbones design. The original VF-17 Jolly Rogers were decommissioned in April 1944, with some of the pilots forming a new Jolly Rogers squadron, VF-61. In 1959, VF-61 was decommissioned and VF-84, known as the Vagabonds, requested to carry on the name and insignia of the Jolly Rogers. The squadron, flying the new F-8U Crusaders, merged the yellow and black “supersonic” Vs on the side of the jet from the Vagabonds with the skull-and-crossbones of the Jolly Rogers. This merging of the two squadron’s designs carries on through today. |
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Original Painting 36" x 24" - Acrylic on Illustration Board |
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| After flying the F-4B, J, and N version of the McDonnell Douglas Phantom II during the Vietnam War, the squadron transitioned to the F-14A Tomcat (specifications). Applying the skull-and-crossbones design to the Tomcats twin tails made VF-84 the most readily identifiable Tomcat squadron in the US Navy. In 1980, the Jolly Rogers played a prominent role in the filming of the movie Final Countdown, receiving international stardom. The squadron and movie were the inspiration for the painting Pirates of the Caribbean. |
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| VF-84 was decommissioned on October 1, 1995, however, the VF-103 Sluggers adopted the name and insignia of the Jolly Rogers. The VF-103 Jolly Rogers are stationed at NAS Oceana, Virginia. |
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| VF-84 launching from the USS Nimitz waist cat. |
