VFA-25 Fist of the Fleet USS Lincoln 2017 F/A-18E Model, Navy, 1/40th (18") Scale, Mahogany, Fighter

VFA-25 Fist of the Fleet USS Lincoln 2017 F/A-18E Model A beautifully carved 18-inch solid wood F/A-18E model of the VFA-25 Fist of the Fleet!  Collect all your squadrons with truly artistic craftsmanship of the Navy's finest symbols. Length - 18 inches Made from Mahogany US Veteran-Owned Business The product is not intended to be used by children 12 years and younger. STRIKE FIGHTER SQUADRON 25 HISTORY By U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class A. A. Cruz - This image was released by the United States Navy with the ID 150621-N-QH848-302 Strike Fighter Squadron 25, the "Fist of the Fleet", is a veteran command of Naval Aviation. Originally commissioned Torpedo Squadron 17 in 1943, the squadron operated during World War II with TBM and SB2C attack bombers flying from the deck of USS HORNET. Following the war the squadron was re-designated as VA-65. In December 1947, the squadron transitioned to the aircraft it would fly for the next 21 years, the propeller driven AD-1 “Sky Raider,” known to its pilots as the “Spad.” VA-65 became a plank owner aboard USS CORAL SEA (CVA-43) when it sailed with the carrier on its maiden voyage in early 1948. In succeeding years Attack Squadron 65 also deployed aboard USS MIDWAY (CVA-41) and won its first Battle Efficiency "E" denoting it as the best single engine attack squadron on the east coast in 1948. At the outbreak of the Korean hostilities, the squadron was transferred to NAS Moffett Field. In the fall of 1950, they deployed to Korean waters with Carrier Air Group 2 aboard USS BOXER. An impressive combat record was compiled aboard this “Essex” class carrier, with 1,645 combat missions being logged. In July of 1959 the squadron was re-designated as VA-25. In 1962 the squadron moved to newly completed NAS Lemoore, California. From 1965 through 1968, VA-25 made three deployments to Southeast Asia from the deck of USS CORAL SEA. During this period FIST pilots flew over 3,000 combat missions, dropping more than 10 millions pounds of ordnance on enemy targets. On 20 June 1965, a division of FIST “Spads” were attacked by a section of North Vietnamese MIG-17’s, with VA-25 successfully scoring a guns kill against one of the jet-powered fighters. When VA-25 turned in its A-1 “Spads” in 1968, it was the last propeller driven tactical squadron in the Navy. The next aircraft for VA-25 was the A-7B Corsair II. After only four months of training in the new attack jet, VA-25 departed for its fourth combat cruise to Southeast Asia. In the following two years, the squadron made two more combat cruises aboard USS RANGER, expending over 15 million pounds of ordnance on targets in Laos and Vietnam. VA-25’s WESTPAC 74 cruise marked its first non-combat deployment in over 9 years. In May 1983, pilots from VA-25 began training in the new F/A-18A Hornet. The squadron was re-designated as Strike Fighter Squadron 25 (VFA-25) on July 1, 1983. On 19 February 1985, VFA-25 departed on the historic "first deployment" of the FA-18 Hornet aboard America 's Flagship, the USS CONSTELLATION. During this WESTPAC deployment, VFA-25 won both the CVW-14 Bombing Derby and the CVW-14 Tailhook Award before returning to NAS Lemoore in August 1985. The “Fist of the Fleet” embarked on the USS CARL VINSON in 1996. The squadron operated in the Arabian Gulf for three months and participated in Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, Operation DESERT STRIKE, and exercise RUGGED NAUTILUS. The 1998 Western Pacific deployment found the squadron onboard USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN for the first time. In 2000, the squadron returned to the Arabian Gulf on board the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN enforcing the no-fly zones in Iraq and maintaining a high-tempo pace in Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. In support of the UN Security Resolutions, the “Fist of the Fleet” pilots dropped their bombs on selected tactical targets in southern Iraq and continued to patrol the skies in the Arabian Gulf. Any strain from the long deployment melted away on March 19, 2003, when VFA-