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| Fighter Squadron 301 | |
|---|---|
 VF-301 Insignia | |
| Active | 1 October 1970 – 11 September 1994 |
| Country |  United States |
| Allegiance |  United States Navy Reserve |
| Branch |  United States Navy |
| Type | Reserve fighter squadron |
| Part of | Reserve Carrier Air Wing 30 |
| Garrison/HQ | Naval Air Station Miramar |
| Nickname(s) | "Devil's Disciples" "Blazing Infernos" |
| Motto(s) | Give'em Hell, Baby |
| Decorations | Battle "E" awarded period 1 Jan 1987 thru 31 Dec 1987 |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | F-8L Crusader F-4B/N/S Phantom F-14A Tomcat |
Fighter Squadron 301 (VF-301) was an aviation unit of theUnited States Naval Reserve in service from 1970 to 1994 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar in southern California. The squadron's nickname wasDevil's Disciples.[1] In an early display of political correctness, it was changed toBlazing Infernos when the Pope visited Los Angeles in the late 1980s.
VF-301 was activated on 1 October 1970 and assigned toCarrier Air Wing Reserve 30 (CVWR-30) (tail code "ND") atNaval Air Station Miramar, California (USA).
The squadron first flew theF-8L Crusader and later transitioned to theF-4B Phantom in 1974. Their time with the B-models was short and VF-301 soon received the F-4N in February 1975. In 1980, VF-301 received the most advanced F-4 variant in the U.S. Navy, the F-4S. In October 1984, the unit transitioned to theF-14A Tomcat. The squadron made its first deployment with the F-14A on 21 April 1985, with five aircraft visitingMCAS Yuma, Arizona for air-to-air training againstU.S. Marine CorpsF-21AKfir fighters ofMarine Fighter Training Squadron 401 (VMFT-401). At this time, the squadron was still transitioning to the F-14, and it was not until 4 August of the same year that the entire squadron was able to deploy toNAS Fallon, Nevada for air wing training.
TheDevil's Disciples' first carrier landings were on board theUSS Ranger. Further carrier training was limited but did include time on board theUSS Enterprise between 10 and 22 August 1988. Later in its life, the squadron became the first Naval Air Reserve squadron to drop air-to-ground ordnance, specifically Mk 84 bombs and Mk 20 cluster munitions.
After 24 years of service, VF-301 was disestablished on 11 September 1994, the same time as its sister squadronVF-302, due to post-Cold War budget cuts where the Navy opted to sacrifice Reserve F-14 squadrons to keep Regular Navy F-14 squadrons operating. Deactivation of the rest of the CVWR-30 was soon to follow. During these 24 years, VF-301 had acquired an outstanding safety record, flying 71,322.4 hours without a Class A mishap, setting a new record for Navy tactical jet squadrons.
