VFA-94 - Insignia and Nickname

Insignia and Nickname

The original squadron was known as the Tough Kitties and had a cartoon cat insignia. When the second squadron was formed and deployed aboard USS Hornet (CVA-12) during its world cruise in 1954, it also used a cartoon cat insignia. There is no record of this insignia being officially approved for use by the squadron. The squadron’s first official insignia was approved by Chief of Naval Operations on 21 November 1955, and consisted of a yellow and black tiger paw with lightning bolts on a blue background. A new insignia was approved on 21 April 1959 consisting of a dark blue stylized aircraft with above an atom symbol on a blue background. A modification to this insignia was approved on 16 May 1967, replacing the atom symbol by a stylized bird design. The stylized bird was orange and the other colors from the previous design stayed the same. Nicknamed the Mighty Shrikes, the squadron was named after a small carnivorous bird of prey, the Loggerhead Shrike. It engages in aerial combat to strike its prey in the air and on the ground, and then impales its victim on a sharp thorn.