In May 1963, VF-14 Tophatters squadron transitioned to the F-4B Phantom II and on 23 January 1964 they became the first Phantom squadron to operate on board Franklin D. Roosevelt. In June 1966, after moving to NAS Oceana, the squadron deployed to the South China Sea to conduct air strikes and support missions against military targets in North Vietnam. During this combat deployment, the squadron flew 1,688 hours on 967 combat sorties and delivered 651,624 pounds of ordnance, in addition to flying its traditional combat air patrol and fighter escort missions.
