VFA-2's history contains several separate uses of the VF-2 designation, beginning with a 1922 redesignation of VF-6 and followed by later establishments. The fact that VF-6 existed before VF-2 captures how little numerical order can reveal about chronological lineage. A unit may inherit personnel and identity through redesignation, yet a newly established unit with the same number may have no institutional connection to its predecessor. The changing VF and VFA letters add another layer by encoding fighter and attack roles within the designation.
Chapter · 23:41-26:15
VFA-2 and the ambiguity of repeated designations
The several incarnations behind VFA-2 show why sharing a designation did not automatically create a continuous US Navy squadron lineage.