to the F-14A Tomcat. The first cruise with the F-14 was with CVW-11 aboard USS Kitty Hawk in October 1977. After the Kitty Hawk cruise, the carrier air wing switched to and took part in two Mediterranean cruises in 1979 with John Monroe "Hawk" Smith as CO and 1981. 1980s In December 1981, VF-213 added a new mission as they began training with the Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) and in September 1982, VF-213 deployed aboard . During Indian Ocean operations, the squadron achieved a new milestone by flying the longest Tomcat flight from a carrier on a TARPS mission. On 24 January 1986 they deployed with USS Enterprise to the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean, where VF-213 often intercepted Soviet and Indian aircraft. During this deployment, tensions between the U.S. and Libya escalated, necessitating the decision to move USS Enterprise through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean Sea. Upon arrival in the Gulf of Sidra CVW-11 aircraft flew patrols for two months, although encounters with Libyan aircraft were rare. The ship transited the Strait of Gibraltar and around the Cape of Good Hope before continuing onto Perth, Australia and across the Pacific to their home port. 1988 saw VF-213 flying cover over reflagged oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and participating in Operation Praying Mantis. In 1990 VF-213 and the rest of the air wing switched aircraft carriers to . The first cruise on USS Abraham Lincoln was a six-week transit from NAS Norfolk to NAS Alameda, via Cape Horn. The squadron won the "BOOLA BOOLA" award in March 1989 for their professional completion of all missile test firings. In late 1989, VF-213 and CVW-11 went around the world on USS Enterprise for a WESTPAC deployment ending at NAS Norfolk for refurbishment. 1990s The squadron deployed to WestPac on USS Abraham Lincoln in May 1991 in support of UN sanctions against Iraq. VF-213 flew combat air patrol and TARPS missions, recording the devastation of Kuwait oil fields. In 1993, VF-213 became the sole F-14 squadron on Abraham Lincoln. That same year, VF-213 flew in support of Operation Restore Hope in Somalia and Operation Southern Watch over Iraq. Kara Hultgreen, the first qualified female F-14 pilot in the US Navy, was assigned to VF-213, and on 25 October 1994, her F-14 crashed while on approach to USS Abraham Lincoln. Both she and her RIO ejected, but only the