The U.S. Marine Corps Hawker Siddley AV-8A <i>Harrier</i>s from Marine Attack Squadron VMA-231 <i>Ace of Spades</i> approach the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS <i>Franklin D. Roosevelt</i> (CV-42). VMA-231 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 19 (CVW-19) for a deployment to the Mediterranean Sea from 4 October 1976 to 21 April 1977, <i>FDR</i>´s last deployment before her decommissioning on 30 September 1977. his cruise marked the first operations of the Vertical Short Take Off and Landing (VSTOL) aircraft from a carrier.
U.S. Navy
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://collections.naval.aviation.museum/emuwebdoncoms/pages/doncoms/AdvQuery.php">U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation</a> photo No. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://collections.naval.aviation.museum/emuwebdoncoms/pages/doncoms/Display.php?irn=13663&amp;QueryPage=%2Femuwebdoncoms%2Fpages%2Fdoncoms%2FAdvQuery.php">1996.253.7119.018</a>