VC-3 provided night fighter detachments aboard the aircraft carriers of the Pacific Fleet, flying the F4U-5N Corsair.

Guy Bordelon of VC-3 became the only U.S. Navy "ace" during the war, after shooting down his fifth enemy plane on 16 July 1953, while detached ashore from the USS Princeton.

Among other aircraft flown by the squadron was the Navy's first jet powered, radar equipped carrier based night fighter, the F3D-2 Skyknight.

When the transition was complete, the squadron was equipped with 25 F4Ds, based at Naval Air Station North Island at San Diego, California.

VF(AW)-3 consistently outperformed USAF interceptor squadrons in scramble time and intercept effectiveness.

[6] On 29 March 1957, LtCdr Patrick F. Cunningham had an in-flight emergency and had to bail out of his A4D-1 fighter (BuNo 139924) over San Joaquin Valley, California.

From 24 October to 31 December 1962, Detachment Echo of VF(AW)-3 received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for participating in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962;[9] at NAS Key West.