 In August 1971, VA-34 received the Battle "E" award as the Atlantic Fleet's top A-6 squadron.In September 1972, a squadron A-6 Intruder conducted crossdeck operations on while operating in the Norwegian Sea.Due to the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, VA-34 and USS "John F. Kennedy" departed the Norwegian Sea in October 1973 and re-entered the Mediterranean, conducting surveillance operations south of Crete.