Fighter Squadron 20 (VF-20),Enterprise & the Blue Ghost

Fighter Squadron 20 (VF-20) served aboard the two most famous aircraft carriers in US Navy history: USS Enterprise (CV-6), the "Big E" with 20 battle stars, and USS Lexington (CV-16), the "Blue Ghost" with 11. Flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat, VF-20 participated in some of the largest naval engagements of World War II, including the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

The Philippine Sea

VF-20 was part of the massive American carrier force at the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944, where over 900 American aircraft clashed with 473 Japanese planes in the largest carrier battle in history. On June 19, American fighters and anti-aircraft gunners destroyed over 300 Japanese aircraft in what pilots called the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. Japan lost three carriers and the majority of its trained carrier pilots,losses that could never be replaced. VF-20's Hellcats helped establish the air superiority that turned the Turkey Shoot into a rout.

Leyte Gulf

In October 1944, VF-20 participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf,the largest naval battle in history, spanning four separate engagements across the Philippine archipelago. Over 280 warships and hundreds of aircraft clashed over four days. The Japanese committed every remaining capital ship in a desperate gamble to destroy the American invasion fleet. American carrier aircraft, surface ships, and submarines defeated the Japanese decisively, sinking four carriers, three battleships, and over 10,000 enemy sailors.

Two Legendary Ships

Serving aboard both Enterprise and Lexington gave VF-20 a connection to the two most storied carriers of the war. Enterprise's 20 battle stars remain unmatched by any warship in American history. Lexington's "Blue Ghost" legend,Tokyo Rose repeatedly reported her sunk, yet she kept returning,made her the most famous Essex-class carrier afloat. VF-20's pilots flew from both flight decks, linking the pre-war Yorktown-class legacy of Enterprise with the wartime power of the Essex-class.

Carry the history. VF-20 t-shirts, hoodies, and heritage gifts,built for those who remember what these crews gave from the Big E and the Blue Ghost.