Fighter Squadron 26 (VF-26) WW2

Fighter Squadron 26 (VF-26) was assigned to USS Monterey (CVL-26) during World War II, flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat as part of the most powerful naval aviation force ever assembled. By 1944, the US Navy had over 100 aircraft carriers in the Pacific, thousands of combat aircraft, and the trained pilots to fly them,and VF-26 was part of that force.

USS Monterey: The Ship

USS Monterey (CVL-26) earned 11 battle stars and is notable for having future President Gerald R. Ford serve among her crew as an athletic officer and anti-aircraft battery commander. During Typhoon Cobra in December 1944, fires broke out aboard Monterey after aircraft broke loose on the hangar deck. Ford narrowly escaped being swept overboard while fighting the fires, an incident he later described as his closest brush with death.

Combat Service

VF-26 served as part of Carrier Air Group 26 from 1943-1945, participating in the Central Pacific campaign of 1943-1944, striking Japanese-held islands from the Gilberts and Marshalls through the Marianas as the Navy drove westward toward Japan. The squadron flew combat missions during Central Pacific and Philippines, providing fleet air defense and striking Japanese military targets across the Western Pacific.

The Grumman F6F Hellcat

Grumman built 12,275 F6F Hellcats between 1942 and 1945, and the aircraft equipped every fast carrier fighter squadron in the Pacific from late 1943 onward. Powered by the 2,000-hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp,the same engine family that powered the F4U Corsair and P-47 Thunderbolt,the Hellcat could reach 380 mph at 23,400 feet and had a combat range of 945 miles. Its combination of speed, firepower, and survivability made it the weapon that won air superiority over the Pacific.

From the flight deck of USS Monterey to your collection. Browse VF-26 gear and naval aviation merchandise.