Fighter Squadron 35 (VF-35) WW2

Fighter Squadron 35 (VF-35) was assigned to USS Cabot (CVL-28) 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-35 was part of that force.

USS Cabot: The Ship

USS Cabot (CVL-28) earned the Presidential Unit Citation and nine battle stars for her outstanding combat record. Cabot fought from the Marshalls through the Philippines and Okinawa. At the Battle of Leyte Gulf on October 25, 1944, Cabot's aircraft helped sink the Japanese battleship Musashi,at 72,000 tons, the largest warship ever sunk by carrier aircraft.

Combat Service

VF-35 served as part of Carrier Air Group 35 from 1943-1945, participating in carrier operations across the Pacific Theater, striking Japanese-held islands, providing fleet air defense, and supporting the island-hopping campaign that drove American forces from the Gilberts to Japan's doorstep. The squadron flew combat missions during Pacific operations, providing fleet air defense and striking Japanese military targets across the Western Pacific. Sister squadrons VF-29 and VF-31 also served aboard USS Cabot.

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.

Built for those who remember. Shop VF-35 merchandise and World War II veteran gifts.