Fighter Squadron 42 (VF-42) WW2

VF-42 served aboard a carrier with a remarkable story. USS Franklin (CV-13), "Big Ben," survived the most catastrophic attack on any carrier that wasn't sunk during the war. On March 19, 1945, a single Japanese dive bomber placed two 550-pound bombs into Franklin's crowded hangar deck, detonating armed and fueled aircraft. The resulting chain of explosions killed 807 men and wounded 487,the heaviest casualties suffered by any surviving US warship. Despite being dead in the water and listing 13 degrees, her crew saved the ship, and Franklin sailed 12,000 miles back to New York under her own power.

VF-42 & the Grumman F6F Hellcat

VF-42 served aboard USS Franklin (CV-13) as part of Carrier Air Group 42 during World War II. Flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat, the squadron deployed to the Pacific Theater from 1944-1945, participating in the Philippines Campaign of 1944-1945, supporting General MacArthur's return to the islands while the fleet endured the first organized kamikaze attacks of the war.

The Grumman F6F Hellcat

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was the fighter that broke Japanese air power in the Pacific. Designed as a direct response to the A6M Zero,using intelligence from a captured specimen,the Hellcat combined a 2,000-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine with rugged construction, self-sealing fuel tanks, and 212 pounds of cockpit armor. The result was a fighter that could outclimb, outdive, and outgun the Zero while absorbing punishment that would have destroyed lighter aircraft.

Combat Operations

VF-42 flew combat missions during Philippines Campaign and Okinawa Campaign, providing fleet air defense, escorting strike packages, and conducting fighter sweeps against Japanese airfields and installations. The squadron was part of the massive expansion of Navy fighter strength that gave the Fast Carrier Task Force overwhelming air superiority during the final campaigns of the Pacific War. Alongside squadrons like VF-5, VF-42 was part of the carrier air power that won the Pacific War.

Explore our VF-42 collection,shirts, hoodies, and gear honoring the crews who flew from USS Franklin.