Fighter Squadron 57 (VF-57) WW2

VF-57 flew from a ship with an extraordinary record. Essex deployed four times during the war, operating across the Central Pacific, Philippines, and Japanese home waters. She launched strikes against Marcus Island, Wake, the Gilberts, Truk, the Marianas, the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. The Essex-class design proved so successful that 24 ships were built, forming the backbone of the Fast Carrier Task Force that destroyed Japanese naval and air power.

Fighter Squadron 57 (VF-57) served aboard USS Essex (CV-9) as part of Carrier Air Group 57 during World War II. Flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat in the Pacific Theater from 1945, VF-57 participated 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 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.

VF-57 was part of the massive expansion of Navy fighter strength during the final year of the Pacific War. The squadron flew combat sorties during Pacific operations, providing fleet air defense and conducting strike missions against Japanese forces from USS Essex's flight deck.

Carry the history. VF-57 t-shirts, hoodies, and heritage gifts,built for those who remember what these squadrons gave.