Fighter Squadron 66 (VF-66) WW2

VF-66 flew from a ship with an extraordinary record. USS Hancock (CV-19) was an Essex-class carrier that entered the Pacific War in late 1944. She earned four battle stars during strikes against Formosa, the Philippines, the South China Sea, and the Japanese home islands. On April 7, 1945, a kamikaze struck Hancock during the Okinawa campaign, killing 62 crew members and wounding 71. After emergency repairs, she returned to action within weeks.

Fighter Squadron 66 (VF-66) served aboard USS Hancock (CV-19) as part of Carrier Air Group 66 during World War II. Flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat in the Pacific Theater from 1945, VF-66 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-66 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 Hancock's flight deck.

Explore our VF-66 collection,shirts, hoodies, and gear honoring the crews who flew from USS Hancock.