USN Fighting Squadron One VF-1 High Hatters

This Hellcat, of VF-1 'High Hats', was a replacement aircraft flown by Lt. Moseley, who lost his original mount in the Battle of the Philippine Sea on June 19th, 1944. On that day, he gained two confirmed victories and one probable, but in an attempt to land his damaged plane back on the deck of his carrier, it was lost overboard. This battle was part of intensive combat with the Japanese from May 29th to August 2, 1944, during which VF-1, flying off the CV-10 USS Yorktown II, claimed the destruction of some 100 aircraft in the air and over another sixty on the ground. The rather carelessly applied number '090' ('890'?) was left over from the transport of the airplane to the unit, and was supposed to have been replaced with the unit's insignia. Unfortunately, it never came to that, as LtMoseley was shot down over the Bonin Islands on July 4th, 1944, and was listed as MIA. His name appears on amemorial in Honolulu. The cowl of this aircraft was of the newer type, with two cooling flaps on either side of the cowl, but still with the exhaust fairing.

Tento Hellcat od VF-1 "High Hats" byl náhradním letounem Lt. Williama C. Moseleye, který o svůj původní letoun přišel 19. června 1944 v období bitvy o Filipínské moře. V ten den sestřelil dva protivníky jistě a jednoho pravděpodobně, sám se však s velmi poškozeným letounem vracel na mateřskou letadlovou loď, kde při pokusu o přistání havaroval a letoun přepadl přes palubu. Tento boj byl součástí tvrdých střetů s Japonci v období od 29. května do 2. srpna 1944, kdy VF-1 létající z USS Yorktown zničila přes 100 letounů ve vzduchu a dalších více než 60 na zemi. Nedbale nastříkané označení "090" (890?) na motoru, pocházející ještě z transportu nového letounu k jednotce, mělo být odstraněno a měl být doplněn emblémem jednotky. K tomu už bohužel nedošlo, Lt. Moseley byl 4. července 1944 sestřelen nad Boninskými ostrovy a dodnes je nezvěstný. Jeho jméno je uvedeno na památníku v Honolulu. Motorový kryt tohoto letounu je novějšího typu, se dvěma chladícími klapkami po každé straně, ovšem stále ještě s výstupkem v oblasti výfuků.

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Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat, from the US Navy's VF-1 known as the High Hatters coded 'White 9K' and operated from CV-10 Yorktown II. Like all carrier aircraft the F6F flying from USS Yorktown (CV-10) had their distinctive identification markings. The tail had a diagonal white stripe as well as a green propeller hub. These fighters belonged to Fighting Squadron One (VF-1) who had its baptism under fire in 1943 when they first met the enemy at Tarawa. There they had great success protecting the ground troops as they bombed and strafed enemy positions for 4 straight days without a loss of one plane.After Tarawa the 'High Hatters' as VF-1 were called spent the next few months on Oahu before joining USS Yorktown. From May 29th to August 2nd while flying off Yorktown VF-1 acquired a record of 101 enemy planes destroyed with 19 more probables and all were airborne. They also accumulated 61 aircraft on the ground, 8 ships damaged and 16 sunk as well as destroying 26 AA batteries and 7 ammunition dumps and/or fuel depots blown up.Just on June 15 1944 alone Fighting Squadron One (VF-1) downed 20 Zeros and on June 19 1944 the first day of the Battle of the Philippine Sea they downed 37 Japanese aircraft with 2 definite and one probable going to Lt. William C. Moseley. Moseley was flying 41438 on the 19th and it was so badly damaged that when he managed to land on the carrier it was pushed over the side.The replacement aircraft was BuNo. 41090 with its distinctive 090 hastily spray-painted on the side of the engine cowling. Being a replacement aircraft there wasn't time to paint the 'High Hatters' emblem on the sides. Sadly Lt. William C. Moseley was shot down on Independence Day July 4, 1944 while flying over the Bonin Islands and was listed as MIA and later changed to KIA. On October 25 1945 Fighting Squadron One 'High Hatters' was decommissioned.

Photo 01: Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 25, 1944. This kamikaze apparently "expected to land on the after end of the flight deck." CAPT Sullivan, White Plains commanding officer, avoided a direct hit by ordering a hard turn to starboard: the plane and its bomb exploded just off the port side of the carrier and caused only minor damage; eleven men were injured, none seriously.

Photo published in Fana de l Aviation 538 page 20

VF-1 High Hatters Tour of Duty
1943/11 to 1943/11/25 operated from CVE-16 Nassau, CVE-20 Barnes number of aircraft 44xF6F-3
1943/11/25 to 1944/01/17 operated from Tarawa Atoll number of aircraft 44xF6F-3
1944/01/17 to 1944/06 operated from CVE-66 White Planes number of aircraft 34xF6F-3
1944/06 to 1944/07 operated from CV-10 Yorktown II (Forage) CVG-1 number of aircraft 41xF6F-3/N
1945/06/17 to 1945/09 operated from CV-20 Bennington CVG-1 number of aircraft .