McDonnell Douglas FA-18 Hornet —

F-18E out of Naval Air Station Oceana , Va
VFA-31 Tomcatters .

Fighter Squadron 31 (VF-31) and Torpedo Squadron 31 (VT-31) served the United States Navy
from their creation on May 1, 1943 until the squadrons were dissolved on October 25, 1945.

Fighter Squadron 31 - Photo taken October 1944 Just before departing the USS Cabot (CVL-28) at the end of their 1st tour of duty
In the time they spend in active combat they served on two light Aircraft Carriers,
shot down a total of 165 enemy aircraft, produced 15 aces, sank 26 ships, and
damaged 22 other ships totaling over 150,000 tons of enemy shipping.
Fighter Squadron 31 was the highest scoring CVL (light carrier) squadron and the 4th highest scoring squadron when including the fleet carriers (CVs which had 3 times the number of pilots in them). They had the highest kill ratio per pilot of any squadron in the US Navy which is a record that stands today.