The USS Hornet Sea Air and Space Museum has announced the presentation of a rare WWII squadron scroll to Strike Fighter Squadron 115 during a ceremony held on April 23 at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California. The scroll is tied to Torpedo Squadron 11, or VT-11, the WWII-era unit whose lineage continues today through VFA-115. During the ceremony, filmmaker George Retelas, director of Sundown to Eleven, formally presented the scroll to the squadron. He was joined by retired U.S. Navy Capt. David B. Ashworth, son of Frederick L. Ashworth, VT-11’s first commanding officer.
The artifact was originally created by Retelas’ grandfather at the time VT-11 was formed. It carries the signatures of the squadron’s original members before they deployed during WWII. As the war went on, stars were added beside the names of those who did not return. In all, 32 members of the squadron were lost in service. “My father armed the bomb on the B-29 Bockscar that struck Nagasaki, and he was often asked about that time,” said Ashworth. “But what he cared most about sharing was his first command with this special squadron.” VT-11 originally flew the Grumman TBF Avenger and served in the Pacific Theater, including operations from Guadalcanal and aboard USS Hornet (CV-12).
The squadron took part in several campaigns across the Pacific before its legacy eventually carried forward into today’s VFA-115. VFA-115, known as the “Eagles,” is now based at Naval Air Station Lemoore and is preparing to transition to the F-35 Lightning II. The unit continues to trace its history back to VT-11 while carrying out its modern strike fighter role. “Our squadron is immensely grateful to the USS Hornet Museum, and to George and David for donating this scroll and taking the time to share its story with our Sailors,” said LT Ahad “Nighthawk” Asim. “Naval Aviation prides itself on its rich history, and this scroll is a powerful representation of that legacy.”
The ceremony also brought attention to the squadron’s wartime insignia, which was designed by Walt Disney Studios during WWII. The emblem, nicknamed “Little Butch,” features a winged cherub adapted from the 1940 film Fantasia, shown as a pilot dropping a torpedo marked with a skull and crossbones. Although the modern squadron is known as the Eagles, members of VFA-115 continue to wear “Little Butch” every Thursday as a way of remembering those who served before them. Retelas’ documentary, Sundown to Eleven, also connects to the same history. The film follows the search for a USS Hornet Air Group Commander who failed to return from a 1944 mission.
“When you see this scroll, it kind of stops you for a moment,” said Retelas. “You realize it’s the story of a squadron that came together, trained together, and went to war together, and for many of them, never made it back. I know my grandfather would be proud that his scroll has found a home here with the Eagles.” The USS Hornet Museum, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, preserves the history of the aircraft carrier and the squadrons that served aboard it. The museum also has a restored Grumman Avenger on display in its hangar bay. For more information and to support the USS Hornet Sea Air and Space Museum, click on this link: uss-hornet.org.
