Two sailors of the escort carrier USS Petrof Bay (CVE-80) pose on the flight deck, bundled against the sea wind in wool watch caps and denim deck jackets. Behind them, Grumman FM-2 Wildcat fighters sit spotted for launch — the workhorse aircraft of the 'jeep carriers' that provided close air support and anti-submarine coverage during the island-hopping campaigns of 1944-1945. Petrof Bay served in the Leyte, Lingayen Gulf, and Iwo Jima operations and survived a kamikaze attack in October 1944. Project: 218389