The officers and men of a U.S. Navy Composite Squadron (VC-76) pose for a formal group portrait on their carrier's flight deck in the South China Sea, January 1945, under the command of Comdr. J.W. McCauley. Composite squadrons combined fighter and torpedo-bomber aircraft into a single unit, providing the air power that escort carriers relied on for close air support, anti-submarine patrol, and strike missions throughout the Pacific War. Project: 218490