FOUNDING UNIT COLLECTION · JAYE MICHAEL SULLIVAN
Fighting Squadron Thirteen
VF-13’s surviving history records formation, training, the 1944 combat tour aboard USS Franklin, and later reformation. Unit history supplies context; individual participation still requires individual evidence.
Jaye Michael Sullivan · History & Collections · Research Method
Formation and first tour
The November 1944 squadron history reports commissioning at NAS Atlantic City on 1 November 1943. T. B. Bradbury was the first commanding officer; Wilson M. Coleman relieved him on 17 November. Training later moved to Oceana, and the squadron history reports going aboard USS Franklin on 14 March 1944. [MC-JS-VF13-1944-001-N44; PDF pp. 3-4]
For 4 July through 30 October 1944, the squadron reported eleven enemy-action periods, 188 combat flights, and 1,831 sorties. Those are squadron totals. They are not assigned to Jaye Sullivan or any other individual without separate evidence. [MC-JS-VF13-1944-001-N44; PDF p. 4]
Reformation in 1945
The 1 March 1945 submission describes the squadron’s return to the United States and reformation at Alameda. The 1 September 1945 submission records later training, carrier qualifications, transport to Hawaii, and a dated organization chart naming Lt. Comdr. J. M. Sullivan as commanding officer. Qualification and transport periods are kept distinct from the 1944 combat tour. [MC-JS-VF13-1944-001-M45; PDF pp. 43-51] [MC-JS-VF13-1944-001-S45; PDF pp. 52-58]
Next operational research
Locate original squadron war diaries, aircraft action reports, flight logs, command orders, and award records. Compare their dates and named personnel with the retrospective history. The scanned assembly’s archival series, identifiers, completeness, and custody chain remain to be established.
