 For "Scoop," it was the fifth carrier he'd call home; "Ticonderoga" had been the third of these he left due to battle damage.VF-80 first saw serious action aboard Hancock on 16–17 February 1945 as the US fleet approached the Japanese mainland 30 miles east of Honshu.They had the element of surprise and took full advantage of that fact, launching strikes against airfields and military installations on the ground.