Off Cohasset, Massachusetts – May 1, 1944
TBF-1 Avenger
U. S. Navy Photo
On May 1, 1944, a flight of navy torpedo bombers from the Squantum Naval Air Station were on a training flight over the water off the coast of Cohasset, Massachusetts, when two of the planes were involved in a mid-air collision. One of the aircraft was able to remain airborne and return to base, but the other was forced down in the water about 100 yards off Pleasant Beach in Cohasset. The plane remained afloat long enough for the three occupants to escape in a life raft.
The crewmen were identified as Sub Lt. Peter F. Morris of Stratford-on Avon; Sub. Lt. James Rathbone of Waterford; and Air Gunner Patrick Sedgewick, of London. All three were members of the Royal Navy Air Force.
None of the men suffered serious injuries. They were rescued by Raymond C. Hunt, a yachtsmen who’d seen the plane go down, and immediately set a course for it.
Although not specifically stated in the news article, the aircraft is believed to have been a Grumman Avenger.
Source:
The Boston Globe, “3 British Flyers Saved Off Cohasset After Planes Collide”, May 2, 1944. Article submitted by Eric Wiberg, author and historian.
