Charlestown, Rhode Island – February 16, 1944
F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy Photo
On February 16, 1944, Ensign James G. Canning, 23, took off from Charlestown Auxiliary Naval Air Station in Charlestown, Rhode Island, for a training flight in an F6F-3 Hellcat, (Bu. No. 41235). The purpose of the flight was to practice take-offs and landings.
At approximately 3:40 p.m., as Ensign Canning was making a runway approach, his aircraft suddenly lost power and fell into a lagoon to the south-west of the field. The aircraft hit the water and flipped over, trapping Canning inside, and then sank to the bottom in five feet of water. By the time help arrived, Ensign Canning had drowned.
At the time of his death Ensign Canning had been assigned to VF(n)-78. He’s buried in Arlington National Cemetery. (see www.findagrave.com, Memorial #49163354)
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49163354/james-good-canning
Source:
U.S. Navy Crash Report #44-11788
