Atlantic Ocean – September 22, 1944
F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy Photo
On the evening of September 22, 1944, a U. S. Navy F6F-5 Hellcat, (Bu. No. 70568), took off from the Charlestown Naval Auxiliary Air Field in Rhode Island for a routine training flight off the New England Coast. The pilot was Ensign Robert Lee Skinner, 20, of Comanche County, Texas. The last radio contact with Ensign Skinner was heard about five minutes after take off. When Ensign Skinner failed to return he was declared missing and a search was instituted, but nothing was found.
Five months later the wreckage of Ensign Skinner’s aircraft was discovered off the coast of Montauk Point, Long Island, N.Y. The cause of his accident was never determined.
Ensign Skinner was assigned to Night Fighter Squadron 107, aka VF(n)-107.
A photo of Ensign Skinner can be seen on www.findagrave.com, memorial #55702569.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55702569/robert-lee-skinner
Sources:
U. S. Navy accident report dated September 22, 1944.
www.findagrave.com
