Block Island Sound – October 11, 1945
U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy photo
On the night of October 11, 1945, Ensign J. A. Guice, (USN), took off from Charlestown Naval Auxiliary Air Field piloting an F6F-5N Hellcat, (Bu. No. 79664), for a gunnery training flight approximately 17 miles south of Block Island. The night was particularly dark and the horizon wasn’t visible, necessitating instrument flight. At the designated area, Ensign Guice and other aircraft took turns firing rockets at a target-spar that was being towed by boat and illuminated by flares. While making a run at the target from an altitude of 3,000 feet, Ensign Guice’s aircraft was observed to clear the target and enter a barrel roll to the left and strike the water. He didn’t get out of the aircraft before it sank.
Unfortunately, Ensign Guice was only identified by his first two initials in the navy accident report, and therefor his first and middle name are unknown.
Source: U.S. Navy Accident Report dated October 11, 1945.
