Long Island Sound – December 24, 1942
On December 24, 1942, a flight of four navy TBF-1 Avengers left Norfolk, Virginia, bound for Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island. After a stop in New Haven, Connecticut, the planes left for New London, flying over Long Island Sound along the coast of Connecticut. Somewhere between New Haven and New London, Lt. (jg.) William Young Bailey and his aircraft disappeared from formation and was presumed to have crashed in the Sound. The following day pieces of aircraft wreckage were found near New Haven.
Lt. Bailey was alone in the aircraft.
It is unclear whether or not Lt. Bailey’s body was recovered. There is a memorial to him located in Woodlawn Cemetery in Zanesville, Ohio. To see a picture of the memorial, and a photograph of Lt. Bailey, see www.findagrave.com, Memorial #6290244.
Source:
The Sunday Morning Star, (Wilmington, Del.) “Navy Flyer Missing On Connecticut Trip”, December 27, 1942.