Massachusetts Navy Aircraft Accident | New England Aviation History

Atlantic Ocean – May 1, 1958

July 2, 2017

Atlantic Ocean – May 1, 1958

Douglas AD-4N Skyraider
Naval History And Heritage Command

On May 1, 1958, U.S. Navy Lieutenant(jg.) Willaim C. Cox, 25, of Wickford, Rhode Island, was piloting a Douglas AD-5 Skyraider on a training flight off Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. At 11:30 a.m. he reported that he had an emergency and was bailing out from an altitude of 2,000 feet. No position was given.

Two witnesses reported seeing the plane go down in Vineyard Sound about 8 miles west of Martha’s Vineyard, about half way between Noman’s Land and Cuttyhunk Islands, but did not see a parachute. A search was instituted, but neither Lt. Cox or his aircraft were recovered.

Source:

Cape Cod Standard Times, “Navy Plane, Body Found Off Vineyard”, July 10, 1958. This headline refers to a WWII navy Hellcat that was found in the waters off Martha’s Vineyard with the pilot’s remains still inside. The last part of the article mentions Lieutenant (jg.) Cox’s accident. The two incidents were not related.

Atlantic Ocean – June 15, 1943

April 20, 2016

Atlantic Ocean – June 15, 1943

Updated January 15, 2023.

Little information is known about this incident.

The type of aircraft is unknown.

On June 15, 1943, Ensign Raymond John MacGregor, USNR, was killed and declared missing when the aircraft he was aboard went down in the ocean off Gloucester, Massachusetts. His body was recovered on or about August 19th by the Gloucester fishing trawler Mayflower, about two miles south of Thatcher’s Island, near Gloucester.

Ensign Macgregor is buried in Milford Cemetery in Milford, Penn. To see photographs of Ensign Macgregor click on link below.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/75051586/raymond-john-macgregor

Source: Nashua Telegraph, “Identify Body Of Naval Officer” August 20, 1943

On January 15, 2023, a newspaper article was discovered that mentioned a missing navy pilot who disappeared off the coast of Rockport, Massachusetts, on June 15, 1943 during a routine flight out of the Squantum Naval Air Station in Salem, Massachusetts. The pilot’s name was Lieut. (jg) Lloyd D. Hollingsworth, Jr., 24, of Wilmington, North Carolina. The type of aircraft was not mentioned, but further research revealed that Lt. Hollingsworth did fly a Vought OS2U Kingfisher during Operation Torch in WWII. It is also known that Kingfisher aircraft were stationed at Squantum during WWII. The Kingfisher aircraft could carry passengers, and according to www.findagrave.com, Ensign MacGregor was a passenger aboard an aircraft he was lost. The towns of Gloucester and Rockport are neighboring towns on Cape Ann, Massachusetts. Although not confirmed, it’s possible both Lt. Hollingsworth and Ensign MacGregor were aboard the same aircraft.

Lt. Hollingsworth earned his pilot’s wings in April of 1942 after training in Jacksonville, Florida. He graduated from New Hanover High School and attended the University of North Carolina. He received the Air Medal for his actions during Operation Torch.

Sources:

The Wilmington Morning Star, (N.C.), “Navy Reports Death Of Lieut. Hollingsworth In Crash Off Rockport”, January 23, 1944, p.5

The Wilmington Morning Star, “Wilmington Boy Gets Navy Wings”, April 18, 1942, p.10

The Wilmington Morning Star, “2 Wilmington Men Included In UNC Alumni Honor Roll”, August 17, 1943, p.9