Arthur Ernest Finucane
Second Lieutenant Arthur E. Finucane was a Marine pilot flying with VMF-212.
He was killed in a training accident at sea near Tontuota, New Caledonia on 31 May 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-5926
Current Status
Remains not recovered.
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
January 15, 1916
at Spokane, WA
Parents
Francis Joseph Finucane
Mary Gertrude (Sweeney) Finucane (d. 1934)
Education
The Hill School (1934)
Stanford University (1939)
Occupation & Employer
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM)
Service Life
Entered Service
February 26, 1936 (enlisted)
March 14, 1939 (commission)
Home Of Record
Pasadena, CA
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Francis Finucane
Military Specialty
Pilot
Primary Unit
VMF-212
Campaigns Served
—
Individual Decorations
—
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Arthur Finucane, scion of a wealthy Spokane family, enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1936 and earned his commission upon graduating from Stanford University in 1939. After earning his wings at NATC Pensacola, he was assigned to VMF-212 as a fighter pilot and deployed overseas to New Caledonia.
Finucane was killed in an accident on 31 May 1942, while piloting an F4F-3A Wildcat (Bureau Number 3916). Writer Max Brand, who told the story of VMF-212 in his book Fighter Squadron at Guadalcanal, described the event:
[Finucane was] a tall, slender, fine-looking fellow, very popular with the other pilots. Out in the harbor there was at this time a derelict ship hung up on a reef, a perfect target for strafing or bombing, and Finucane was at practice dive-bombing it half and hour before dusk. It was a clear evening, just coming into the quiet time of day, when Finucane got his altitude, tipped over, and made a perfect dive. It was perhaps too perfect. No one could tell what happened, but it seemed certain that Finucane must have blacked out or had target fixation. Nothing perceptible seemed to be wrong with his plane, but he finished his dive by going straight in, and his body was never found.
Lieutenant Finucane was the first pilot lost from VMF-212. An airfield on Efate was later named “Finucane Field” in his honor.
Burial Information or Disposition
Remains not recovered.
Next Of Kin Address
The Finucane Company (F. J. Finucane, president) had offices in the New Rookery Building, Spokane. The building was torn down in 2006.
Location Of Loss
Lieutenant Finucane crashed about half a mile offshore of Tontuota.
