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Albert William Tweedy, Jr.

Second Lieutenant Albert W. Tweedy, Jr. was a Marine Corps pilot who flew with VMSB-241.
He was shot down and reported missing in the battle of Midway on 4 June 1942.

Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

Branch

Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-7145

Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

Current Status

Remains not recovered.

Pursuit Category

Based on circumstances of loss, this individual is considered permanently non-recoverable.

Capsule History

Pre-War Life

Birth

March 22, 1920
at Yonkers, NY

Parents

Albert William Tweedy, Sr.
Rosalie Minturn (Mayer) Tweedy

Education

Thayer Academy (1938)
Williams College (ex-1942)

Occupation & Employer

College student

Service Life

Entered Service

June 12, 1940 (enlisted)
October 14, 1941 (officer)

Home Of Record

768 Main Street
Hingham, MA

Next Of Kin

Father, Mr. Albert Tweedy Sr.

Military Specialty

Pilot
Assistant Flight Officer

Primary Unit

VMSB-241

Campaigns Served

Midway

Individual Decorations

Navy Cross
Purple Heart

Additional Service Details

Loss And Burial

Circumstances Of Loss

Second Lieutenant Albert Tweedy was a Marine pilot with VMSB-241, a scout-bomber squadron based at Midway Island in 1942. He was part of the Fourth Section, First Division, led by Major Lofton R. Henderson, and usually flew with Sergeant Elza L. Raymond as his radioman and gunner.

At 0610 hours on 4 June 1942, VMSB-241 took off from Midway and rendezvoused at “Point Affirm” – a safe distance from the airfield, out of the way of an incoming Japanese strike force. A radio message sent them on course to attack an enemy carrier; a two-hour flight brought them within sight of the IJN Hiryū. The carrier sent up a wall of flak, and her fighters quickly climbed to engage the unescorted American bombers.

Major Henderson, who had been flying out of formation to keep an eye on his newer pilots, pulled back into the lead position, which placed him on Lieutenant Tweedy’s wing. The squadron CO was an immediate target for the swarming “Zeroes” and soon went down in flames. According to the authors of A Glorious Page In Our History, Tweedy “maintained his position on Henderson’s wing until the end, and Zeroes shot him down, too.”

Tweedy’s Dauntless (SBD-2 #2103) failed to return from the Hiryū strike; he and Sergeant Raymond were officially declared dead on 5 June 1943.

Burial Information or Disposition

Shot down at sea; remains not recovered.

Memorials

Honolulu Memorial, Tablets Of The Missing
High Street Cemetery, Hingham, Massachusetts

Lieutenant Tweedy was the namesake of the John C. Butler-class destroyer escort USS Tweedy (DE-532).

Next Of Kin Address

Address of father, Mr. Albert Tweedy Sr.

Location Of Loss

Tweedy was shot down at an unspecified point after departing from Midway.

Related Profiles

Personnel of VMSB-241 lost at Midway
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