Irving Fenno Whipple
Corporal Irving F. Whipple was a Marine aircrew student assigned to NAS Fort Lauderdale.
He died in a crash while on a training flight near Miami, Florida, on 3 February 1944.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 803853
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
CONUS Loss
Because this individual died within the limits of the continental United States, they are not tracked by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
September 2, 1924
at Wellsboro, PA
Parents
Lewis Jay Whipple
Esther Irene (Wright) Whipple
Education
Gaines High School (1942)
Occupation & Employer
Recent graduate
Service Life
Entered Service
February 26, 1943
at Philadelphia, PA
Home Of Record
Rural Route 4
Wellsboro, PA
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Esther Whipple
Military Specialty
Aerial gunner (trainee)
Primary Unit
NAS Fort Lauderdale
Campaigns Served
—
Individual Decorations
—
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On 3 February 1944 took off from Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a routine radar training flight in PBO-1 #03847. The plane carried a total of nine men: three crew and six students. After departing Fort Lauderdale, the plane headed south and was approximately seven miles from Miami when it ran into trouble.
Plane was observed by two PC [patrol craft] boats in immediate vicinity at altitude of 3000 feet in a spin. Boats report no objects fell or personnel attempted to jump. No smoke or flames eminated [sic] from aircraft. Plane appeared to level off at 100 feet then entered 2nd spin. Plane struck water on its back. Plane sank in 150 fathoms, no survivors.
An inquiry into the crash determined a probable cause: something or someone had moved unexpectedly, disturbing the aircraft’s “critical” balance. Maintaining the center of gravity was so important that students were to be belted in their seats when not using the radar device, and instructors were told to monitor the movements of all passengers. The body weight of two men would have been enough to “[displace] the center of gravity too far aft to allow the pilot complete control.” As the pilot struggled, the report surmised, some of the passengers moved aft “to be near the exit at the time of crash landing.”
The report concluded that all nine men aboard “met their deaths in this crash” and, despite the possibility of human error, “deaths were in no way the result of their own misconduct.”
Burial Information or Disposition
The families of the crew were informed that “Extensive search by boats and planes at spot found no trace of personnel. Diving operations impossible due to depth of water. Search continuing but no hope for recovery can be held out.” None of the remains were ever recovered.
Next Of Kin Address
The Whipples lived on a farm outside of Wellsboro, PA.
Location Of Loss
The Hudson crashed in the Atlantic Ocean about seven miles from Miami.
