Jack Haviland Shirk
Staff Sergeant Jack H. Shirk was a Marine night fighter crewman with VMF(N)-531.
He was killed in a crash at Vella Lavella, Solomon Islands, on 9 February 1944.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 380315
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
December 6, 1920
at Minneapolis, MN
Parents
Henry Shepard Shirk (d. 1941)
Maude B. (Haviland) Shirk
Education
Washburn High School (1939)
Occupation & Employer
Booth Cold Storage Company
Service Life
Entered Service
April 4, 1942
at Minneapolis, MN
Home Of Record
3531 Lyndale Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Maude Shirk
Military Specialty
Radar operator
Primary Unit
VMF(N)-531
Campaigns Served
Northern Solomons
Individual Decorations
—
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Staff Sergeant Jack Shirk was a veteran radar operator and gunner with Marine Night Fighter Squadron 531. In 1943 and 1944, he participated in dozens of combat missions in the Solomon Islands.
On 9 February 1944, 1Lt. Clifford W. Watson‘s crew – consisting of Staff Sergeant Shirk on the radar and Sergeant George E. Brogna manning the guns – boarded a PV-1 #33253, nicknamed “Double Trouble” for an operational flight out of Barakoma Airfield, Vella Lavella. The weather was exceptionally “heavy,” and the PV-1 only managed to gain 200 feet of altitude before it suddenly plunged towards the sea. “Double Trouble” burst into flames and sank, taking the entire crew with her. Crash boats were unable to find any trace of the remains.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Maude Shirk.
Location Of Loss
PV-1 #33253 crashed at sea shortly after takeoff from Barakoma airfield.
