Louis White McCay

Master Technical Sergeant McCay was a Marine Corps transport pilot assigned to Utility Squadron (VMJ) 153. From April to December 1943, he made countless flights across the South Pacific carrying wounded men to hospitals, military personnel to liberty, and spare parts and cargo to airfields in the Solomon Islands. The “flying sergeant” was highly regarded by his peers, and deemed one of the best pilots in the squadron by the skipper, Major Freeman Williams.

On 27 December 1943, McCay flew as copilot for Captain Reynolds H. Knotts (another top pilot) on a routine ferry hop from Tontouta, New Caledonia, to Espiritu Santo. Three other Marines – the flight crew of R4D-5 #12432 – were aboard; the cargo compartment was full of Navy flyers returning to duty from a Christmas holiday in Australia. The transport took off from Tontouta without incident, but never arrived at its destination. Radar operators reported losing track of the flight over the Loyalty Islands.

A three-day search discovered small pieces of wreckage off the southern tip of Ouvéa, and identified parts of the missing R4D-5. Investigators met with a French-speaking islander, who told of seeing the aircraft spin down and crash. A fire in the crew compartment was tentatively blamed for the accident, but no survivors could be found to provide more information.