Opal "C." Hughes
Master Technical Sergeant Opal Hughes was a Marine Corps aviation mechanic with VMJ-253.
He died when his airplane crashed at sea near Ouvéa, Loyalty Islands, on 27 December 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 364813
Current Status
Remains not recovered.
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
October 12, 1921
at Magee, MS
Parents
John Wiley Hughes
Mary Cola (Ates) Hughes
Education
Magee High School
Draughon’s Business College
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
January 26, 1942
at Jackson, MS
Home Of Record
Magee, MS
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Cola Hughes
Military Specialty
Aviation Mechanic
Crew Chief
Primary Unit
VMJ-253
Campaigns Served
—
Individual Decorations
—
Additional Service Details
Hughes was on duty with South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command (SCAT).
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Master Technical Sergeant Opal Hughes was a skilled flight mechanic with Utility Squadron (VMJ) 253. He served as a crew chief on countless transport flights between bases in the South Pacific.
On 27 December 1943, Hughes was assigned to aircraft R4D-5 #12432 for a routine ferry hop from Tontouta, New Caledonia, to Espiritu Santo. Four other Marines – members of VMJ-153 – comprised the flight crew; 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.
Burial Information or Disposition
None of the remains were recovered; all aboard were declared dead as of 1424 hours, 27 December 1943.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Cola Hughes.
Location Of Loss
The R4D-5 crashed near Ouvéa; wreckage was found at the island’s south tip.
Gallery
Related Profiles
Crew of R4D-5 #12432
Known passengers (all US Navy)
VC-38
• Lieutenant William Rudolf Larson
VB-98
• Lieutenant Commander John Risse Little
• Lieutenant Kenneth Robert Speer
• Lieutenant (j.g.) August George Kafter
• Lieutenant (j.g.) Norman William Mackie
• Lieutenant (j.g.) Glenn Guy Parker
• Lieutenant (j.g.) Donald Everett Winters
VB-98 (continued)
• ARM1c Dirk Berent Boonstra
• ARM1c Earl Brice Fuller
• ARM1c Francis John Storm
• ARM2c William Harold Beltz
• ARM2c William LeRoy Daugherty
• ARM2c John Joseph D’Huyvetters
• ARM2c Lewis James Fenton
• ARM2c William Edward Luby
• ARM2c Mauritz Henry Nelson
• ARM2c Edwin Lawrence Spangler
• ARM2c Eugene Franklin Sutton
• ARM2c John Frederick Werner