Yap Island Mission Loss—16 March 1945

The following plane was lost on 16 March 1945 on a mission to Yap Island. I would greatly appreciate anyone's help to locate additional information regarding the information listed below.Submit additional information, updates, newpaper articles, pictures, and supporting documents to: pat@missingaircrew.com

Date:	Plane Type:	Unit:	Crew Names:	Supporting Documents:
16 March 1945	TBM-3 Grumman Avenger	VMTB-232	Joseph Crowley Kenneth D Gillispie Edgar Russell Norcross	Bureau #68526 Aircraft Action Report for 16 March 1945

MIA/KIA STATUS: The following information was provided by the Navy and Marine causality offices:

PERMANENT CEMETERY	LAST NAME	FIRST NAME	MI	SUFFIX	RANK	SERVICE #	DISPOSITION
MIA	CROWLEY	JOSEPH			1 LT	O 31322	Missing
MIA	NORCROSS	EDGAR	RUSSEL		PFC	470313	Missing
Missouri	GILLISPIE	KENNETH	D		PFC	842203	Individual identification

Description:

Yap, Crowley, Joseph, 2nd Lt. Missing
PFC Kenneth D Gillispie (Gunner), Body Recovered.

PFC Kenneth D Gillispie parents listed as Mr and Mrs David Gillispie of St Moberly, MO.

Marine Air Corps VMTB-232 based on the island of Ulithi. Plane was shot down and crashed on Yap island on March 16 1945. He was a gunner on a TBF.

Crash Site Pictures from 16 September 1945

Click to enlarge the pictures.

Picture taken 16 September 1945. Yap Island grave of a crew member of VMTB-232 shot down on March 16, 1945 on Yap Island. the inscription reads: "To the memory of American pilots who died at the front."

Picture taken 16 September 1945. Wreckage of TBM belonging to VMTB-232 lost over Yap Island on March 16 1945.

Wing of TBM "likely" located on Yap, July 2007 by Missing Air Crew Project Researcher, Stan Gajda:

I have been working with Stan Gajda over the last few months to help with my search for American crash sites on Yap. Stan has traveled to Yap a few times in recent months and offered to help with my Missing Air Crew Project. One of the crash sites that I have been trying to locate is a Marine TBM-3 Avenger that crashed near the old runway on Yap on March 16, 1945. From the description of the loss it sounds like the brand new TBM might have lost of wing due to a structural problem. The TBM only had 65 hours on it when it was lost over Yap.

The crash claimed the life's of three crew members Joseph Crowley, Kenneth D Gillispie and Edgar Russell Norcross. After the war the US Military grave registration service located the wreckage but only recovered one of the crew member bodies. The remains of Kenneth D Gillispie was sent back to his family and buried in Missouri.

During Stan Gajda's July 2007 trip to Yap he likely located the wing of the TBM Avenger. We are still trying to confirm the wing belongs to this TBM loss, however, a number of plane experts have identified the wreckage as a TBM wing with rocket mounts. Stan's discovery will help us focus on this area during our next search trip to try and locate the main body of wreckage. Pictures of the Avenger wing found by Stan Gajda can be viewed below.

TBM Wreckage

TBM Wreckage

TBM Wreckage

TBM Wreckage

TBM Wreckage

Photo Credits: National Archives, courtesy of Timothy Schubert.

American Battle Monuments Commission Information about Joseph Crowley:

• Joseph Crowley
• First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps
• Service # 0-031322
• United States Marine Corps
• Entered the Service from: Massachusetts
• Missing in Action or Buried at Sea
• Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery Manila, Philippines
• Awards: Purple Heart

American Battle Monuments Commission Information about Edgar R. Norcross:

• Edgar R. Norcross
• Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps
• Service # 470313
• United States Marine Corps
• Entered the Service from: New Hampshire
• Died: 16-Mar-45
• Missing in Action or Buried at Sea
• Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery Manila, Philippines
• Awards: Purple Heart

Please submit additional information.

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