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| Lt. Richard Scobell-The Avenger Pilot who flew with Wally |
Lt. Richard Scobell, the pilot of Wally's Avenger crew had only been with VT-7 (Wally's Torpedo Squadron on the USS Hancock )since Oct 16, 1944 so he and Wally had flown together for less than 10 days prior to Wally's death when their plane was shot down on Oct 25th during the Battle off Samar. As previously noted, LT. Scobell survived the battle that Wally did not, but was killed in action less than three months later. He died on January 16th, 1945 in a collision with another Avenger while trying to avoid anti-aircraft fire when the The Hancock launched strikes on the Hainan Islands in the Gulf of Tonkin,the Pescadores Islands and shipping in the harbor of Hong Kong. (UPDATE: it is now believed that the collision between the Avengers was more likely caused by the shockwave of the exploding shells pushing one of the aircraft into the other rather than by the pilots trying to avoid the anti-aircraft fire.)
In a letter from Acting Commander Lt.Norman Anthony to the mother of another serviceman (Eugene Barrow) we learn how he was killed.
"On 16 Jan. They were on a bombing mission over enemy territory and Eugene was flying as radio gunner with Lt.(jg)Hunt.They were engaged by intense and accurate anti-aircraft fire shortly before launching the attack. Lt.(jg)Hunts plane and Lt.(jg)Scobells plane collided and spiraled to earth. Lt.Anthony states that he was certain that the pre-occupation of both pilots trying to evade the anti-aircraft fire had a lot to do with the collision as they were far too experienced for that to happen under normal circumstances.
Another official letter dated 21 January 1947 reads in part:
You have previously been informed by a letter from the Secretary of the Navy that your son, the late Lieutenant (junior grade) Richard Cassebeer Scobell, United States Naval Reserve, missing in action as of 16 January 1945, was presumend to have lost his life on 17 January 1946. This date was used for the purpose of termination of pay and allowances, settlement of accounts, and payment of death gratuities.
Positive evidence in the form of a report from the Army Graves Registration Service has now been received showing that your son was given a mass burial and is interred in Grave 466, Plot A, Hungjao Road Cemetery, Shanghai, China. All the information available concerning the identification and further dispositiion of the remains of your son was furnished you in a letter from the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Washintond 25, D.C., dated 23 September 1946.
On the basis of the foregoing evidence and puruant to the provisions of Section 9 of Public Law 408, 78th Congress, it has been determined that you son died on 16 January 1945. The records of the Navy Department have been corrected accordingly.
The letter that came with the photo of the headstone dated 30 June 1952 reads in part:
Reference is made to the interment of your son, the late Lieutenant (jg) Richard C. Scobell, and his comrades, which was made in Grave 20, Section D, Keokuk National Cemetery, Keokuk, Iowa. It is regretted that because of the fact it was impossible to identify individually the remains of your son, you were deprived of the comfort and consolation which you might have been afforded by interring his remains at home.
During his service, Lt. Scobell was awarded a Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, an Air Medal with two Gold Stars, and a Purple Heart.
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| An amateur military historian in Hong Kong believes he has found the wreckage of one of the aircraft involved in the mid-air collision which killed Lt. Scobell |
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| The headstone marking the mass grave for Scobell and the other servicemen killed when their planes collided. |
Update: March 28, 2015: A second article referencing the ongoing search for Lt. Scobells aircraft has been located here
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