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USN or USMC  Shane Elliott Oct 11, 2008 |
Aircraft History Built by Grumman Corporation in Bethpage, New York. Delivered to the U. S. Navy (USN) as F4F-4 Wildcat bureau number unknown (four or five digits). Wartime History Assigned to either the U. S. Navy (USN) to a Fighting Squadron (VF) possibly carrier based VF-5, VF-6, VF-8 or VF-10 or land based VF-11, VF-12, VF-21, VF-26, VF-27 or VF-28. Alternately, assigned to a U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), Marine Fighting Squadron (VMF) land based squadron. No known tail number or markings. Possibly, aircraft code "12" in white. This Wildcat crash site is believed to be F4F-4 Wildcat 11862 piloted by Lt(jg) Thomas A. Ruth (MIA). Mission History During 1942 or 1943 took off on a mission and crashed on southern New Georgia to the north of Roviana Lagoon. Wreckage In the early or middle 1970s this crash site was first located by local people while pig hunting in the jungle. Since then, locals claim to have recovered a "pistol" from the crash site and at least one of the .50 caliber machine guns was removed and is displayed at a nearby village. On October 11, 2008 this crash site was visited by Shane Elliott who photographed the wreckage of the upside down aircraft crash site and observed a U.S. canteen in the wreckage. Afterwards, Shane Elliott reported this crash site to Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) as a potential Missing In Action (MIA) aircraft in later 2008, 2009 and 2010. In early 2013, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) Investigation Team (IT) reportedly visited the crash site and correlated the plane to F4F-4 Wildcat 11862 piloted by Lt(jg) Thomas A. Ruth (MIA). References DPAA Personnel Profile - Lt J.G. Thomas A. Ruth (photo) Thanks to Shane Elliott for additional information Contribute
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