Francis E. Ormsbee Jr.

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"Francis Ormsbee" redirects here. For the Northern Irish poet, see Frank Ormsby. For the British peer, see Francis Ormsby-Gore, 6th Baron Harlech.
Francis E. Ormsbee Jr.
Machinist's Mate
Battles/warsWorld War I
AwardsMedal of Honor
Other workFederal Aeronautics Inspector

Francis "Frank" Edward Ormsbee Jr. (April 30, 1892 to October 24, 1936) was an American

naval aviator serving in the U.S. Navy during World War I. He received the Medal of Honor
for bravery.

Biography

After growing up in

Second Lieutenant
Harry Selfridge Ormsbee, died in a crash just over a year before Frank qualified as a pilot in the Navy.

In 1929, Ormsbee was discharged from the Navy and worked in various private roles, including flying

Bureau of Air Commerce in 1935, serving as Assistant Manager of the First Air Navigation Division, as well as a Patrol Pilot and Inspector, until his death in 1936.[3]

Medal of Honor citation

"For extraordinary heroism while attached to the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla., on 25 September 1918. While flying with Ens. J. A. Jova, Ormsbee saw a plane go into a tailspin and crash about three-quarters of a mile to the right. Having landed near by, Ormsbee lost no time in going overboard and made for the wreck, which was all under water except the 2 wing tips. He succeeded in partially extricating the gunner so that his head was out of water, and held him in this position until the speedboat arrived. Ormsbee then made a number of desperate attempts to rescue the pilot, diving into the midst of the tangled wreckage although cut about the hands, but was too late to save his life." [4]

Death

Francis Ormsbee died in a

plane crash while attempting to land to wait for bad weather to clear. On Saturday, October 24, 1936, while flying alone in heavily overcast conditions, Ormsbee crashed into a mountain north of Woodford, Oklahoma. His body was found along with the wreckage of his Curtiss Air Sedan the following day.[5]

He is buried in St. Francis Cemetery in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "CPO Francis Edward Ormsbee Jr". www.militaryhallofhonor.com. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
  2. ^ "TogetherWeServed - CPO Francis Edward Ormsbee Jr". navy.togetherweserved.com. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
  3. ^ "CPO Francis Edward Ormsbee Jr". www.militaryhallofhonor.com. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
  4. ISBN 0964459035
    .
  5. ^ "CPO Francis Edward Ormsbee Jr". www.militaryhallofhonor.com. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
  6. ^ "Francis Edward Ormsbee Jr. (1892–1936) – Find A Grave Memorial". www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
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