United States Navy Crew Crashes While On NATO Maneuvers – In The Atlantic

Anti submarine squadron VS-36 had been on many cruises that year aboard the USS Valley Forge, and the USS Essex. The Commander was Captain Fredrick W. Oliver, from Pensacola Florida.

On September 24, 1957, the Essex with VS-36, along with the USS Intrepid, USS Forestall were participating with NATO forces in operation ‘Strike Back’ with the USS Saratoga serving as flagship.  Operation Strike Back was taking place above the Arctic Circle, off the coast of Norway.

In the early hours of that date the Saratoga was recovering aircraft when one of their F4D Skyray in the landing pattern crashed into the sea. The airborne Saratoga aircraft were joined by aircraft from the other vessels in search and rescue effort.  S2F-2 aircraft with a crew of four from the VS-36 Squadron aboard the Essex joined in the search. Two of the S2F’s collided in mid-air and crashed into the sea.  An extensive search for the missing ensued. Press releases reported that 11 airmen were feared missing.  The New York Times reported the New York area missing as the son of Admiral Mack, and Eugene McAuliffe, both from Brooklyn.  The bodies recovered from the S2F crash site could not be identified so the policy for a group burial was followed.

Eugene Joseph McAuliffe
ALAN, USN
DOB 14 Nov 1937
24 Sep 1957
Section 34 Grave 4835
Remains are buried in common grave with:
AT 3/Cl Roland Joseph Denis
Lt. John Gerog Hansen
Lt. Walther Gusteav Langloh
ATAN Charles Edward Morelock
AT 3/Cl. Bernard Herman Solfield
Ensign Richard William Tang
Farland Wilbert Updike, Jr.

DENIS, ROLAND JOSEPH
AT 3/C USN
DATE OF DEATH: 09/24/1957
BURIED AT: SECTION 34  SITE 4835

MCAULIFFE, EUGENE JOSEPH
AIAN USN
DATE OF DEATH: 09/24/1957
BURIED AT: SECTION 34  SITE 4835

SOLFIELD, BERNARD HERMAN
AT 3/C USN
DATE OF DEATH: 09/24/1957
BURIED AT: SECTION 34  SITE 4835

LANGLOH, WALTHER GUSTEAV
LT USN
DATE OF BIRTH: 03/22/1928
DATE OF DEATH: 09/24/1957
BURIED AT: SECTION 34  SITE 4835

MORELOCK, CHARLES EDWARD
ATAN USN
DATE OF DEATH: 09/24/1957
BURIED AT: SECTION 34  SITE 4835

HANSEN, JOHN GEROG
LT USN
DATE OF DEATH: 09/24/1957
BURIED AT: SECTION 34  SITE 4835

UPDIKE, FARLAND WILBERT JR
LT JG USN
DATE OF DEATH: 09/24/1957
BURIED AT: SECTION 34  SITE 4835

TANG, RICHARD WILLIAM
ENS USN
DATE OF DEATH: 09/24/1957
BURIED AT: SECTION 34  SITE 4835

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard