Off Gay Head, Massachusetts – April 16, 1942 

     On April 16, 1942, A United States Coast Guard amphibian plane went down in the Atlantic Ocean off the town of Gay Head, Martha’s Vineyard.  The plane had been on a routine patrol when it was sent to the area to investigate a reported submarine sighting.    

     Three men were aboard, and all were killed.  The dead were identified as: Lieutenant Robert James Lafferty, 28, of Port Washington, Long island, N.Y., Stephen Hohn Tarapchak, 37, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and William A. Boutillier, 28, of Walla Walla, Washington.  Of the three, only Boutillier’s body was recovered, found wearing a life vest. 

     Debris from the aircraft washed up on a beach in Lobsterville, Martha’s Vineyard.    

     The aircraft was a Grumman JRF-3 #V190. 

Sources:

      New York Times, “3 Are Lost As Plane Crashes Into Sea”, April 17. 1942

     U.S. Coast Guard, Aviators & Aircrews That Did Not Return…  www.uscg.mil/history/