 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Richard E. Ellsworth" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Richard E. Ellsworth | |
|---|---|
 Ellsworth circa 1952 | |
| Born | July 18, 1911 |
| Died | March 18, 1953(1953-03-18) (aged 41) nearBurgoyne's Cove, Newfoundland, Canada |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1935–1953 |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Commands | 28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing 308th Reconnaissance Group 10th Weather Squadron |
| Battles / wars | World War II,Cold War |
| Awards | Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross (2) Air Medals (3) |
Brigadier GeneralRichard Elmer Ellsworth (July 18, 1911 – March 18, 1953)[1] was aUnited States Air Force commander during the early part of theCold War.Ellsworth Air Force Base nearRapid City, South Dakota, is named in his honor.[2]
Born inErie, Pennsylvania, Ellsworth joined thePennsylvania National Guard in 1929. In 1931 he was accepted into theU.S. Military Academy (West Point) and after graduation in June 1935, he underwent pilot training as a second lieutenant atRandolph andKelly fields inSan Antonio, Texas. Ellsworth was assigned to squadron duties in October 1936 atMitchel Field onLong Island inNew York.
The army promoted him tofirst lieutenant in June 1938 and transferred him back to Kelly Field and later to theSacramento Air Depot inCalifornia. He spent time studyingmeteorology at theCalifornia Institute of Technology inPasadena, graduating with a master's degree. He received promotion tocaptain in October 1940, and by December 1941, Ellsworth was amajor and by February 1942 alieutenant colonel.
In the spring of 1942, Ellsworth was reassigned to transport pilot duty inAlaska. Later that year, he was sent to study weather-related phenomena in the South Pacific, where he was promoted to fullcolonel in December. Beginning in July 1943, as commander of the Tenth Weather Region, he flew more than 400 combat missions in theChina-Burma-India Theater, logging a total of 780 hours for the 10th and 14th Air Forces. For his heroics, he receivedbattle stars for eight different campaigns, and further distinguished himself earning theLegion of Merit, twoDistinguished Flying Crosses, threeAir Medals, and even Chinese Air Force Wings.
After the war, Ellsworth returned stateside for reassignment as Chief of Operations and Training for the Air Weather Service in Washington. He later commanded the 308th Reconnaissance Group at Morrison Field,Florida as well as theFairfield-Suisun Air Force Base in California. In July 1950, Ellsworth graduated from theAir War College atMaxwell Air Force Base inAlabama and was reassigned Chief of Plans for the 2nd Air Force atBarksdale Air Force Base,Louisiana. Colonel Ellsworth was assigned as the wing commander28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Rapid City Air Force Base in southwestern South Dakota in 1950. In September 1952, he was promoted to the rank ofbrigadier general.
Retired squadron maintenance officers at the base remember Ellsworth as an unusual, hands-on commander, who would sometimes assist mechanics working late into the night in efforts to ready aircraft.
In 1952, Ellsworth befriended Hollywood producerHerman Cohen during the filming ofBattles of Chief Pontiac. The picture was shot on-location in western South Dakota, usingLakota Indians from a nearby reservation to portray the Native Americans. General Ellsworth allowed personnel from the base to act as extras in the film, portraying British and Hessian troops. Ellsworth sent out Air Force water trucks to assist the production crew. General Ellsworth's three sons were allowed to visit the set and meet the actors.
On March 18, 1953, Ellsworth was co-piloting aConvair RB-36H Peacemaker bomber on a 25-hour journey as part of a simulated combat mission flying fromLajes,Azores back to the Rapid City base.[3] As part of their exercise, the bomber's crew was observing radio silence and had switched off their radar guidance, flying viacelestial navigation. They had planned to fly low over the ocean, steadily increasing to higher altitudes before reaching the mountainous countryside ofNewfoundland.
Late into the night, the aircraft struck bad weather and went off course, reaching Newfoundland 90 minutes earlier than planned. At 4:10 am near Burgoyne's Cove, inland from Nut Cove,Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, with sleet, fog,[4] freezing drizzle, and visibility estimated at less than1⁄8-mile (200 m), the plane struck an 896-foot (273 m) hill at 800 feet (244 m) with a ground speed of 202 knots (374 km/h; 232 mph). The aircraft's propellers severed the tops of pine trees while the plane's left wing hit the ground, tore off, and spilled fuel.[5] The rest of the plane impacted some thousand feet (300 m) further. The impact and subsequent fire from the plane's fuel tanks scorched an 8-foot-deep (2.4 m) trench in the countryside. Loggers on a nearby hill spotted the fireball and alerted rescuers, but all 23 on board were killed on impact.[6] That same night, aBoeing SB-29 Superfortress search and rescue plane was sent out to assist in search efforts, but crashed two hundred miles (320 km) west inSt. George's Bay, killing all 10 of its crewmembers.[5][7][8][9]
In the aftermath of the crash, an accident investigation board recommended new procedures to scan more frequently for approaching high terrain and to climb to safer altitudes before approaching within 200 miles (320 km) of a water-land boundary.PresidentEisenhower personally went to the Rapid City base and renamed it Ellsworth Air Force Base, to honor the generalon June 13.[10][11]
Ellsworth, age 41, was buried in South Dakota, atBlack Hills National Cemetery nearSturgis.[1]
The remote crash site is one of only two B-36 crash sites still remaining (the other is inAlaska). Wreckage is strewn across3⁄4-mile (1.2 km) of terrain, and remains today where it landed. The site is located about a forty-minute hike away from the nearest parking area. A nearby memorial features a propeller from the bomber, and a bronze plaque listing the names of the deceased crewmembers. The location of the crash site is at approximately (48°11′04″N53°39′51″W / 48.184352°N 53.664271°W /48.184352; -53.664271 (RB-36H-25))