This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Donald Losey (Fallhiker), MM1
to remember
Duncan, George, CAPT USN(Ret).
If you knew or served with this Sailor and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Contact Info
Last Address Tacoma
Date of Passing Dec 15, 1995
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
One of the many Naval Academy graduates to become an ace, George Duncan shot down 13.5 Japanese airplanes while flying with VF-15 off carrier Essex, gaining all his victories in the latter part of 1944.
George Chamberlain Duncan was born on 11 February 1917 in Tacoma, Washington and graduated from the USNA at Annapolis in June, 1939. After two years on the battleship West Virginia, he was accepted for flight training at Pensacola. He earned his wings in mid-1943, but did not join VF-15 on carrier Essex until September of that year. Flying Hellcats, he ultimately flew 54 missions, but did not score his first victory until 15 June 1944, when he shot down a Zero over Iwo Jima.
A few days later, on June 19, during the famous "Marianas Turkey Shoot," he claimed three more Zeros. He made ace on September 12, when he destroyed two more Zeros over the Philippines. The very next day, again over the Philippines, he claimed one Oscar, one Nate, one Betty bomber, and shared credit for another, running his total to 9.5. In late October and early November, he shot down four more Jap fighters; his final aerial victories -- a total of 13.5
He made a career of the Navy, rising to command VF-51 and Air Group 5 during the Korean War. Apparently he also survived a crash of an F9F Panther on the Midway in June 1951.
In July 1951, when the photographed accident occurred on USS Midway, the carrier was in the Mediterranean, VF-21 flying its F9F Panthers. Duncan's brief entry in the American Aces album did not mention the incident, nor his service with VF-21, but I cannot imagine that there were TWO naval aviators named George Duncan with the rank of Commander at that time.
Later in his career, as a Captain, he commanded the carrier USS Ranger, a coveted assignment and a fitting capstone to a distinguished naval career. He retired from the Navy in 1968 and went into law. He passed away in 1995.
The fourth and final ship of the Colorado Class Battleship, USS West Virginia (BB-48) was laid down at Newport News Shipbuilding on April 12, 1920. Construction moved forward and on November 19, 1921, it slid down the ways with Alice W. Mann, daughter of West Virginia coal magnate Isaac T. Mann, serving as sponsor. After another two years of work, West Virginia was completed and entered commission on December 1, 1923, with Captain Thomas J. Senn in command.
: Displacement 32,600 Tons, Dimensions, 624' (oa) x 97' 4" x 31' 4" (Max). Armament 8 x 16"/45 14 x 5"/51, 4 x 3"/50AA 2 x 21" tt.Armor, 13 1/2" Belt, 18" Turrets, 3 1/2" + 1 1/2" Decks, 16" Conning Tower. Machinery, 28,900 SHP; Turbines with Electric Drive, 4 screws. Speed, 21 Knots, Crew 1080. Operational and Building Data: Laid down by Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, VA, April 12, 1920.
Launched November 19, 1921. Commissioned December 1, 1923. Decommissioned January 9, 1947. Stricken March 1, 1959. Fate: Sold August 2, 1959 and broken up for scrap.
USS West Virginia (BB-48) - Pearl Harbor:
On the morning of December 7, 1941, West Virginia was moored along Pearl Harbor's Battleship Row, outboard of USS Tennessee (BB-43), when the Japanese attacked and pulled the United States into World War II. In a vulnerable position with its port side exposed, West Virginia sustained seven torpedo hits (six exploded) from Japanese aircraft. Only rapid counter-flooding by the battleship's crew prevented it from capsizing. The damage from the torpedoes was exacerbated by two armor-piercing bomb hits as well as a massive oil fire started following the explosion of USS Arizona(BB-39) which was moored aft. Severely damaged, West Virginia sank upright with little more than its superstructure above the water. In the course of that attack, the battleship's commander, Captain Mervyn S. Bennion, was mortally wounded. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his defense of the ship.
USS West Virginia (BB-48) - Rebirth:
In the weeks after the attack, efforts to salvage West Virginia commenced. After patching the massive holes in the hull, the battleship was refloated on May 17, 1942 and later moved to Drydock Number One. As work commenced 66 bodies were found trapped in the hull. Three located in a storeroom appear to have survived until at least December 23.
After extensive repairs to the hull, West Virginia departed for Puget Sound Navy Yard on May 7, 1943. Arriving, it underwent a modernization program that dramatically altered the battleship's appearance. This saw the construction of a new superstructure which included trunking the two funnels into one, a greatly enhanced anti-aircraft armament, and elimination of the old cage masts. In addition, the hull was widened to 114 feet which precluded it from passing through the Panama Canal. When complete, West Virginia looked more similar to the modernized Tennessee-class battleships than those from its own Colorado-class.