This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Shane Laemmel, MR3
to remember
Sutton, Frank, RADM USN(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Cutler
Last Address Columbus, OH
Date of Passing Oct 28, 1985
Location of Interment Glen Rest Memorial Estate - Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Other Memories Between 1935?1938 the squadron participated in Fleet Problems XVI through XIX, as well as XXI, which was the last major Fleet Problem conducted before U.S. involvement in WWII.
He was one of the earliest flyers in Naval Aviation.
Frank Sutton landed once at Tucson, Monday, August 19, 1929. He flew an unidentified Boeing F2B. Based at San Diego, CA aboard the U.S.S. Saratoga, he arrived amidst nineteen other naval aviators, each signed into the Register on the middle third of page 112. Other than the first six who signed their own names, the rest were entered by an unknown hand all at once. Please direct your browser to the link and review page 112. There you'll see that signers Chourre through Wick comprise the group of twenty. They all remained overnight at Tucson, departing the morning of the 20th for El Paso, TX.
What were twenty Navy pilots doing at Tucson all at once? They were on a grand cross-country flight headed from San Diego to Cleveland, OH and back to participate in the National Air Races (NAR) held August 24th-September 2nd at Cleveland that year. Lt. Cdr. Homer Wick was commanding officer of Squadron No. 1 based on the Saratoga.
Wick brought his entire squadron through Tucson on behalf of the NAR. During the 1920s and 1930s, the Navy ordered numerous activities by its personnel, ships and airplanes to build confidence in the naval force among the U.S. citizenry, to provide real-life training for personnel, as well as to encourage recruitment.
Sutton's job in the group was as section leader for the aerobatic team named the "Nine High Hats." Below, Sutton is circled and shown with the rest of his section (the two officers immediately behind him) and the entire 9-man team just three days before he landed at Tucson. Sutton also participated in event No. 21 of the NAR, the Navy Pursuit Race. It took place on August 30th and covered 100 miles in ten, 10-mile laps. According to the Aircraft Yearbook for 1930, sixteen navy pilots competed. Sutton placed third with an average speed of 126.5MPH. Please direct your browser to Wick's page to see a tabulation and identification of all the men in his squadron.
He was in Carrier Division One
CARRIER DIVISION ONE Rear Admiral William F. Halsey
SARATOGA (CV-3) (F) Captain Albert C. Read
Saratoga Air Group Lt. Cmdr. Austin K. Doyle
VB-3 - 18 VSB Lt. Cmdr. Robert E. Blick VF-3 - 18 VF, 1 VSB, 2 VM Lt. Cmdr. H. F. Cooper VS-3 - 18 VSB Lt. Cmdr. Charles F. Greber VT-3 - 18 VTB Lt. Cmdr. Frank C. Sutton Miscellaneous Aircraft - 2 VM, 3 VSO, 2 VJ, 1 VSB
