This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Shaun Thomas (Underdog), OSC
to remember
Dibb, Robert Allan Murray, LCDR.
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Contact Info
Home Town Burbank
Last Address Inyokern, CA
Date of Passing Aug 29, 1944
Location of Interment Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Glendale, California
Wall/Plot Coordinates Plot: Whispering Pines, Map 3, Lot 1244, Space 2
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
U.S. Navy Lieutenant Robert A. Dibb, after whom Dibb Road on NAWC China Lake is named, was killed when a five-inch AR rocket with a dummy head, fired for a rocket night calibration, ricocheted 500 feet into the air and took off one wing of his F6F-5 Hellcat (BuNo 58818.) He pulled out at 600 feet, and the rocket body struck him from above, carrying away the right wing hinge fitting, causing the right wing to come off. Lt. Dibb was an ace with 7 aerial victories.
Other Comments:
To view the Navy Cross citation, click on the Navy Cross ribbon in the Ribbon Bar.
Guadalcanal Campaign (1942-43)/Battle of the Eastern Solomons
From Month/Year
August / 1942
To Month/Year
August / 1942
Description The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons (also known as the Battle of the Stewart Islands and, in Japanese sources, as the Second Battle of the Solomon Sea took place on 24–25 August 1942, and was the third carrier battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II and the second major engagement fought between the United States Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Guadalcanal Campaign. As at the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway, the ships of the two adversaries were never within sight of each other. Instead, all attacks were carried out by carrier-based or land-based aircraft.
After several damaging air attacks, the naval surface combatants from both America and Japan withdrew from the battle area without either side securing a clear victory. However, the U.S. and its allies gained tactical and strategic advantage. Japan's losses were greater and included dozens of aircraft and their experienced aircrews. Also, Japanese reinforcements intended for Guadalcanal were delayed and eventually delivered by warships rather than transport ships, giving the Allies more time to prepare for the Japanese counteroffensive and preventing the Japanese from landing heavy artillery, ammunition, and other supplies.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
August / 1942
To Month/Year
August / 1942
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories After a month of rest and overhaul after the Battle of Midway, Enterprise sailed on 15 July 1942 for the South Pacific, where she joined TF 61 to support the amphibious landings in the Solomon Islands on 8 August. For the next 2 weeks, the carrier and her planes guarded seaborne communication lines southwest of the Solomons. On 24 August, a strong Japanese force was sighted some 200 miles north of Guadalcanal and TF 61 sent planes to the attack. An enemy light carrier (IJN Shoho) was sent to the bottom and the Japanese troops intended for Guadalcanal were forced back. Enterprise suffered most heavily of the U.S. ships; 3 direct hits and 4 near misses killed 74, wounded 9S, and inflicted serious damage on the carrier. But well- trained damage control parties and quick hard work patched her up so she was able to return to Hawaii under her own power.