16 AUGUST 1942
CRASH OF A B-17 FLYING FORTRESS
INTO THE SEA NEAR CAIRNS

B-17E Flying Fortress

USAAF B-17 #41-2434 of the 30th Squadron of the 19th Bombardment Group at Mareeba crashed into the sea near Cairns while testing a new flare dropping mechanism on 16 August 1942.  It malfunctioned and the flare exploded inside the B-17 causing it to crash into the sea, exploding on impact, with the loss of the pilot and new Commanding Officer of the 30th Bomb Squadron, Major Dean C. "Pinky" Hoevet and all his crew, which included some of his armament officers. Many of the bodies were not recovered including Major Hoevet's.

The accident occurred just inside the Great Barrier Reef a few miles north and east of Mareeba, Queensland. Another source indicated that it went into the sea about one mile out from Yorkey's Knob.

All of the American dead were initially buried in Australia but were then sent to next of kin or to the Arlington National Cemetery in an evacuation program in 1961-1970.

After this accident, the Americans called Mareeba air field by the name Hoevet Field.

B-17E Flying Fortress #41-2434 was originally delivered to Salt Lake City on 30 November 1941. One source has stated that it was assigned to the 28 Bomb Squadron (not the 30th Bomb Squadron) of the 19th Bomb Group at Hickham airfield on 22 May 1942 and ditched off Cairns on 17 August 1942. It was wrtitten off on 31 October 1944.

Major Paul M. Lindsey (# 0-406701) was also killed in this crash. Major Lindsay had been involved in another B-17 crash about a month earlier when B-17E Flying Fortress, #41-2655, of the 30th Bomb Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, ditched into the sea near Horn Island on 13 July 1942.

AMERICAN BATTLE MONUMENTS COMMISSION (ABMC)

The ABMC web site shows the following American servicemen who died on 16 August 1942:-

30h Bomb Squadron, 19th Bomb Group

Sgt Coy Adams 6882642
T/Sgt Stephen A. Androkovich 6881199
2nd Lt William T. Chesser 0-423468
Major Dean C. Hoevet 0-022248
1st Lt. Paul M. Lindsay 0-406701
T/Sgt Hermon T. Randall 69246702
2nd Lt Arthur F. Sorrell 0-426202
2nd Lt Maxwell D. Stone 0-426204

450th Ordnance Company, Aviation

1st Lt George W. Hammersmith 0-364669
T/Sgt Ralph Tarod 35032421

TOWNSVILLE US CEMETERY

The following US personnel were all buried on the 23 August 1942. They are all listed as being killed in a plane crash at an unknown location. They were all killed in this crashh off Cairns on 16 August 1942 and these were the only six whose bodies were recovered.

** Chaplain Taggart who conducted a memorial service showed Tarod as being Jewish in his service book. The Ipswich Cemetery Records show both Tarod's and Merker's religion as Hebrew.

IPSWICH US MILITARY CEMETERY

The following who died on 16 August 1942 were buried at Ipswich. They had all been previously buried at Townsville US Cemetery.

Note:-  Railing was shown as Bailing in the Townsville cemetery records.

Based on all of the above, the crew members for the crash of B-17 #41-2434 of the 30th Squadron of the 19th Bombardment Group was as follows:-

30th Bomb Squadron, 19th Bomb Group

Sgt Coy Adams 6882642
T/Sgt Stephen A. Androkovich 6881199
2nd Lt William T. Chesser 0-423468
Major Dean C. Hoevet 0-022248
1st Lt. Paul M. Lindsay 0-406701
T/Sgt Hermon T. Randall 69246702
2nd Lt Arthur F. Sorrell 0-426202
2nd Lt Maxwell D. Stone 0-426204
1st Lt. William M. Railing 0-398588

450th Ordnance Company, Aviation

1st Lt George W. Hammersmith 0-364669
T/Sgt Ralph Tarod 35032421

Unit Unknown

S/Sgt Bernard Merker 32110191

TOTAL OF 12 KILLED

Major Dean Carol "Pinky" Hoevet
More details from his relatives

Two members of the 30th Bomb Squadron, 19th Bomb Group  who died
 on 16 August 1942 were buried at the US Cemetery in Townsville
Were they from the crash of the above aircraft?

Photo:- Copyright Michael Musumeci
17 September 2011

Close-up of the new plaque dedicated to Major Dean Hoevet

Subject:    WW2 Aircraft wrecks
Date:             Fri, 4 Jun 1999 15:40:35 +1000
From: "Paul Snow" <imocns@unionsteel.com.au>

Just for you info: crash of B-24 of Yorkeys Knob was actually a B-17 (see comments below) and the Gypsy Major in Freshwater Valley is a Dehaviland Dragon (see comments below). You have an excellent web site. My information comes from Steve Fowler, Bayview Heights, Cairns. He actually went and found what was left of the Dragon.

The B-17 was destroyed by a flare igniting in flight.

Many thanks
Paul Snow

COMMENTS:-  The book "Diary of WWII - North Queensland" indicates that the B-17 Flying Fortress on this page, was destroyed by an igniting flare, on 17 August 1942.  I have since received other information which supports Paul Snow's e-mail above and I've now changed the date of this crash on this page from 17 August 1942 to 16 August 1942. (Thanks Paul for your correction - much appreciated)

I've still left the crash of a B-24 on the 16 August 1942 (Crash No. 28) as another crash on that day.  I'll change the Gypsy Major to a Dragon as it looks more correct. The A34 series of RAAF aircraft were Dragons.  Regards Peter Dunn

Subject:   B-17E Histories
Date:           Wed, 17 May 2000 21:39:30 EDT
From:          B17RELIC@aol.com

I've got about 4,000 pages of mission reports just on the 19th Bomb Group some from the 7th BG and some from the 43rd BG. Most of my research is in 41 & 42 while my dad was a B-17 pilot with the 7th and 19th. I'm currently working on the recovery of the Swamp Ghost 41-2446 in Papua New Guinea. One of my dad's wingman that did not make it back on the first mission against Rabaul.

A question for you, do you have a crash location for 41-2434? It went  down near Cairns, but have you found any specifics? I have some extensive  files on many B-17E's. I'm somewhat focused on 41-2408, 2416, 2421, 2430,  2432, 2434, 2435, 2438, 2440, 2446, 2447, & 2656. These were mainly 22BS, 88BS, and 435th BS Airplanes. I wrote A book on the Swamp Ghost and an article on Chief Seattle (41-2656). Where are you located? I'm in Tacoma, Washington ,

Glen E. Spieth

REFERENCE BOOK

"Diary of WWII - North Queensland"
Complied by Peter Nielsen

"Aircraft Crashes of Northern Queensland Australia 1942 - 1945"
by Michael D. Musumeci

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I'd like to thank Gordon Birkett, Susan Bardon and Paul McMillan for their assistance with this web page.

Can anyone help me with more information on this crash?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 7 February 1999

This page last updated 31 March 2020