Hubbs, Donald Richard
Navy Commander

Donald Richard Hubbs from Palmyra, New Jersey.

Date of death: Sunday, March 17, 1968
Death details: Hostile, died missing; body not recovered in North Vietnam.

On March 17, 1968, an S-2 Tracker (bureau number 149274, call sign “Abilene 10”) with a crew of four took off from the USS Yorktown (CVS 10) on a surveillance mission. Approximately one hour after takeoff, the crew reported radar problems and while in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q XG 453 344, the aircraft disappeared from radar. Efforts to contact the crew went unanswered. Extensive aerial searches were made but were unsuccessful in locating the aircraft or crew.

Commander Donald Richard Hubbs, who joined the U.S. Navy from New Jersey, served as the commander of Anti-Submarine Squadron 23 aboard the Yorktown. He was the pilot of the Tracker when it disappeared on March 17, 1968, and his remains were not recovered. Today, Commander Hubbs is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Sources: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency