Aircraft History
Assigned to the USS Honolulu (CL-48).

Mission History
Took off on a night mission and crashed into a mountain on Savo Island.

Pilot Brackett was buried by locals on Savo Island. A photo of his grave was photographed by the US Navy and released via the International News Photos and with the caption: "Grave of Lieutenant Bruce G. Brackett, USNR, on Savo Island. Brackett was killed January 14, 1943 when the airplane he piloted crashed on Savo Island, near Guadalcanal. Friendly natives gave him Christian burial in a grove of tall palm trees, with sound of the rolling surf... the natives marked his grave with a clean white cross, and enclosed it with a bamboo fence."

Afterwards, his remains were removed. Today, he is interred at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl), Plot C Row 0 Grave 984.

References
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC)
Thanks to Peter Flahavin and Ted Darcy for additional information

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Last Updated
December 15, 2008