- Albert D. Sturtevant
Albert Dillon Sturtevant (
2 May 1894 –15 February 1918 ) was an officer in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War I .Sturtevant was born in
Washington, D.C. . On 24 March 1917, he and 28 others enlisted in theNaval Reserve Forces as theFirst Yale Unit . Two days later, they were all commissioned ensigns. After flight training inFlorida , he was designated anaval aviator on 1 May 1917 and, in September, he received orders for overseas duty. Ensign Sturtevant reported to the group attached to theRoyal Flying Corps station atFelixstowe ,England , in October.Sturtevant's duties consisted of flying escort for merchantmen crossing the
North Sea . On 15 February 1918, while flying an escort mission with another plane of his unit, the two American were jumped by a flight of 10 German planes. Sturtevant's companion recognized the hopelessness of the 5-to-l odds and escaped to safety, but Sturtevant gamely fought it out with the enemy. When last seen, Ensign Sturtevant was hit and crippled, falling toward the sea. For his heroic actions, he was awarded theNavy Cross posthumously.Two ships have been named USS "Sturtevant" for him.
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