WFI Research Group

     In the early morning hours of 23 June 1945 Ensign Harold P. DeMOSS took off from Naval Air Station Barbers Point, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii,in an F6F-3 Grumman Hellcat, Bureau # 42153.  He was assigned to Fighting Squadron 100 (VF-100), and was accompanied by two other squadron aircraft for a night division tactics training flight.  In the vicinity of Kahuku Point on the northern tip of the island, the flight encountered clouds. The decision was made to climb above them. Ensign DeMOSS was not seen to reemerge from the clouds. The two other aircraft returned to Barbers Point and reported Ens DeMOSS missing.  An immediate search for Ensign DeMOSS and his aircraft began. The wreck was located high in the mountains, about seven miles from the nearest traveled highway. Although the quest to bring him home to his family was begun in 2011, his remains were left at the site until 2017. Fianl arrangements are underway at the present time.

     We only assisted with this case. Our heart felt thanks goes out to the searches that found the wreck site. Without them the government would not have gotten involved. This case only took seven years from start to finsih. Ensign Warnke's case took seventeen.