Hamilton McWhorter III

Commander Hamilton McWhorter III (February 8, 1921 – April 12, 2008) was a United States Navy aviator and a flying ace of World War II, credited with shooting down twelve Japanese aircraft. He was the first Hellcat ace, first USN carrier-based double ace, and the first Grumman F6F Hellcat pilot to achieve double ace status. He flew 89 combat missions during World War II while flying with the VF-9 and VF-12 units.

Early life and education Hamilton McWhorter III was born in 1921 to a middle-class family. The family lived on a farm. When he was nine years old, his father got him on his first flight, which was in a Ford Tri-Motor.

In May 1943 VF-9 departed for the Pacific Theater aboard the newly commissioned carrier USS Essex. He was nicknamed "One Slug" McWhorter after his first kill over Wake Island on October 5, 1943, when McWhorter flew into a formation of Japanese Zeroes and fired one .50-caliber bullet into the plane. The plane exploded and McWhorter earned his first enemy kill. The men in his unit said he was conserving the taxpayers' money by only firing one slug. McWhorter later stated that he only fired one shot because the plane blew up.

McWhorter was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross five times in recognition of his actions. He was among the seven original inductees into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame when it was established in 1989.

After the war, McWhorter was given command of VF-12, an aviation unit of the United States Navy.

He ended his Navy career as executive officer of Naval Air Station Miramar in 1969 and retired to El Cajon. McWhorter's memoir, coauthored by Jay Stout, was published by Pacifica in 2001 as The First Hellcat Ace.

Affiliations He was a member of the American Fighter Aces Association, the Distinguished Flying Cross Society, and the Tailhook Association. Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame (1989)

Personal

In January 1943 he married Louise Edel. Together they had 5 children: Donald, Bill, Georgia, Hamilton, and Jon. He retired as a Navy commander in 1969 in El Cajon, California.