Arthur Ray "Hawk" Hawkins (12 December 1922 – 21 March 2004) was an American naval aviator and

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

of World War II. He was the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

's tenth leading ace with 14 aerial victories to his credit.

Early life

Hawkins was born in Zavalla, Texas, on 12 December 1922. At the age of 19 in 1942, he joined the

after the death of his brother, a

United States Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

fighter pilot, who was shot down in the South Pacific.

Naval career

1940s

Hawkins was designated a

Naval Aviator Naval aviation / Aeronaval is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. It often involves '' navalised aircraft'', specifically designed for naval use. Seaborne aviation encompas ...

and commissioned an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

on 1 January 1943. He was then attached to Fighter Squadron 31 (VF-31) aboard the aircraft carrier from January to October 1944. While flying from ''Cabot'' in 1944, Hawkins was credited with 14 confirmed and three probable kills, all while flying

F6F Hellcat The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United States Navy's dominant fighter in the second ...

s. His first victory was near Truk on 29 April 1944 when, seconds after launch from ''Cabot'', he shot down an attacking Japanese

torpedo bomber A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the World War I, First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carryin ...

. He subsequently shot down three enemy aircraft on 19 June during the

Battle of the Philippine Sea The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a major naval battle of World War II on 19–20 June 1944 that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious r ...

s "Marianas Turkey Shoot", one on 8 July during the Battle of Guam, five on 13 September near

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

in the

Philippine Islands The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, and four on 21 September during the

Battle of Luzon The Battle of Luzon (; ; ) was a land battle of the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II by the Allied forces of the U.S., its colony the Philippines, Mexico, and allies against forces of the Empire of Japan. The battle resulted in a U ...

in the Philippines. Hawkins volunteered for a second tour of duty aboard from June 1945 through October 1945, when VF-31 was dissolved. Hawkins' war record included destroying 39 aircraft on the ground and assisting in the sinking of a

battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

. He was awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

three times, the Distinguished Flying Cross three times, and three

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establi ...

s. After World War II,

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Hawkins flew with the U.S. Navy

Blue Angels The Blue Angels, formally named the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, are a Aerobatics, flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy.. Blue Angels official site. Formed in 1946, the unit is the second oldest formal aerobatics ...

flight demonstration team from 1948 to 1950, flying the

Grumman F8F Bearcat The Grumman F8F Bearcat is an American single-engined, carrier-based fighter aircraft introduced in late World War II. It served during the mid-20th century in the United States Navy, the United States Marine Corps, and the air forces of other na ...

piston-engine fighter and later the Grumman F9F-2 Panther jet fighter.

1950s

When the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

broke out in 1950, the Blue Angels were dissolved, with the majority of the pilots forming Fighter Squadron 191 (VF-191), nicknamed "Satans Kittens". Hawkins served as the squadrons

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer ...

, flying 40 combat missions from the deck of , and participating in the first carrier-based jet bombing mission of the war. After the Korean War, the Blue Angels were re-formed, and Lieutenant Commander Hawkins was recalled to serve as their flight leader from 1952 through 1953. During this time, he was the first pilot to survive an ejection from a

supersonic Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound (Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...

aircraft. He was inverted (upside down) and somewhere between and in altitude at the time he ejected. Since he could not reach the pre-ejection lever due to his inverted position, his

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

did not separate and he ejected through the canopy, possibly becoming the first pilot to do that as well.

1960s–1970s

In the 1960s, Hawkins commanded

Naval Air Station Atsugi is a joint Japan-US naval air base located in the cities of Yamato, Kanagawa, Yamato and Ayase, Kanagawa, Ayase in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa, Japan. It is the largest United States Navy (USN) air base in the Pacific Ocean, and once housed ...

in Japan, where he worked to recover Japanese family artifacts lost during World War II. For this work, he was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class by the Japanese government.

Later life and family

Hawkins retired from the U.S. Navy as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in 1973 and subsequently worked with the National Museum of Naval Aviation in

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, retiring in 1997 as its chief-of-staff. Hawkins' daughter, Jill Hawkins Votaw, followed in his footsteps and was commissioned as an

in the U.S. Navy, graduating in 1980 from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

as a member of the first class to graduate from the academy that included women. She retired from the Naval Reserve as a

in 2010. In 1984, Hawkins was inducted into the

National Aviation Hall of Fame The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) is a museum, annual awards ceremony and learning and research center that was founded in 1962 as an Ohio non-profit corporation in Dayton, Ohio, United States, known as the "Birthplace of Aviation" with ...

and in 2001 into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame. In 2006, Captain Hawkins was inducted into the

Naval Aviation Hall of Honor The United States Naval Aviation Hall of Honor, located at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida, recognizes individuals "who by their actions or achievements made outstanding contributions to Naval Aviation." Since its incepti ...

. Hawkins died on March 21, 2004 in Pensacola, Florida. He is buried at Barrancas National Cemetery.

Awards and decorations

1st Navy Cross citation

:Lieutenant Arthur Ray Hawkins :U.S. Navy :Date Of Action: September 13, 1944

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant hen Lieutenant, Junior GradeArthur Ray Hawkins, United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Fighter Plane in Fighting Squadron THIRTY-ONE (VF-31), attached to the USS Cabot (CVL-28), in action against enemy forces in the vicinity of the Philippine Islands, on 13 September 1944. Participating in a pre-dawn take-off to strike against a vastly superior number of hostile aircraft, Lieutenant Hawkins braved heavy anti-aircraft fire from ground installations and, relentlessly pressed home his attacks at perilously low altitudes through intense enemy anti-aircraft fire to shoot down five Japanese air fighters in flames and damaged an additional three airborne enemy planes. By his superb airmanship, aggressive fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty Lieutenant Hawkins contributed substantially to the success of this vital operation, thereby reflecting the highest credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service.

2nd Navy Cross citation

:Lieutenant Arthur Ray Hawkins :U.S. Navy :Date Of Action: September 21, 1944

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Navy Cross to Lieutenant hen Lieutenant, Junior GradeArthur Ray Hawkins, United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Fighter Plane in Fighting Squadron THIRTY-ONE (VF-31), attached to the USS Cabot (CVL-28), in action against enemy Japanese forces in the vicinity of the Philippine Islands, on 21 September 1944. Daring in combat, Lieutenant Hawkins participated in the first fighter sweep against an important enemy-held airfield and by his bold tactics and fighting spirit, he succeeded in shooting down four enemy planes and in damaging a fifth. Relentlessly and determined, he pressed home a perilously low-altitude strafing run through intense anti-aircraft fire to inflict severe damage on an enemy plane parked beside the runway. His great personal valor, resourceful initiative and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

3rd Navy Cross citation

:Lieutenant Arthur Ray Hawkins :U.S. Navy :Date Of Action: July 24, 1945

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Second Gold Star in lieu of a Third Award of the Navy Cross to Lieutenant hen Lieutenant, Junior GradeArthur Ray Hawkins, United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Fighter Plane and Division Leader in Fighting Squadron THIRTY-ONE (VF-31), attached to the USS Cabot (CVL-28), in action against major units of the Japanese Fleet at Kure Harbor, Japan, on 24 July 1945. Fearlessly braving intense anti-aircraft fire, Lieutenant Hawkins pressed home a vigorous attack against the enemy battleship ''Ise'' to score a direct hit and contribute materially to the final destruction of the hostile vessel. His expert airmanship and courageous devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Arthur Ray 1922 births 2004 deaths United States Navy personnel of the Korean War American Korean War pilots American World War II flying aces Aviators from Texas National Aviation Hall of Fame inductees People from Angelina County, Texas Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd class United States Navy captains United States Navy pilots of World War II Military personnel from Texas Burials at Barrancas National Cemetery