Carlton B. Hutchins

Carlton Barmore Hutchins was a U.S. Naval aviator who lost his life in a mid-air collision in 1938. Mortally injured, he was able to remain at the controls and allow his surviving crew to parachute to safety. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Biography

Hutchins was born in Albany, New York, September 12, 1904, and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1926, the same class as Henry C. Bruton, Charles L. Carpenter, Howard Gilmore, Lofton Henderson, Fitzhugh Lee, Max Leslie, Wade McClusky, Robert B. Pirie, and John Sylvester. After serving on battleship until 1928, he underwent flight training at the Naval Aeronautical Station in Pensacola, Florida and was designated a naval aviator in February 1929. During the early 1930s Hutchins flew fighters from, scout planes from, and studied aeronautical engineering at the California Institute of Technology.
In 1937, he served with a seaplane squadron in the Caribbean and in November was transferred to Patrol Squadron 11 based on the tender. During fleet exercises, on February 2, 1938, off the coast of southern California, Lieutenant Hutchins' seaplane collided in mid-air with another PBY. Lieutenant Hutchins lost his life in the crash and received the Medal of Honor posthumously.

Namesake

In 1942, the destroyer was named in his honor.

Medal of Honor citation

His citation for the Medal of Honor reads:

Although his plane was badly damaged, Lieutenant Hutchins remained at the controls endeavoring to bring the damaged plane to a safe landing and to afford an opportunity for his crew to escape by parachutes. His cool, calculated conduct contributed principally to the saving of the lives of all who survived. His conduct on this occasion was above and beyond the call of duty.