Donald Richard Hubbs was born on February 19, 1926, in Riverton, NJ. His home of record is Palmyra, NJ. He married Bereth Hubbs and had a daughter Jill.

He served in the US Navy as a pilot. When the war in Vietnam broke out, he was sent to serve there.

Hubbs was listed as missing in action on March 17, 1968, when his aircraft disappeared.

Synopsis (from the POW Network) as to the circumstances behind being listed as MIA:
Cdr. Donald R. Hubbs (pilot); Lieutenant Junior Grade Lee D. Benson (co-pilot); Ax2 Randall J. Nightingale (Anti-submarine Technician 2nd class); and ADR Thomas D. Barber (crewman) compromised the crew of an S2E aircraft assigned to Air Antisubmarine Squadron 23 aboard the USS Yorktown.

As submarine action in Vietnam was virtually (if not completely) unknown, a wide variety of activities were conducted by Anti-Submarine units in Vietnam. Because Anti-Submarine warfare involves the use of magnetic detection gear or acoustic buoy in conjunction with ‘listening’ devices, anti-submarine aircraft and their crews’ training proved especially adaptable to reconnaissance and tracking missions.

On March 17, 1968, Hubbs and his crew launched from the Yorktown on a night surveillance mission over the North Vietnamese coast in the area of Vihn. Weather was bad with zero visibility. Approximately one hour after launch, the aircraft reported radar problems. No other transmissions were heard, the aircraft disappeared from the ship’s radar scope. All efforts to make contact were unsuccessful. However, five hours after the last contact, radio signals were heard, and North Vietnamese fishing boats were spotted in the area the next day. The last point of contact occurred about 30 miles off the shore of North Vietnam about 25 miles east southeast of the island of Hon Me.

On July 20, 1968, a section of the starboard wing was found. During the period of July through September 1973, an overwater/at-sea casualty resolution operation was conducted to determine the feasibility and desirability of such water loses. These operations were terminated when it was determined to be unfeasible and nonproductive in such cases. Commander Hubbs and the rest of his crew are still carried in the statues of Presumed Dead/Remains nonrecoverable.

Hubbs has a military stone in his honor at Barrancas National Cemetery.

Sources: the POW Network and NJVVMF, Photo from VVMF.
12/17/2024