Edward J. Huxtable, Jr.: Lead Airmen on USS Gambier Bay During the Battle of Leyte Gulf

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In Oxnard, Calif., Huxtable re-formed VC-10, which was assigned to the escort carrier Fanshaw Bay. Then Huxtable and his squadron deployed to the Pacific for another tour of duty.

On August 31, 1945, Fanshaw Bay became the first aircraft carrier to drop anchor in Japanese home waters. On September 10, Huxtable and his wingman flew to Toyko to deliver the surrender papers to the Japanese Northern Army. This was the final military action of Fanshaw Bay and VC-10 in World War II.

On September 30, 1945, in Alameda, Calif., VC-10 was decommissioned. Huxtable’s tenure as its commander was the longest of any CVE unit in U.S. naval history.

In January 1946, Huxtable reported to Virginia’s Norfolk Naval Station. He was promoted to captain before retiring from active service in 1949 and returning to Arizona. There he worked in the Phelps Dodge copper smelter in the assay office, was a crop duster and later taught algebra and geometry at Douglas High School. He was also a flight instructor at Douglas Municipal Airport, which his father had helped found 25 years before. He still had his pilot’s license at age 70.

Huxtable died on October 31, 1985, at his Douglas home. The next year the surviving members of VC-10 decided to dedicate a memorial to their skipper. An elaborate plaque was placed aboard USS Yorktown, moored at Patriot’s Point near Charleston, S.C.

This article was written by Cindy Hayostek and originally appeared in the September 1998 issue of World War II. For more great articles subscribe to World War II magazine today!

Tags: 20th - 21st Century, Historical Conflicts, Sea-Air Operations, World War II

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