US Navy Ensign Edward Barrows "Teddy" Bibb was born in New Brunswick, NJ on November 6, 1922, the son of Carlisle Hurst Bibb (1894-1951) and Cornelia Adele Barrows (1895-). His father was a chemist by trade in New Brunswick, NJ until he moved to Pensacola around 1936 with his second wife Rose L. Bibb. His father eventually became vice president of research at Newport Industries and moved the family to 1001 North Palafox Street. Edward went on to graduate from Pensacola High School in 1940 before he was admitted into the University of Florida. Taking after his father, he became a member of Gamma Sigma Epsilon honorary chemical society. He was in his junior year at Florida when he enlisted in the US Navy flight program, receiving his commission at NAS Pensacola in March 1944. He was sent overseas in July 1944 and assigned to the escort aircraft carrier USS Ommaney Bay (CVE-79).
Edward joined his carrier in Pearl Harbor where she was going through repairs and training her squadrons. From September 11th to October, Edward was busy providing air cover for the fleet and Marine landings on Peleliu and Angaur. Later that month, during the Battle of Samar, he was flying patrol when he sighted an enemy fighter flying low over the water. He gave chase before closing within range. A burst from his .50 caliber sent the plane spinning into the water. Another mission had Bibb and other fighter and torpedo pilots participating in a surprise raid on an enemy airfield on a nearby island used by the Japanese to attack American forces. One enemy plane was shot out of the air and the field and installations were heavily bombed and strafed. At least eight Japanese bombers were left burning and ten other bombers and six fighters were damaged. During the battle of Samar, Edward and his comrades launched six strikes in one day that helped to turn a threatened defeat into a certain victory. On December 15th, his carrier was operating off Mindoro when her fighters shot down an enemy bomber as it dived for his ship just in time to prevent it crashing onto their deck.
Then on January 4, 1945, the Ommaney Bay set sail through Surigao Strait in the Sulu Sea. As Edward was sitting on deck in his fighter preparing to take off, a twin-engine Japanese plane suddenly penetrated the screen of the defending fighters above the fleet. The kamikaze made straight for the carrier, released their two bombs then crashed into her starboard side. One bomb penetrated the flight deck and detonated below, setting off a series of explosions among the fully gassed planes on the forward third of the hanger deck. The second passed through the hanger deck and ruptured the fire main on the second deck and exploded near the starboard side. Forward water pressure was lost immediately, along with power and bridge communications. Men struggling with the terrific fires on the hangar deck soon had to retreat because of the heavy black smoke. Her escorting destroyers could not assist because of the exploding ammunition and intense heat from the blaze. By 5:50 PM, the entire topside area had become untenable, and the stored torpedo warheads threatened to go off at any time. The order to abandon ship was given and her crew was forced to give up the fight. Finally, at 7:45 PM, the Ommaney Bay was sunk by a torpedo from the US destroyer USS Burns (DD-588). A total of 95 Americans were lost with Ensign Edward Barrows Bibb listed as missing in action,
His body was never recovered, and the deadly telegram was sent by the War Department to 1001 North Palafox Street. His parents opened it with great trepidation, hoping for anything but what they feared. But by 1945, so many Pensacola families had already received their own terrifying missives but sadly there were many more to come!
Fortunately, his younger brother, John T. Bibb, would graduate from Pensacola High School in 1944 and enlisted in the US Army Air Corps and would survive the war.
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