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Contact Info
Home Town Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Indianapolis, IN
Last Address Alaska
Date of Passing Jul 27, 1943
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
2nd Lt. Ruth M. Gardiner enlisted in the USAAF in 1942 and applied for duty as a nurse. She then went on to become a graduate of the first organized course for flight nurses. This course was conducted at the 349th Air Evacuation Group located at Bowman Field, KY.
After achieving her status as a flight nurse, Lt. Gardiner was assigned to Flight A, 805th Medical Air Evacuation Squadron in the Alaska theater of operations. She assisted in preparing, loading, and treating wounded soldiers being transported from combat areas to rear area hospitals.
On 27 July 1943, she was aboard a C-47 air evacuation flight, she was killed when the aircraft crashed into the sea off Naknek, Alaska. Lt. Gardiner was the first flight nurse killed in action in World War II.
Gardiner General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois is dedicated in her honor.
Aircraft/Missile Information
During World War II, the armed forces of many countries used the C-47 and modified DC-3s for the transport of troops, cargo and wounded. Over 10,000 aircraft were produced in Long Beach and Santa Monica, California and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma City plant produced 5,354 C-47s from March 1943 until August 1945.
Model Douglas C-47 Skytrain / Dakota Mk I Length 63.75 ft | 19.43 m Width 95.51 ft | 29.11 m Height 16.99 ft | 5.18 m Engine(s) 2 x Pratt & Whintey R-1830-92 14-cylinder radial piston engines delivering 1,200hp each. Empty Weight 18,199 lbs | 8,255 kg MTOW 25,999 lbs | 11,793 kg Max Speed 230 mph | 370 km/h | 200 kts Max Range 1,600 miles | 2,575 km Ceiling 23,999 ft | 7,315 m | 4.5 miles Climb Rate 1,041 ft/min Hardpoints None. Armament None. Accommodations 3 + 27
