MICHAEL E. HAYES, LT, USN

Michael Hayes '72

Date of birth: February 14, 1950

Date of death: April 26, 1978

Age: 28

Lucky Bag

From the 1972 Lucky Bag:

MICHAEL EDWARD HAYES

Aberdeen, South Dakota

After receiving his free ticket out of South Dakota, Mike packed and left Aberdeen for The Naval Academy in '68. Smiley soon got involved in such good deals as the Brigade Hop Committee, Squash, SCUBA club, and Concert Band which gave him an excuse to bag part of Plebe year. After becoming an upperclassman, Mike could usually be seen with his pinmate on weekends, giving up his fillers at Tom's, a favorite spot of the 8th Company. In his spare time he still managed to make Sup's List and get stars and wings. Planning a career in Navy Air once he gets out of Navy Line, Mike hopes become a Prop Jock, but whatever he does, we know he'll come out on top.

MICHAEL EDWARD HAYES

Aberdeen, South Dakota

After receiving his free ticket out of South Dakota, Mike packed and left Aberdeen for The Naval Academy in '68. Smiley soon got involved in such good deals as the Brigade Hop Committee, Squash, SCUBA club, and Concert Band which gave him an excuse to bag part of Plebe year. After becoming an upperclassman, Mike could usually be seen with his pinmate on weekends, giving up his fillers at Tom's, a favorite spot of the 8th Company. In his spare time he still managed to make Sup's List and get stars and wings. Planning a career in Navy Air once he gets out of Navy Line, Mike hopes become a Prop Jock, but whatever he does, we know he'll come out on top.

Loss

From The Bangor Daily News on April 28, 1978:

Seven crewmen aboard a Brunswick-based Navy patrol plane that crashed at sea near the Azores were listed Thursday as missing and presumed dead.
Unidentified debris from the P-3 Orion was found floating in the area but search boats and planes turned up no trace of the crew a spokesman at Brunswick Naval Air Station reported.
The crew members all assigned to Brunswick’s Patrol Squadron 23 were identified as: Lt. David G. Schwerstein of Brunswick, Lt. Michael E. Hayes of Brunswick, Lt. j.g. Michael Dziubak of Topsham, ADI Robert W. Hasselbacher of Brunswick, ADI Randolph L. Affield of Georgetown, A03 Robert J. Elmore of Rock Island, Ill. and AT3 Weslie Donald Putnam of San Jose Calif.
The Navy said the four-engine turboprop plane went down Wednesday morning 20 miles northeast of Lajes in the Azores while on a routine training mission.
An investigation board has been convened in an effort to determine the cause of the crash.
Patrol Squadron 23 is one of six Brunswick-based squadrons that are regularly sent overseas.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Michael graduated in 1968 from Central High School, Aberdeen, South Dakota. National Honor Society, Student Council representative, Monitor, AFS Club, Band Council, Band (trombone), Vice President of Concert Band.
Michael won second place in the annual Youth Leadership contest by the South Dakota Elks Association.
He was nominated to the Naval Academy by Rep. Ben Reifel, R-S.D.

From the September 1978 issue of Shipmate:

Lt. Michael Edward Hayes USN died on 26 April 1978 in the crash of a P-3 aircraft on a training flight off Lajes, The Azores. All seven members of the crew were lost; the bodies were recovered.
Appointed to the Naval Academy from the State of South Dakota, he was graduated with the Class of 1972.
His first duty assignment was the destroyer PERRY (DD-844) in the Atlantic Fleet whereupon he was ordered to the aircraft maintenance school at the training center in Memphis. He later served with VF-213 at Miramar, California, then attended flight school at Pensacola and was designated naval aviator in 1976. Other assignments were with VP-30 in Jacksonville, Florida, and VP-23, Brunswick, Maine.
He is survived by his widow, Karen, of Aberdeen, SD.

Michael is buried in South Dakota; he also has a memory marker in Arlington National Cemetery. In addition to his wife, Michael was survived by his parents Donald and Marion Hayes.