Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was a family star until tragedy struck in 1944
On Aug. 12, 1944, airplane mechanics, pilots and cooks gathered near the runway of an air base in England to watch the takeoff of a top-secret Navy aircraft that was painted white and had a huge “T-11” emblazoned on its side.
The plane was jammed with tons of a potent explosive called Torpex, which was used in torpedoes. And it had special electronic equipment that, once airborne, would transform it into a crude but powerful drone.
At the controls was Navy Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., 29, the oldest son of a former U.S. ambassador to Britain, and a man who carried the promise of one of the great political families in American history.
But on this day, 80 years ago Monday, he was also about to become the first to perish in a string of public tragedies that would afflict his family for the next half-century.
https://www.stripes.com/history/2024-08-11/joseph-kennedy-history-14830845.html