Background
Hutchins was born in Albany, New York, September 12, 1904, and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1926.
Hutchins was born in Albany, New York, September 12, 1904, and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1926.
Mortally injured, he was able to remain at the controls and allow his surviving crew to parachute to safety. After serving on battleship Pennsylvania until 1928, he underwent flight training at the Naval Aeronautical Station in Pensacola, Florida and was designated a naval aviator in February 1929. During the early 1930s Hutchins flew fighters from Saratoga, scout planes from Concord, and studied aeronautical engineering at the California Institute of Technology.
In 1937, he served with a seaplane squadron in the Caribbean and in November was transferred to Patrol Squadron 11 based on the tender United States Ship Langley (AV3).
During fleet exercises February 2, 1938 off the coast of southern California, Lieutenant Hutchins" seaplane collided in mid-air with another PBY. In 1942, the destroyer United States Ship Hutchins (Doctor of Divinity-476) was named in his honor.