John Drayton Baker

John Drayton Baker (born in Plainfield, New Jersey, on May 31, 1915) was an American Naval aviator who was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during World War II.

Baker enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve as seaman 2d class on 21 January 1941 at Brooklyn, New York.

After flight instruction at Miami and Jacksonville, Florida, he was appointed naval aviator on 26 August 1941 and received a reserve ensign’s commission on 18 September. After serving for two months in the Advanced Carrier Training Group, Atlantic, Baker joined Fighting Squadron (VF) 42 on 8 December 1941. Eight days later, the squadron, embarked in aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5), sailed for the Pacific Ocean.

On the morning of 7 May 1942, during the early phase of the Battle of the Coral Sea, Baker flew one of the Grumman F4F-3 “Wildcat” fighters that escorted the planes of Torpedo Squadron (VT) 5 in their attack on the Japanese carrier Shoho. He assisted in the destruction of three fighters from the enemy carrier’s combat air patrol and enabled VT 5 to escape unscathed after its successful attack and to return to Yorktown without loss.

Late that afternoon, planes from the Japanese carriers Zuikaku and Shokaku attempted a dusk attack on Task Force 17, but ran into inclement weather and the combat air patrols from Yorktown and Lexington. One of the pilots who scrambled in the waning daylight to intercept the Japanese, Baker helped to break up the attack. Skillfully using his homing gear, he guided VF 42’s airborne pilots back to the ship.

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