CLEARWATER, Fla. – A Navy hero from New Haven, Connecticut, who vanished during a combat mission in the South Pacific over 80 years ago, is finally coming home to rest. Robert Louis Cyr Jr., an Aviation Radioman 2nd Class, will be buried with full military honors in Clearwater, Florida, this Saturday, May 2.
The service will be held at Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park on Sunset Point Road, closing a chapter that began during the height of World War II.
Cyr was only 19 when his PBY-5 Catalina crashed on January 22, 1944. Stationed at Espiritu Santo, his crew was scrambled to hunt down an enemy submarine. The aircraft was heavily armed with three 325-pound depth bombs and a top-secret experimental torpedo.
During a difficult takeoff in the Segond Channel, the plane bounced violently off the water, rose 40 feet into the air, and slammed nose-down. The impact triggered a massive explosion that split the plane in two.
READ: Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Slams AOC For ‘Total Warfare’ Hypocrisy
While three men survived the initial wreckage, Cyr and five others were lost. The forward section of the plane, where Cyr was stationed, sank almost instantly.
Despite search efforts at the time, the Navy declared his remains non-recoverable in 1949 due to the dangerous currents and the depth of the wreckage.
For decades, Cyr’s name was listed among the missing. However, a breakthrough came in 2022 when a specialized underwater investigation team located the wreckage.
Subsequent excavations in 2024 and 2025 yielded human remains and material evidence. On November 5, 2025, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) used DNA testing to officially identify Cyr.
Cyr, who joined the Navy in 1941, earned several honors during his service, including the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal. After 81 years at the bottom of the sea, the Connecticut native will now be laid to rest under the Florida sun.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
