Norman Taylor Dowty was born December 14, 1919, in New Orleans and grew up in Alexandria , Louisiana .  Attending college at what is now Northwestern State University, he was suspended for riding in a car with a female student and spent a year riding the rails of depression America with his fellow hoboes.  He returned to school and in June, 1941, joined the Navy as an air midshipman.  He married Rivers Rhodes in August, 1942.  The two spent a crazy time attempting to stay together while in the wartime Navy.  There were six assignments on the Atlantic, Great Lakes, and Pacific coasts in less than a year.

        Beginning in August, 1943, his squadron, VC-6, was ordered to combat duty in the Atlantic, providing an air arm for escort carriers Croatan, Core, and Block Island.  On March 16, 1944, LTJGs C.A. Wooddell and his fighter escort Paul Sorenson were launched from Block Island to search for enemy submarines.  They sighted U-801 about 10 miles away.  Sorenson strafed the boat and Wooddell dropped two depth bombs which exploded 50 yards to starboard.  The boat submerged and Wooddell dropped a MK-24 acoustic homing torpedo which missed.  That night, Avengers piloted by LTJGs J. W. Steere, Powell, Conkling, and Elefter dropped sonobuoys which picked up submarine sounds and another MK-24 torpedo was dropped without result.  Just after midnight, radio transmissions from U-801 were detected by Block Island's HFDF gear and the destroyer Corry and an Avenger piloted by Dowty were sent to investigate.  Dowty and his longtime radioman, ARM1/c Edgar Burton, dropped sonobuoys throughout the night, often flying at 100 feet above the waves.   At 0427, they spotted the feather of a periscope and dropped a MK-24 torpedo just as it submerged.  The weapon exploded, violently shaking the boat and causing a crack 15-20 cms. long and 2 mm. wide in the pressure hull in the Diesel compartment.  Dowty was unsure if they had damaged the boat, but at dawn they saw an oil slick originating where they had dropped the MK-24.  Forced to return to the carrier due to lack of fuel, a jubilant Dowty radioed in the news.  The destroyers Corry and Bronstein gained sonar contact and conducted eight depth charge attacks.  At 1118 U-801 surfaced and was taken under fire by the destroyers.  The crew abandoned ship and the boat sank at 1124.  47 crewmen were rescued.

        Just two days later on the morning of March 19, south-west of the Cape Verde Islands, LTJG Dowty and his fighter escort LTJG William Cole sighted U-1059 fully surfaced about 10 miles away.  Cole pushed over and conducted a strafing attack from the boat's port quarter.  According to the testimony of the survivors, U-1059's gunners fired heavily on the attacking planes.   Dowty followed Cole's attack dropping two Mark 47 depth bombs which exploded on either side of the conning tower.  The explosions raised the submarine high in the water and it sank stern first within 20 seconds.  Fifteen survivors were seen in the water, eight of whom were rescued.

        Immediately after delivering the depth bomb attack, the TBF was seen to circle wheels down, then suddenly dip one wing and fall into the water.  LTJG Norman Dowty and his radioman ARM1/c Edgar Burton were lost.  Ensign Mark E. Fitzgerald, who was flying in the TBF as an observer, survived the crash.

        Norman Dowty was awarded the Navy Cross for his "extraordinary heroism" and "brilliant airmanship" against U-1059.  Fellow crewman Franklin Woodward, VC-6 historian, submitted this tribute :  "LTJG Norman Dowty's death was a heavy blow to the squadron, for he was one of its best liked and oldest members.  This officer and his radioman, ARM1/c Edgar Burton, had both done by far the outstanding work on the cruise, and it seemed ironically tragic that they both should die before realizing that they had been responsible for the squadron's most outstanding success in battle."