Enola gay crew members

The last surviving member of the US air crew that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima has died in Georgia aged Theodore Van Kirk, also known as "Dutch", was 24 when he became the navigator of the Enola Gay, the aircraft which dropped the bomb. The attack on Japan on 6 August killed an estimatedpeople. Van Kirk said he had "no regrets" about the mission and defended its morality, saying it helped to end the Second World War.

His son, Tom Van Kirk, paid tribute to his father, who he said remained active until the end of his life. Mr Van Kirk died of natural causes at the retirement home where he lived, his son said. The Enola Gay was named after the mother of pilot Paul Tibbets.

No Regrets: a Statement from the Surviving Crew of the Enola Gay

He had been the last surviving member of the Enola Gay crew since when Morris Jeppson, the assistant weaponeer, died. His funeral is expected to take place next week in Pennsylvania. The bomb, nicknamed "Little Boy", was the first nuclear weapon used in warfare. The only other instance came three days later when the crew of the Bockscar dropped the "Fat Man" bomb on another Japanese city, Nagasaki, killing an estimated 80, Hiroshima - how Pathe reported explosion from corr.

When time stood still. Japan marks Hiroshima anniversary. Image source, PA. This video can not be played. More on this story.