On a mission escorting SBD Dauntless dive bombers over Rabaul on November 11, 1943, McWhorter downed two Zeroes. McWhorter's Hellcat was hit several times in the attack, but he was able to land on the "Essex". The Hellcat sustained bullet holes on both sides of the fuselage and several that went straight through each wing. During the February 17, 1944, Operation Hailstone airstrikes on Truk, McWhorter downed three Zeroes, bringing his score to ten victories. He thus became the first Hellcat double ace and the first carrier pilot double ace. In his memoirs, McWhorter described the engagement: "My wingman and I ran into three Zekes. The first had a perfect bead on me, but for some reason didn't fire and Bud knocked him down. The other two ran right into my sights, one after the other, inside ten seconds and went down. Less than a mile away another Zero (later identified as "Hamp") was bearing down on me. He could have got me, but strangely, he didn't fire either. I let him have a burst and set him afire."