BOSTON — The U.S. Navy pushed the limits of aviation a century ago to achieve what many then considered impossible by becoming the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean by aircraft.
Before Lindberg’s historic non-stop solo flight, a group of three naval seaplanes set out to fly a truly historic route. A transatlantic journey which laid out the flight path future air travelers would follow.
In 1917, the Navy began construction of a new version of aircraft which could operate over the North Atlantic waters. The Navy needed a long-range plane to combat German U-Boats during World War I.
The Navy Curtiss (NC) seaplane sporting a huge floating hull, long wings, and four engines was the answer. By the time the first aircraft was completed in November of 1918, the First World War was over.
The Navy turned its focus on using the new aircraft to tackle the unknowns of crossing the Atlantic by air. Their wooden hull supported six compartments with a passageway for movement by the crew.
Each Nancy, as they were nicknamed, featured four 400 hp Liberty L-12 engines. Her cruising airspeed averaged 84 knots, with a range of nearly 1300 nautical miles.
The NC Seaplane Division One, lead by CDR John H. Towers, featured three of these new seaplanes. On May 8, 1919, NC-1, 3, and 4 each carried a commander and a crew of five, departed upon their historic voyage to Europe.
LCDR Patrick Bellinger commanded the NC‑1. While CDR Towers commanded NC-3 and LCDR Albert C. Read lead the NC-4.
Each aircraft carried two radios to communicate with another Nancy and naval ships supporting their flights. The Navy had anchored 53 ships fifty miles apart across the vast ocean.
“The radio operator had access to 75 mile short range and 300 mile long range radio sets,” U.S. Navy stated in a post-flight report. “There was an intercom system allowing the crew to speak with one another and even allowed the commander to speak over the radio.”
The three planes departed Rockaway Beach on Long Island, New York and flew up to Halifax, Nova Scotia and then to Trepassey, Newfoundland. NC-1 and NC-3 arrived, however NC-4 arrived later after making an unscheduled stop due to engine trouble.
All three aircraft then departed Newfoundland at sunset on May 16, beginning a nearly 1400 n.m. direct route from Trepassey to the Azores. As the Nancies neared the Azores the next day, the weather had turned bad with low visibility.
NC-1 and NC-3 elected to land in the weather that afternoon to determine their location and save on fuel. NC-1 landed about 100 nm from Flores, and NC-3 landed about 200 nm from Ponta Delgada, each in the Azores.
Each aircraft was damaged due to rough seas and could not take-off again. The crew of NC-1 was picked up by the cargo freighter SS Ionia from Greece. While towing the stricken aircraft, the tow lines snapped and the first Nancy was lost at sea.
Nancy 3 safely landed on the ocean and floated, her tail partially sunk. Her crew did not sleep that night as their craft battled nearly 40-foot waves driven by gale force winds.
Tower’s crew unsuccessfully tried to communicate by radio with nearby ships and the Nancies. Days later, their seaplane arrive at Ponta Delgada following a 200 mile cruise. A U.S. Navy ship greeted the craft and towed them into port.
As the Navy points out, LCDR Read in NC-4 spotted the coastline of Horta and safely landed there on May 16. They spent a few days to wait out the weather.
NC-4 then departed the Azores on May 20, to continue the flight to Lisbon, Portugal. However, after having only flown 148 miles, the aircraft was forced to land at São Miguel Island due to equipment problems.
One week later, NC-4 was repaired with new parts and took off again bound for Portugal. Nearly ten hours later, on May 27, 1919, NC-4 and her crew arrived in Lisbon Harbor and into the history books.
According to the Navy, this marked the first time in history that an ocean of the Earth was crossed by aircraft. Nancy 4 covered 3,936 nautical miles and flew 52 hours and 31 minutes over the course of 19 days.
“Lisbon would not be the final port,” the Navy report added. “(NC-4) would continue to Plymouth, England from where the Pilgrims left for the North American continent nearly 300 years earlier.”
America had won the race to cross the ocean by air. The flight paved the way for future aviators, including Charles A. Lindberg’s non-stop flight from New York to Paris eight years later.
“It soon will be possible to drive an airplane around the world at a height of 60,000 feet and 1,000 miles per hour,” LCDR Read exclaimed following his historic flight.
In 1961, Triumph: The Incredible Saga of the First Transatlantic Flight was published by Harper & Row. The hardcover book can be found on Amazon.
Today, the original NC-4 can be viewed on display at the Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola, Fla. The Navy Curtiss seaplanes remain as a testament to the early days of naval aviation.
(Charles A. Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)
