Return to Aviation
Historical Chronology
Return to Aviation
Historical Chronology
A FEW PIONEERS
The United States Navy's official interest in airplanes emerged
as early as 1898. That year the Navy assigned officers to sit
on an inter-service board investigating the military possibilities
of Samuel P. Langley's flying machine. In subsequent years there
were naval observers at air meets here and abroad and at the public
demonstrations staged by the Wright brothers in 1908 and 1909.
All were enthusiastic about the potential of the airplane as a
fleet scout. By 1909, naval officers, including a bureau chief,
were urging the purchase of aircraft.
It was in 1910 that a place was made for aviation in the organizational
structure of the Navy. That was the year Captain Washington I.
Chambers was designated as the officer to whom all aviation matters
were to be referred. Although holding no special title, he pulled
together existing threads of aviation interest within the Navy
and gave official recognition to the proposals of inventors and
builders. Before the Navy had either planes or pilots he arranged
a series of tests in which Glenn Curtiss and Eugene Ely dramatized
the airplane's capability for shipboard operations and showed
the world and a skeptical Navy that aviation could go to sea.
Early in 1911 the first naval officer reported for flight training.
By mid-year, the first money had been appropriated, the first
aircraft had been purchased, the first pilot had qualified, and
the site of the first aviation camp had been selected. The idea
of a seagoing aviation force was beginning to take form as plans
and enthusiasms were transformed into realities. By the end of
the year a humble beginning had been made.
The need for more science and less rule of thumb was apparent
to Captain Chambers. He collected the writings and scientific
papers of leaders in the new field, pushed for a national aerodynamics
laboratory, and encouraged naval constructors to work on aerodynamic
and hydrodynamic problems. A wind tunnel was built by the Navy,
and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics was established.
The first real study of what was needed in aviation was conducted
by a board under Chambers' leadership and included in its recommendations
the establishment of a ground and flight training center at Pensacola,
the expansion of research, and the assignment of an airplane to
every major combatant ship of the Navy.
Progress in these early years was marked by an endurance record
of 6 hours in the air, the first successful catapult launch of
an airplane from a ship, exercises with the Fleet during winter
maneuvers at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and combat sorties at Veracruz,
Mexico. These were but some of the accomplishments by pioneer
pilots. Their activity furthered the importance of aviation to
the Navy. In 1914, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels announced
that the point had been reached "where aircraft must form
a large part of our naval forces for offensive and defensive operations."
MARCH
25--Theodore Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, recommended
to the Secretary that he appoint two officers "of scientific
attainments and practical ability" who, with representatives
from the War Department, would examine Professor Samuel P. Langley's
flying machine and report upon its practicability and its potentiality
for use in war.
APRIL
29--The first joint Army-Navy board on aeronautics submitted the
report of its investigation of the Langley flying machine. Since
the machine was a model of 12-foot wing span, its value for military
purposes was largely theoretical, but the report expressed a general
sentiment in favor of supporting Professor Langley in further
experimentation.
SEPTEMBER
17--Lieutenant George C. Sweet and Naval Constructor William McEntee
were official Navy observers at the first Army demonstration trials
of the Wright flying machine at Fort Myer, Va.
DECEMBER
2--Rear Admiral W. S. Cowles, Chief of the Bureau of Equipment,
submitted a report on aviation prepared by Lieutenant George C.
Sweet to the Secretary of the Navy. The report outlined the specifications
of an airplane capable of operating from naval vessels on scouting
and observation missions, discussed the tactical advantages of
such capability for naval forces and recommended that a number
of aircraft be purchased and "placed in the hands of the
personnel of the Navy to further develop special features adapted
to naval uses."
AUGUST
16--A Bureau of Equipment request for authority to advertise for
the construction of "two heavier than air flying machines"
was disapproved by the Acting Secretary of the Navy with the comment:
"The Department does not consider that the development of
an aeroplane has progressed sufficiently at this time for use
in the Navy."
SEPTEMBER
1--Commander F. L. Chapin, U.S. Naval Attache at Paris, reported
his observations at the Rheims Aviation Meet, expressing the opinion
that "the airplane would have a present usefulness in naval
warfare, and that the limits of the field will be extended in
the near future," and in elaborating upon that theme prophetically
noted two means by which aircraft could be operated from naval
vessels. The first was the use of the Wright launching device
(a catapult) to launch planes from the cleared quarterdeck of
battleships, and the second was the construction of a floor (a
flight deck) over the deck houses of auxiliary ships to provide
the clear space required for take-off runs and landing aboard.
NOVEMBER
3--Lieutenant George C. Sweet was taken up as a passenger in the
first Army Wright by Lieutenant Frank P. Lahm, USA, at College
Park, Md. As a result, Sweet is credited with having been the
first Navy officer to fly in an airplane.
SEPTEMBER
26--The Secretary of the Navy informed the U.S. Aeronautical Reserve,
a new organization of private citizens formed to advance aeronautical
science as a means of supplementing the national defense, that
Captain W. I. Chambers, Assistant to the Aid for Material, had
been designated as the officer to whom all correspondence on aviation
should be referred. This is the first recorded reference to a
provision for aviation in Navy Department organization.
OCTOBER
1--The General Board, of which Admiral George Dewey was President,
recommended to the Secretary of the Navy that, in recognition
of "the great advances which have been made in the science
of aviation and the advantages which may accrue from its use in
this class of vessel," the problem of providing space for
airplanes or dirigibles be considered in all new designs for scouting
vessels.
7--In a letter to the Secretary, the Chief of the Bureau of Steam
Engineering, Captain H. I. Cone, pointed to "the rapid improvement
in the design and manipulation of airplanes and the important
role they would probably play" and requested authority to
requisition an airplane for Chester (CL 1) and the services of
an instructor to teach one or more officers to fly the machine.
13--The Secretary of the Navy approved the recommendation of the
Chief Constructor that an officer from the Bureau of Construction
and Repair and another from the Bureau of Steam Engineering be
appointed to investigate the subject of aviation and gain technical
knowledge of airplanes, and directed that these officers keep
Captain W. I. Chambers, previously designated to serve in a similar
capacity in the Secretary's office, fully informed of work contemplated
and the results of all experiments.
22--The International Aviation Tournament opened at Belmont Park,
N.Y. Attending in an official capacity as Navy observers were
the three officers recently named to investigate aviation: Captain
W. I. Chambers, Naval Constructor W. McEntee, and Lieutenant N.
H. Wright.
31--The Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair suggested
to the Secretary of the Navy that steps be taken to obtain one
or more aeroplanes to develop their use for naval purposes and
recommended that in the absence of specific funds for their purchase,
specifications for the battleship Texas (Battleship No. 35) be
modified so as to require its contractors to supply one or more
aircraft as a part of their obligation.
NOVEMBER
14--FIRST TAKE-OFF FROM A SHIP--Eugene Ely, a civilian pilot,
took off in a 50-hp. Curtiss plane from a wooden platform built
on the bow of Birmingham (CL 2). The ship was at anchor in Hampton
Roads, and Ely landed safely on Willoughby Spit.
29--Glenn H. Curtiss wrote to the Secretary of the Navy offering
flight instruction without charge for one naval officer as one
means of assisting "in developing the adaptability of the
aeroplane to military purposes."
DECEMBER
23--The first naval officer to undergo flight training, Lieutenant
T. G. Ellyson, was ordered to report to the Glenn Curtiss Aviation
Camp at North Island, San Diego.
JANUARY
18--At 11:01 a.m., Eugene Ely, flying the same Curtiss pusher
used to take off from Birmingham (CL 2), landed on a specially
built platform aboard the armored cruiser Pennsylvania
(Armored cruiser No. 4) at anchor in San Francisco Bay. At 11:58
he took off and returned to Selfridge Field, San Francisco, completing
the earliest demonstration of the adaptability of aircraft to
shipboard operations.
26--The first successful hydroaeroplane flight was made by Glenn
Curtiss at North Island, San Diego. This important step in adapting
aircraft to naval needs was witnessed by Lieutenant T. G. Ellyson,
who assisted in preparing for the test.
FEBRUARY
1--Glenn Curtiss made two successful flights from the water at
San Diego in his standard biplane using a single main float in
place of the tandem triple float used in earlier tests. These
take-offs demonstrated the superior efficiency of the sled profile
float which was used on Navy hydroaeroplanes up to World War I.
10--Acting Secretary of the Navy Beekman Winthrop directed the
Point Loma, Calif., Wireless Station to cooperate with Captain
Harry S. Harkness, U.S. Aeronautical Reserve, in experiments in
connection with use of wireless from aeroplanes.
17--In another of the early demonstrations of the adaptability
of aircraft to naval uses, Glenn H. Curtiss taxied his hydroaeroplane
alongside Pennsylvania (Armored Cruiser No. 4) at anchor in San
Diego Harbor, was hoisted aboard and off again by ship's crane
and then returned to base.
MARCH
4--The first funds for naval aviation were appropriated, providing
$25,000 to the Bureau of Navigation for "experimental work
in the development of aviation for naval purposes."
9--The Wright Company made a formal offer to train one pilot for
the Navy contingent upon the purchase of one airplane for the
sum of $5,000. This offer was later made unconditional, and Lieutenant
John Rodgers was ordered to Dayton for flight training.
17--Lieutenant John Rodgers, who became Naval Aviator No. 2, reported
to the Wright Company at Dayton, Ohio, for instruction in flying.
APRIL
1--Captain W. I. Chambers, the officer in charge of aviation,
reported for duty with the General Board, a move suggested by
Admiral George Dewey, when space for aviation was not available
in the office of the Aid for Operations.
14--The embryo office of naval aviation was transferred from the
General Board and established in the Bureau of Navigation.
MAY
8--Captain W. I. Chambers prepared requisitions for two Curtiss
biplanes. One, the Triad, was to be equipped for arising from
or alighting on land or water; with a metal tipped propeller designed
for a speed of at least 45 miles per hour; with provisions for
carrying a passenger alongside the pilot; and with controls that
could be operated by either the pilot or the passenger. The machine
thus described, later became the Navy's first airplane, the A-1.
Although these requisitions lacked the signature of the Chief
of the Bureau of Navigation, necessary to direct the General Storekeeper
to enter into a contract with the Curtiss Company, they did indicate
Captain Chambers' decision as to which airplanes the Navy should
purchase. From this, May 8 has come to be considered the date
upon which the Navy ordered its first airplane and has been officially
proclaimed to be the birthday of naval aviation.
JUNE
27--Lieutenant (jg) J. H. Towers, who became Naval Aviator No.
3, reported for duty and instruction in flying at the Curtiss
School, Hammondsport, N.Y.
JULY
1--FIRST FLIGHT OF THE A-1--At 6:50 p.m., Glenn Curtiss demonstrated
the A-1, first aircraft built for the Navy, taking off from and
alighting on Lake Keuka at Hammondsport, N.Y. This flight was
of 5 minutes' duration, and to an altitude of 25 feet. Three other
flights were made the same evening, one by Curtiss with Lieutenant
Ellyson as a passenger, and two by Ellyson alone.
3--Lieutenant T. G. Ellyson flew the A-1 from Lake Keuka to Hammondsport,
N.Y., on the first night flight by a naval aviator, landing successfully
on the water on the second attempt without the aid of lights.
6--Captain W. I. Chambers was ordered to temporary duty at the
Naval Academy in connection with the establishment of an aviation
experimental station, the site for which had been previously selected
on Greenbury Point, Annapolis. Although not occupied by the aviators
until the following September, this was the first base for naval
aviation.
10--Amphibious features of the Navy's first aircraft were demonstrated
by Glenn Curtiss in the 24th flight of the machine in which he
took off from land in the Triad, lifted the wheels while in the
air, and landed in water.
13--The Navy's second aircraft, the A-2, was set up and flown
at Hammondsport, N.Y. The first flight was made by Glenn Curtiss,
and the second by Lieutenant Ellyson.
AUGUST
23--The officers on flight duty at Hammondsport, N.Y., and Dayton,
Ohio, were ordered to report for duty at the Engineering Experiment
Station, Naval Academy, "in connection with the test of gasoline
motors and other experimental work in the development of aviation,
including instruction at the aviation School" being set up
on Greenbury Point, Annapolis.
SEPTEMBER
7--A memorable experiment in the Navy's search for a shipboard
launching device was completed at Hammondsport, N.Y. when Lieutenant
T. G. Ellyson made a successful takeoff from an inclined wire
rigged from the beach down to the water. Ellyson's report contained
the following description of the run: "The engine was started
and run at full speed and then I gave the signal to release the
machine. . . . I held the machine on the wire as long as possible
as I wanted to be sure that I had enough headway to rise and not
run the risk of the machine partly rising and then falling. .
. . Everything happened so quickly and went off so smoothly that
I hardly knew what happened except that I did have to use the
ailerons, and that the machine was sensitive to their action."
16--Plans to purchase flight clothing were described in a letter
from Lieutenant Ellyson, who hoped to get the Navy Department
to pay for them later. Requirements were previously outlined as
a light helmet, with detachable goggles, or a visor, with covering
for the ears and yet holes so that the engine could be heard;
a leather coat lined with fur or wool; leather trousers; high
rubber galoshes and gauntlets; and a life preserver of some description.
20--The attempt to equip aircraft with navigational instruments
was reflected in a request of the Bureau of Navigation to the
Naval Observatory for temporary use of a boat compass in experimental
work connected with the development of aviation.
OCTOBER
10--Assistant Naval Constructor Holden C. Richardson reported
to aviation at the Washington Navy Yard. Richardson became the
Navy's first engineering and maintenance officer for aviation.
16--Plans for a scientific test of hydroaeroplane floats at the
Washington Navy Yard Model Basin were described in a letter from
Captain Chambers in which he stated that a model of the pontoons
with Forlanini planes (hydrovanes) was nearly ready for test.
17--Searching for improved powerplants, Captain Chambers, in a
letter to Curtiss, discussed heavy oil (or diesel) engines and
turbine engines similar in principle to those that, some 30 years
later, would make jet propulsion practical. Chambers wrote, "In
my opinion, this turbine is the surest step of all, and the aeroplane
manufacturer who gets in with it first is going to do wonders."
25--Lieutenants T. G. Ellyson and J. H. Towers, on a flight in
the A-1 from Annapolis to Fort Monroe, Va., to test the durability
of the aircraft on cross-country flight, were forced down by a
leaking radiator near Milford Haven, Va., having covered 112 miles
in 122 minutes.
NOVEMBER
8--Ensign V. D. Herbster, later designated Naval Aviator No. 4,
reported for flight instruction at the Aviation Camp at Annapolis.
14--The Navy's first major aircraft modification, conversion of
the Wright B-1 landplane into a hydroaeroplane, was initiated
with a telegraphic order to the Burgess Company and Curtiss, Marblehead,
Mass., for a suitable float.
DECEMBER
20--Experiments with airborne wireless transmission were conducted
at Annapolis by Ensign C. H. Maddox in the A-1 airplane piloted
by Lieutenant Towers. The trailing wire antenna, reeled out after
take-off, was found to be too weak, and no definite results were
obtained.
26--Search for a shipboard launching device continued as Captain
Chambers reported that the Bureau of Ordnance was interested in
experimenting with a catapult for launching aeroplanes somewhat
after the manner of launching torpedoes.
29--The aviators at Annapolis were ordered to transfer with their
equipment to North Island, San Diego, to set up an Aviation Camp
on land offered for the purpose by Glenn H. Curtiss.
MARCH
9--Interest in steel and aluminum as aircraft structural materials
was evident in a letter from Assistant Naval Constructor H. C.
Richardson, who wrote to Captain Chambers, "From all I can
gather, there is little doubt that much greater confidence would
be felt if pontoons were constructed with a metal skin. . . .
It would be unwise to make any requisition for such a construction
until a practically standard design has been developed."
11--An early, if limited, interest in the helicopter was shown
as the Secretary of the Navy authorized expenditure of not more
than $50 for developing models of a helicopter design proposed
by Chief Machinist's Mate F. E. Nelson of West Virginia (Armored
Cruiser No. 5). The Secretary's accompanying policy implication
was followed with a few exceptions for the next 30 years: "The
Department recognizes the value of the helicopter principle in
the design of naval aircraft and is following closely the efforts
of others in this direction."
23--Chief Electrician Howard E. Morin conducted experiments with
wireless at Mare Island Navy Yard in which he made transmissions
from a dummy airplane fuselage hoisted to a height of 85 feet,
which were received by a station at Point Richmond 20 miles distant.
MAY
22--1st Lieutenant Alfred A. Cunningham, USMC, the first Marine
Corps officer assigned to flight instruction and later designated
Naval Aviator No. 5, reported to the Superintendent of the Naval
Academy for "duty in connection with aviation" and subsequently
was ordered to the Burgess Company at Marblehead for flight instruction.
This date is recognized as the birthday of Marine Corps aviation.
JUNE
21--Lieutenant T. G. Ellyson ascended 900 feet over Annapolis
in 3 minutes and 30 seconds in the A-1.
JULY
20--Comparative tests of Wright steel wire and Monel wire were
conducted at Engineering Experiment Station Annapolis by the Aviation
Camp. These, the earliest recorded Navy tests of aircraft structural
materials, showed the Monel wire to be both free of corrosion
and 50 percent stronger than the steel wire.
25--AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATIONS--On the basis of the Navy's experience
with its first airplanes, the Secretary of the Navy published
"Requirements for Hydroaeroplanes," the first general
specifications for naval aircraft. The purpose expressed by the
Secretary was "to assist manufacturers in maintaining the
highest degree of efficiency, while improving the factors which
govern safety in aviation, without demanding anything that may
not be accomplished under the limitations of the present state
of the art and without confining purchases to the products of
a single factory."
26--Tests of airborne wireless were continued at Annapolis using
the Wright B-1 piloted by Lieutenant John Rodgers. On one flight,
Ensign C. H. Maddox, who was giving technical assistance to the
aviators, sent messages to Stringham (Torpedo Boat No. 19) at
a distance of about one and a half miles.
31--The Navy's first attempt to launch an airplane by catapult
was made at Annapolis by Lieutenant T. G. Ellyson in the A-1.
The aircraft, not being secured to the catapult, reared at about
mid-stroke, was caught in a cross wind and thrown into the water.
The pilot was not injured. This catapult, which was powered by
compressed air, was constructed at the Naval Gun Factory, Washington
Navy Yard, from a plan proposed by Captain Chambers.
SEPTEMBER
18--Lieutenant B. L. Smith, USMC, the second Marine officer assigned
to flight training and later designated Naval Aviator No. 6, reported
for instruction at the Aviation Camp at the Naval Academy.
OCTOBER
3--The Davis recoilless aircraft gun was given initial tests at
Naval Proving Ground, Indian Head. This gun was designed by Commander
Cleland Davis to fire a large caliber shell from aircraft.
6--Lieutenant J. H. Towers, flying the Curtiss A-2, took off from
the water at Annapolis at 6:50 a.m. and remained in the air 6
hours, 10 minutes 35 seconds, setting a new American endurance
record for planes of any type.
8--Tests of a Gyro 50 horsepower rotary motor were completed at
the Engineering Experiment Station, Annapolis. This, the Navy's
first recorded attempt to utilize laboratory equipment and methods
in evaluating an aircraft engine, consisted of three brief dynamometer
tests, followed by ground runs and flight tests.
8--Physical requirements for prospective naval aviators were first
defined in Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Circular Letter 125221.
25--Ensign G. dec. Chevalier, later designated Naval Aviator No.
7, reported for flight training at the Aviation Camp at Annapolis.
NOVEMBER
12--The Navy's first successful launching of an airplane by catapult
was made at the Washington Navy Yard by Lieutenant T. G. Ellyson
in the A-3. The following month a flying boat was successfully
launched from this catapult.
26--Lieutenant (jg) P. N. L. Bellinger, later Naval Aviator No.
8, reported for flight instruction at the Aviation Camp, Annapolis.
30--The C-1, the Navy's first flying boat, was tested at Hammondsport,
N.Y., by Lieutenant T. G. Ellyson. Its performance, as informally
reported by Ellyson, was: "Circular climb, only one complete
circle, 1,575 feet in 14 minutes 30 seconds fully loaded. On glide
approximately 5.3 to 1. Speed, eight runs over measured mile,
59.4 miles per hour fully loaded. The endurance test was not made,
owing to the fact that the weather has not been favorable, and
I did not like to delay any longer."
DECEMBER
2--Ensign W. D. Billingsley, later to become Naval Aviator No.
9, reported for duty at the Aviation Camp, Annapolis, and was
assigned to the Navy-Wright B-2 for instruction.
18--Lieutenant J. H. Towers reported completion of a series of
tests beginning 26 October, to determine the ability to spot submarines
from the air. He gave general conclusions that the best altitude
for observation was at about 800 feet; that submarines could be
detected when running a few feet below the surface, but that the
waters of Chesapeake Bay were too muddy for a fair test; and suggested
that additional trials be held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
19--President Taft, acting on a recommendation made by the Secretary
of the Navy, created a "Commission on Aerodynamical Laboratory"
to determine the need for and a method of establishing such a
laboratory. Navy members of the commission were Naval Constructor
David W. Taylor and Captain Washington I. Chambers.
JANUARY
6--The entire aviation element of the Navy arrived at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba, and set up the Aviation Camp on Fisherman's Point for
its first operations with the Fleet. The assignment, which included
scouting missions and exercises in spotting mines and submerged
submarines as part of the fleet maneuvers, served both to demonstrate
operational capabilities of the aircraft and to stimulate interest
in aviation among fleet personnel, more than a hundred of whom
were taken up for flights during the 8-week stay.
FEBRUARY
8--Lieutenant J. H. Towers reported on experimental work underway
at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including bombing, aerial photography,
and wireless transmission, and stated: "We have become fairly
accurate at dropping missiles, using a fairly simple device gotten
up by one of the men. Have obtained some good photographs from
the boats at heights up to 1,000 feet. I believe we will get some
results with wireless this winter."
26--Action to provide the Navy with a wind tunnel, a basic tool
in aeronautical research and development, was approved formally
by the Chief Constructor of the Navy. The resulting tunnel, which
was built at the Washington Navy Yard, remained in operation until
after the end of World War II.
MARCH
4--The Navy Appropriations Act for fiscal year 1914 provided an
increase of 35 percent in pay and allowances for officers detailed
to duty as flyers of heavier-than-air craft, limited to 30 the
number of officers that could be so assigned, and further provided
that no naval officer above the rank of lieutenant commander,
or major in the Marine Corps, could be detailed to duty involving
flying.
5--As a result of tests held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, 3-5 March,
Lieutenant J. H. Towers reported that submarines were visible
from the air at depths of from 30 to 40 feet.
13--Captain W. I. Chambers was awarded the medal of the Aeronautical
Society for the year 1912 and cited for "his unusual achievements
in being the first to demonstrate the usefulness of the aeroplane
in navies, in developing a practical catapult for the launching
of aeroplanes from ships, in assisting in the practical solution
of the hydroaeroplane by the production in association with others
of the flying boat, in having been instrumental in the introduction
into our halls of Congress of bills for a National Aerodynamic
Laboratory, and a Competitive Test, and through his perseverance
and able efforts in advancing the progress of Aeronautics in many
other channels."
31--Aircraft instruments and allied equipment for installation
in a new flying boat, the Burgess Company and Curtiss D-1, were
listed as: compass, altimeter, inclinometer, speed indicator,
chart board, radio, and generator. Although the radio and generator
were not installed, the remaining equipment was representative
instrumentation on naval aircraft of the period.
APRIL
10--Performance standards for qualification as a Navy Air Pilot
and issuance of a certificate to all officers meeting the requirements,
were approved by the Secretary of the Navy. They were described
by Chambers as being different from those of the "land pilot"
and more exacting than the requirements of the international accrediting
agency, the Federation Aeronautique Internationale.
28--Chief of the Bureau of Navigation Rear Admiral Victor Blue
approved a proposal that the Navy Department, Glenn Curtiss, and
the Sperry Company cooperate in testing the gyroscopic stabilizer
on a new Navy airplane.
MAY
9--President Wilson approved the designation of representatives
of governmental departments to serve on an Advisory Committee
for the Langley Aerodynamical Laboratory which had been reopened
by the Smithsonian Institution on 1 May. Navy members of the Advisory
Committee were Captain W. I. Chambers and Naval Constructor H.
C. Richardson.
JUNE
12--Secretary of the Navy approved detailing Assistant Naval Constructor
J. C. Hunsaker to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to
develop "a course of lectures and experiments on the design
of aeroplanes and dirigibles, and to undertake research in that
field." After making a tour of aeronautical research facilities
in Europe, Hunsaker participated in establishing a course of aeronautical
engineering at M.I.T., in the Department of Naval Architecture.
13--Lieutenant (jg) P. N. L. Bellinger, flying the Curtiss A-3
at Annapolis, set an American altitude record for seaplanes, reaching
6,200 feet.
20--Ensign W. D. Billingsley, piloting the B-2 at 1,600 feet over
the water near Annapolis, was thrown from the plane and fell to
his death, the first fatality of naval aviation. Lieutenant J.
H. Towers, riding as passenger, was also unseated but clung to
the plane and fell with it into the water, receiving serious injuries.
23--A General Order fixed the cognizance of various bureaus in
aviation in a manner paralleling the division of responsibility
for naval vessels.
AUGUST
30--A Sperry gyroscopic stabilizer (automatic pilot) was flight
tested in the C-2 Curtiss flying boat by Lieutenant (jg) P. N.
L. Bellinger at Hammondsport, N.Y.
30--In a report to the Secretary of the Navy, the General Board
expressed its opinion that "the organization of an efficient
naval air service should be immediately taken in hand and pushed
to fulfillment."
OCTOBER
5--Initial trials of the Navy's first amphibian flying boat--the
OWL, or Over Water Land type--were completed at Hammondsport,
N.Y., under the supervision of Naval Constructor Holden C. Richardson.
The aircraft, subsequently redesignated E-1, was the A-2 hydroaeroplane
in which the pontoon was replaced with a flying boat hull containing
a three-wheel landing gear.
7--The Secretary of the Navy appointed a board of officers, with
Captain W. 1. Chambers as senior member, to draw up "a comprehensive
plan for the organization of a Naval Aeronautic Service."
Its report, submitted after 12 days of deliberation, emphasized
the need for expansion and for the integration of aviation with
the fleet, and was in all respects the first comprehensive program
for an orderly development of naval aviation. Its recommendations
included the establishment of an Aeronautic Center at Pensacola
for flight and ground training and for the study of advanced aeronautic
engineering; establishment of a central aviation office under
the Secretary to coordinate the aviation work of the Bureaus;
the assignment of a ship for training in operations at sea and
to make practical tests of equipment necessary for such operations;
the assignment of one aircraft to every major combatant ship;
and the expenditure of $1,297,700 to implement the program.
DECEMBER
17--Captain Mark L. Bristol reported to the Navy Department for
special duty as officer in charge of aviation, thereby relieving
Captain W. I. Chambers of that duty.
JANUARY
6--The Marine Corps element of the Aviation Camp at Annapolis,
under Lieutenant B. L. Smith, USMC, and equipped with a flying
boat, an amphibian, spare parts and hangar tents, was ordered
to Culebra Island for exercises with the Advance Base Unit.
7--The Office of Aeronautics, with Captain Mark L. Bristol in
charge, was transferred from the Bureau of Navigation to the Division
of Operations in the Office of the Secretary of the Navy.
10--The Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels announced that
"the science of aerial navigation has reached that point
where aircraft must form a large part of our naval force for offensive
and defensive operations."
20--The aviation unit from Annapolis, consisting of 9 officers,
23 men, 7 aircraft, portable hangars, and other gear, under Lieutenant
J. H. Towers as officer in charge, arrived at Pensacola, Fla.,
on board Mississippi (BB 23) and Orion (AC 11) to set up a flying
school. Lieutenant Commander Henry C. Mustin, in command of the
station ship Mississippi, was also in command of the aeronautic
station.
FEBRUARY
16--Lieutenant (jg) J. McC. Murray, Naval Aviator No. 10, on a
flight at Pensacola in the Burgess D-1 flying boat, crashed to
the water from 200 feet and was drowned.
20--The beginnings of Aviation Medicine were apparent in a letter
to the Commanding Officer at Pensacola on the subject of physical
requirements for aviator candidates which expressed the opinion
that useful information could be obtained by observing pilots
during flight and by physical examination before and after flight.
The letter further directed that this be considered and a program
developed that would permit incorporation of such practice in
the work of the flight training school.
MARCH
9--The wind tunnel at Washington Navy Yard was tested. Calibration
required about 3 months, and its first use in July was a test
of ship's ventilator cowling.
27--The original designations of aircraft were changed to two
letters and a number of which the first letter denoted class,
the second type within a class, and the number the order in which
aircraft within class were acquired. Four classes were set up;
A for all heavier-than-air craft, D for airships or dirigibles,
B for balloons and K for Kites. Within the A Class, the letters
L, H, B, X and C represented land machines, hydroaeroplanes, flying
boats, combination land and water machines, and convertibles respectively.
Thus the third hydroaeroplane, formerly A-3, became AH-3, and
the first flying boat, formerly C-1, became AB-1.
APRIL
20--FIRST CALL TO ACTION--In less than 24 hours after receiving
orders, an aviation detachment of 3 pilots, 12 enlisted men, and
3 aircraft, under command of Lieutenant John H. Towers, sailed
from Pensacola on board Birmingham (CL 2) to join Atlantic
Fleet forces operating off Tampico in the Mexican crisis.
20--Mr. A. B. Lambert of St. Louis informed the Secretary of the
Navy that the services of the Aviation Reserve, which he had organized
the year before, were available for use in the Mexican crisis
and listed the names of 44 members, 20 of whom could furnish their
own aircraft.
21--A second aviation detachment from Pensacola of one pilot,
three student pilots, and two aircraft, commanded by Lieutenant
(jg) P. N. L. Bellinger, embarked in Mississippi (BB 23)
and sailed for Mexican waters to assist in military operations
at Veracruz, Mexico.
22--The Bureau of Navigation approved formal courses of instruction
for student aviators and student mechanics at the Flying School
at Pensacola.
25--On the first flight by Mississippi (BB 23) aviation
unit at Veracruz, Mexico, Lieutenant (jg) P. N. L. Bellinger piloted
the AB-3 flying boat to observe the city and make preliminary
search for mines in the harbor.
28--Lieutenant (jg) P. N. L. Bellinger and Ensign W. D. LaMont
made a flight in the AB-3 flying boat to photograph the harbor
at Veracruz, Mexico.
MAY
2--The AH-3 hydroaeroplane, piloted by Lieutenant (jg) P. N. L.
Bellinger with Ensign W. D. LaMont as observer, flew the first
mission in direct support of ground troops as the Marines, encamped
near Tejar, reported being under attack and requested the aviation
unit at Veracruz, Mexico, to locate the attackers.
6--The Curtiss AH-3 hydroaeroplane, piloted by Lieutenant (jg)
P. N. L. Bellinger with Lieutenant (jg) R. C. Saufley as observer,
was hit by rifle fire while on a reconnaissance flight over enemy
positions in the vicinity of Veracruz, Mexico -- the first marks
of combat on a Navy plane.
19--As the need for scouting services diminished at Veracruz,
Mexico, the aviation detachment resumed routine flight instruction
while awaiting orders to return to Pensacola.
24--The aeronautic detachment on board Birmingham (CL 2) arrived
at Veracruz, Mexico, from Tampico to join the Mississippi (BB
23) detachment in the school routine of flight instruction.
26--On the basis of flight tests, Naval Constructor Holden C.
Richardson recommended that the Navy buy two swept-wing Burgess-Dunne
hydroaeroplanes "so that the advantages and limitations can
be thoroughly determined and this more particularly as it appears
to be only the beginning of an important development in aeronautical
design." The aircraft which were subsequently obtained were
designated AH-7 and AH-10.
JULY
1--Aviation was formally recognized with the establishment of
an Office of Naval Aeronautics in the Division of Operations under
the Secretary of the Navy.
28--Lieutenant (jg) V. D. Herbster reported on bombing tests which
he and Lieutenant B. L. Smith, USMC, carried out at Indian Head
Proving Grounds, Stumpneck, Md. Both dummy and live bombs were
dropped over the side of the machine from about 1,000 feet against
land and water targets. Herbster reported his bombing would have
been more accurate "if I had been able to disengage my fingers
from the wind-wheel sooner."
AUGUST
21--Lieutenant Commander H. C. Mustin, Lieutenant P. N. L. Bellinger
and 1st Lieutenant B. L. Smith, USMC, arrived in Paris from North
Carolina (ACR 12) for a two-day tour of aircraft factories and
aerodromes in the immediate area. This temporary assignment, the
first use of naval aviators as observers in foreign lands, was
a precedent for the assignment of aviation assistants to naval
attaches, which began the same month when Lieutenant J. H. Towers
was sent to London. In September Lieutenant (jg) V. D. Herbster
and 1st Lieutenant B. L. Smith reported to Berlin and Paris, respectively.
NOVEMBER
16--An administrative reorganization at Pensacola shifted overall
command from the station ship to headquarters ashore and the station
was officially designated Naval Aeronautic Station, Pensacola.
23--The title "Director of Naval Aeronautics" was established
to designate the officer in charge of naval aviation, and Captain
Mark L. Bristol, already serving in that capacity, was ordered
to report to the Secretary of the Navy under the new title.
25--To measure and record velocity and direction of winds, gusts,
and squalls at the ends of the speed course at Pensacola, the
Director of Naval Aeronautics Captain M. L. Bristol established
requirements for special meteorological equipment to be installed
there.
FEBRUARY
1--The Division of Naval Militia Affairs in the Bureau of Navigation
directed that an aeronautic corps could be organized in each of
the State Naval Militia.
MARCH
3--A rider to the Naval Appropriations Act created the National
Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Navy members in the original
organization were Captain Mark L. Bristol and Naval Constructor
Holden C. Richardson, Secretary.
3--The Naval Appropriations Act of 1916 added enlisted men and
student aviators to those eligible for increased pay and allowances
while on duty involving flying; increased the amount previously
provided for qualified aviators; and in addition, provided for
the payment of one year's pay to the next of kin of officers and
men killed in aircraft accidents. The same act also raised the
limits on personnel assigned to aviation to a yearly average of
not more than 48 officers and 96 men of the Navy and 12 officers
and 24 men of the Marine Corps.
22--The title "Naval Aviator" replaced the former "Navy
Air Pilot" designation for naval officers qualified as aviators.
APRIL
16--The AB-2 flying boat was successfully catapulted from a barge
by Lieutenant P. N. L. Bellinger at Pensacola. The catapult used
had been designed in 1913 by Naval Constructor H. C. Richardson
and fabricated at the Washington Navy Yard. The success of this
and subsequent launchings led to installation of the catapult
aboard ship.
23--Lieutenant P. N. L. Bellinger, in the Burgess-Dunne AH-10,
established an American altitude record for seaplanes by ascending
to 10,000 feet over Pensacola.
MAY
8--Lieutenant (jg) Melvin L. Stolz, student aviator, was killed
in a crash of the AH-9 hydroaeroplane at Pensacola.
28--The Naval Militia was informed that refresher flight training
at Pensacola was available for a limited number of its aviators.
JUNE
1--Navy let its first contract for a lighter-than-air craft to
the Connecticut Aircraft Company, New Haven. It ordered one non-rigid
airship which was later designated the DN-1.
JULY
7--In the initial step towards mobilizing science, Secretary of
the Navy Josephus Daniels stated in a letter to Thomas A. Edison:
"One of the imperative needs of the Navy, in my judgment,
is machinery and facilities for utilizing the natural inventive
genius of Americans to meet the new conditions of warfare."
This letter led to the establishment of the Naval Consulting Board,
a group of civilian advisors, which functioned during the World
War I period and included in its organization a "Committee
on Aeronautics, including Aero Motors."
10--The Aeronautical Engine Laboratory had its beginnings at the
Washington Navy Yard with an authorization by the Secretary to
outfit a building for testing aeronautic machinery.
10--After test of a sextant equipped with a pendulum-type artificial
horizon, Pensacola reported that while the pendulum principle
was basically unsatisfactory for aircraft use, a sextant incorporating
a gyroscopically stabilized artificial horizon might be acceptable.
10--A standard organization prescribed by General Order was the
first to provide for an aeronautic force within the Naval Militia.
Its composition, paralleling that of other forces established
at the same time, was in sections of not more than 6 officers
and 28 enlisted men; two sections forming a division. Officers
were in the "aeronautics duty only" category, the highest
rank provided being that of lieutenant commander at the division
level. Its enlisted structure provided that men taken in under
regular ratings of machinist mates and electricians would perform
duties as aeronautic machinists; carpenter mates would perform
duties as aeronautic mechanics; and landsmen, the equivalent of
today's strikers, would perform special duties.
22--Based on recommendations received from the Naval Aeronautic
Station, Pensacola, the Director of Naval Aeronautics established
requirements for 13 instruments to be installed in service aeroplanes:
air speed meter, incidence indicator, tachometer, skidding and
sideslip indicator, altitude barometer, oil gauge, fuel gauge,
compass, course and distance indicator, magazine camera, binoculars,
clock, and sextant. All except the navigational instruments, camera,
binoculars, and clock were also required for school aeroplanes.
AUGUST
5--Lieutenant P. N. L. Bellinger, flying the Burgess-Dunne AH-10,
spotted mortar fire for Army shore batteries at Fortress Monroe,
Va., signaling his spots with Very pistol flares.
11--The Naval Observatory requested the Eastman Kodak Company
to develop an aerial camera with high-speed lens, suitable for
photography at 1,000 to 2,000 yards altitude, and so constructed
that the pressure of the air during flight would not distort the
focus.
OCTOBER
12--A directive was issued establishing an Officer in Charge of
Naval Aeronautics under the newly created Chief of Naval Operations
and giving authority for aviation programs in the Navy Department
to the Chief of Naval Operations and to the Bureaus. Although
this had the effect of abolishing the Office of the Director of
Naval Aeronautics, that office continued to exist until the detachment
of the incumbent director.
15--The Secretary of the Navy referred a proposal, made by Captain
Mark L. Bristol, to convert a merchant ship to operate aircraft,
to the General Board with the comment that there was a more immediate
need to determine what could be done with North Carolina (ACR
12), already fitted to carry aeroplanes.
NOVEMBER
5--Lieutenant Commander H. C. Mustin, in the AB-2 flying boat,
made the first catapult launching from a ship, flying off the
stern of North Carolina (ACR 12) in Pensacola Bay.
DECEMBER
3--Lieutenant R. C. Saufley, flying the Curtiss AH-14, set an
American altitude record for hydroaeroplanes, reaching 11,975
feet over Pensacola and surpassing his own record of 11,056 feet
which he had set only 3 days before.
JANUARY
6--Instruction commenced for the first group of enlisted men to
receive flight training at Pensacola.
11--The Naval Observatory forwarded two magnetic compasses to
Pensacola for tests under all conditions. These compasses, modified
from the British Creigh-Osborne design on the basis of recommendations
by naval aviators, provided a model for the compasses widely used
in naval aircraft during World War I.
21--In a step that led to the establishment of an aviation radio
laboratory at Pensacola, the Officer in Charge of Naval Aeronautics
requested the Superintendent, Radio Service, to authorize the
radio operators at the Pensacola Radio Station to experiment with
aircraft radio. Simultaneously, four sets of radio apparatus for
aeroplanes were received at Pensacola. Although initiation of
developmental work did not begin immediately, by late July an
officer and a civilian radio expert had been detailed to aircraft
radio experimentation at Pensacola and the Bureau of Steam Engineering
had ordered approximately 50 aircraft radio sets.
FEBRUARY
10--The Bureau of Construction and Repair implemented a Navy Department
decision by directing that designating numbers be assigned to
all aircraft under construction and that these numbers be used
for identification purposes until the aircraft were tested or
placed in service at which time standard designations provided
by the order of 27 March 1914 would be used. Numbers, beginning
with 51-A, were simultaneously assigned to 33 aircraft. This was
the introduction of serial numbers hereafter assigned to all aircraft.
MARCH
4--Captain Mark L. Bristol was detached as Director of Naval Aeronautics
and both the title and the office ceased to exist. Captain Bristol
was assigned to command North Carolina (ACR 12) and, under a new
title of Commander of the Air Service, assumed operational supervision
over all aircraft, air stations, and the further development of
aviation in the Navy. Such aviation duties as remained in the
Office of the Chief of Naval Operations were assumed by Lieutenant
C. K. Bronson.
25--Qualifications for officers and enlisted men in the Aeronautic
Force of the Naval Militia were defined by General Order which,
in each instance, were over and above those prescribed for the
same ranks and ratings of the regular Militia. These extras, cumulative
for ranks in ascending order, required ensigns to have knowledge
of navigation (except nautical astronomy) and scouting problems,
practical and theoretical knowledge of aeroplanes and motors,
and ability to fly at least one type of aircraft. Lieutenants
(junior grade) were in addition to have some knowledge of nautical
astronomy, principles of aeroplane design, and to qualify for
a Navy pilot certificate. Additional requirements for lieutenants
called for a greater knowledge of nautical astronomy and ability
to fly at least two types of naval aircraft, while lieutenant
commanders, the highest rank provided for the Force, were also
to have knowledge of Navy business methods used in aeronautics.
Aviation mechanics were to have knowledge of aircraft maintenance
and aviation machinists were to have similar knowledge of motors.
29--Lieutenant R. C. Saufley, flying a Curtiss hydroaeroplane
at Pensacola, bettered his own American altitude record with a
flight to 16,010 feet and on 2 April extended it again with a
mark of 16,072 feet.
30--The Secretary of the Treasury informed the Secretary of the
Navy that Second Lieutenant of Engineers C. E. Sugden and Third
Lieutenant E. F. Stone of the Coast Guard had been assigned to
flight instruction at Pensacola in accordance with an agreement
between the two Departments.
APRIL
15--An anchor and a two digit numeral, both in dark blue on a
white background, were prescribed as "Distinguishing Marks
for Naval Aeroplanes" in a Bureau of Construction and Repair
drawing. The anchor and numeral were painted outboard on the upper
and lower wing surfaces, the anchor was generally placed on the
vertical tail surfaces and the numeral fore and aft on both sides
of the fuselage.
MAY
13--The Chief of Naval Operations requested appropriate Bureaus
to undertake development of gyroscopic attachments for instruments
and equipment, including compasses, bombsights, and base lines,
the latter being a forerunner of the turn and bank indicator.
20--Development of a gyroscopically operated bomb-dropping sight
was initiated with the allocation of $750 to the Bureau of Ordnance
to be used in placing an order with the Sperry Gyroscope Company.
22--The Naval Observatory sent a color camera, made by the Hess-Ives
Corporation, to the Naval Aeronautic Station at Pensacola to determine
whether color photography would be of value in aeronautic work.
JUNE
3--Formal instruction in free and captive balloons was instituted
at Pensacola when the Secretary of the Navy approved a course
proposed by Lieutenant Commander F. R. McCrary, and directed that
it be added to the BuNav Circular "Courses of Instruction
and Required Qualifications of Personnel for the Air Service of
the Navy."
9--Lieutenant R. C. Saufley, on an endurance flight in the AH-9
over Santa Rosa Island off Pensacola, crashed to his death after
being in the air 8 hours and 51 minutes.
20--A General Order, superseding that of 23 June 1913, was issued
defining cognizance for aeronautics in the Navy Department. In
addition to extending the subject from "Naval Aeroplanes"
to "Aeronautics," this order embraced lighter-than-air
and certain heavier-than-air components that were not provided
for in the earlier order.
JULY
12--The AB-3 flying boat, piloted by Lieutenant G. dec. Chevalier,
was catapulted from North Carolina (ACR 12) while underway in
Pensacola Bay. The launch completed calibration of the first catapult
designed for shipboard use and by it the North Carolina became
the first ship of the U.S. Navy equipped to carry and operate
aircraft.
17--The first flight of the Gallaudet 59-A, novel airplane with
the propeller mounted in the fuselage, was made at Norwich, Conn.
by David H. McCulloch and witnessed by the Navy Inspector, Lieutenant
(jg) G. D. Murray.
18--Flight clothing allowances were established by the Secretary.
Aviators were to be furnished helmets, goggles, and safety jackets.
Enlisted men whose duties involved flying were to receive, in
addition, wool head cover, suit, gauntlets, and boots.
22--Serious interest in the development of light metal alloys
for aeronautical use led the Chief Constructor, Rear Admiral David
W. Taylor, to request that the Aluminum Company of America apply
its resources to the development of a suitable alloy, and its
fabrication into Zeppelin-type girders.
AUGUST
8--The Secretary clarified the place of aviation in departmental
organization by redefining the responsibilities of bureaus and
offices for specific elements of the aviation program. While the
new directive followed the division of cognizance over material
established by the General Order of 20 June 1916, it went further
in that it assigned the General Board responsibility for advising
as to the numbers and general characteristics of aircraft, and
in effect made the Bureau of Construction and Repair a lead bureau
for aircraft development and procurement.
10--Negotiation for the first aircraft production contract began
with a telegram to Glenn Curtiss requesting him to "call
at the Bureau (Construction and Repair) Monday with a proposition
to supply at the earliest date practicable thirty school hydro
aeroplanes." Specified characteristics included: two seats,
loading of about four pounds per square foot, and power loading
of about twenty pounds per horsepower. The telegram concluded
"Speed, climb and details of construction to be proposed
by you. Rate of delivery is important and must be guaranteed."
This telegram resulted in a contract for thirty N-9 which were
delivered between November 1916 and February 1917. The aircraft
became the Navy's most popular training aircraft during World
War I.
12--The Secretary of the Navy agreed with the Secretary of War
that the straight Deperdussin system of controlling aircraft in
flight be adopted as the standard system for use in all aircraft
of both services.
17--The Secretary of the Navy approved a reorganization of the
Naval Aeronautic Station, Pensacola, which reassigned the training
of commissioned and enlisted personnel for aeronautic services
with the Fleet as a primary mission, and ordered the establishment
of an Aeronautics School and departments for Manufacturing, Experimental
Test and Inspection, Public Works, Supply and Medical.
29--The Naval Appropriation Act for fiscal year 1917 provided
for the establishment of a Naval Flying Corps to be composed of
150 officers and 350 enlisted men in addition to those provided
by law for other branches of the Navy. It also provided for the
establishment of a Naval Reserve Force of six classes including
a Naval Reserve Flying Corps to be composed of officers and enlisted
men transferring from the Naval Flying Corps; of surplus graduates
of aeronautics schools; and of members of the Naval Reserve Force
with experience in aviation.
SEPTEMBER
9--The initiation of formal flight testing as a basis for accepting
new aircraft and the establishment of procedures for determining
whether operational aircraft were safe to fly were provided for
in an order issued by the Secretary.
12--A demonstration of guided missile equipment--a piloted hydroaeroplane
equipped with automatic stabilization and direction gear developed
by the Sperry Company and P. C. Hewitt--was witnessed by Lieutenant
T. S. Wilkinson of the Bureau of Ordnance at Amityville, Long
Island. Wilkinson reported: "The automatic control of the
aeroplane is adequate and excellent. The machine left the water
without difficulty, climbed to its desired height, maintained
this altitude until the end of the run, when it dived sharply,
and, unless controlled by the aviator, would have dived to the
earth."
20--The earliest extant instruction regarding color of naval aircraft
was issued. This instruction canceled use of slate color and provided
that wings, body and pontoon of the N-9 be finished with opaque
yellow (or greenish-yellow) varnish.
OCTOBER
11--The Acting Secretary of War recommended to the Secretary of
the Navy that a joint Army-Navy board be appointed to consider
the requirements for developing a lighter-than-air service in
the Army or Navy or both. With the Secretary's concurrence, there
came into being an agency for interservice cooperation in aeronautics
which under its later title, Aeronautical Board, functioned for
over 30 years before being dissolved in 1948.
24--The Bureau of Steam Engineering requested the Navy Yard, Philadelphia,
to undertake development of a radio direction finder for use on
aeroplanes, and specified that the apparatus be as light as possible
and use wave lengths of 600 to 4,000 meters.
27--The Chief of Naval Operations directed that all aircraft loaned
or donated to the Naval Militia by private individuals or organizations
be designated NMAH and be given numbers in sequence beginning
with one.
NOVEMBER
8--Lieutenant C. K. Bronson, Naval Aviator No. 15, and Lieutenant
Luther Welsh, on an experimental bomb test flight at Naval Proving
Ground, Indian Head, Md., were instantly killed by the premature
explosion of a bomb in their plane.
17--Efforts to develop high speed seaplanes for catapulting from
ships led Chief Constructor David W. Taylor to solicit suitable
designs from various manufacturers. Among the requirements were
a speed range of 50 to 95 mph, two and a half hours endurance,
and provisions for radio.
DECEMBER
7--Lieutenant Commander H. C. Mustin reported that an Eastman
Aero camera, tested at NAS Pensacola at altitudes of 600 to 5,100
feet, was by far the best camera tested up to that time, and produced
photographs very satisfactory for military purposes.
12--Captain Mark L. Bristol was detached as Commander of the Air
Service, and the functions of the Command but not the title were
transferred to Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves, Commander Destroyer
Force, Atlantic Fleet.
30--The Commission on Navy Yards and Naval Stations, authorized
by the Act of 29 August 1916 for the purpose of selecting new
sites for the expansion of Navy Yards and for submarine and air
bases along the coast, submitted its preliminary report. For aviation
the Commission could only report that "the present development
of aeronautical machines . . . and the practical experience so
far obtained in the utilization of such machines to meet the tactical
and strategical requirements of the fleet and the defense of the
coast, is such as to preclude the determination at this time of
any extensive system of aviation bases," and recommended
that a joint Army-Navy board decide upon locations that might
be used by both services.
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Historical Center home page30 June 1997