sign in sign up
<<
Home , Boeing, Flying boat, Honolulu Clipper

a

T IN 1948 and part of 1949,World Airways operated five Model 314 flying boats on cargo and charter flights along eastern seacoastand Caribbean routes. In 1950,when the companywas reorganizedunder new management, the flying boats were no longer in its inventory. World Airways President Edward J. Daly said recently, "The B314swere not in operationat the time I becameassociated with World and I am able to provide no cluesas to what becameof them." Sightingsb)' Boeing personnelon businessor pleasuretrips in 1950placed as many as three B3l4s in San Diego, at least one in Baltimore and another in New York. In 1951,Boeing News, the company's employee newspaper, reported that a man calling himself Master X was preparing to dive in Baltimore Harbor in an effort to raise a 8314 sunk in 20 feet of water during a squall. Master X had purchasedthe plane at a sheriff's sale a few days before it sank. His plans were to raise and repair the plane and then fly to Moscow for some personalpeace tall

3 to be using a 8314 to haul cus- she wrote of flying boats, "people 18603), Atlnntic Ctipper (NC18- I tomers in from San Diego. The will look back upon a Clipper 604), Dixie Clipper (NC18605), story is about as likely as Master flight of today as the most ro- American Clipper (NC18606), Ber- X's mission to Moscow. mantic voyage of history." ajc& (NC18607 and G-AGCA), Then what did happen to these Boeing built 12 of the big planes Bangor (NC18608 and G-AGCB), and why should anybody for Pan American Airways. The Pacific Clipper (NC18609) , Bristol care? historians care just first six were delivered between (NC18610 and G-AGBZ), Anzac because they are aviation historians. January and June, 1939; the sec- Clipper (NC18611) and. Capetown M. D. Klaas of Chatsworth, Cali- ond six were delivered between Clipper (NC18612). All saw war April and August, 1941-three to fornia, cares because he has spent duty; none was lost to enemy fire. much of the past 17 years collecting Pan American and three, by spe- The Honolulu, which had been information on the B314s in prep- cial amangement with and serving Pacific ports of call for Pan aration for a book. International the U. S. government, to British American Airways, was in travelers should care be- Overseas Airways Corporation. San cause the 8314 introduced luxuri- Their names and registration Francisco for overhaul when Amer- ous, transocean air travel to all numbers were ica entered the war in 1941. Many parts of the world. (NC18601) , Clipper commercial aircraft, including the (NC18602) Yanhee Clipper (NC Clippers, were ordered into Even by today's standards the , military Model 314 was (is) a big plane: wingspan of 152 feet (compared with 131 feet for the Model 707- 120), Iength of 109 feet (compared with the 707's 145 feet). The plane offered passengers unequaled com- fort in quarters fashioned after the accommodations aboard ocean liners including a separate dining salon adorned with the best of linens and chinaware. The 8314 was the largest and last of the commercial flying boats to see service. Land planes, .:l=:tr|-d.'*te able to take advantage of the air- ports built around the world during -:r.=i-iD: and after World War 2. were more efficient and eventually put the B314s out of competition. Flying boats were a compromise between a boat and an . A shape ideal for water is not ideal for flying. In fact, the 8314's massive hull pushed so much air out of the way Port wing of demolished Yankee Clip- per uas recouered Tagus Riuer. as it flew that the tail rudder on from the first plane built and tested in Clipper accommodations uere pat- 1938 had little effect on turning the terned after those of ocean uessels. airplane. A second tail was added and later a third tail to get Adm. W. D. Leahy helped President the Rooseuelt celebraie his' 6I st birthdav desired directional control. Such in the dining salon of Dixie Clippei. design difficulties and a generally depressed market caused Boeing to lose money on the Model 314. But the plane added immeasurably to the company's reputation for build- ing large dependable aircraft. The 8314, in fact, was the superlative in international air travel during the late 1930s and early'40s. In 1941 Claire Booth Luce. who had just returned from a trans- pacific flight aboard Model 314 fly- ing boats, did an article for Life magazine. "Fifty years from now," 4 d surui"". The Honolulu wassoonfly- the side of the San Pablo. The Clip- her Pan Am career in 1946 when, as ing the Pacific with a Pan Am crew per's starboard wingtip was sheared government property and with other but as a transport. and her bow crushed. The Navy de- retired Clippers, she was put up for On November 3, 1945, on a flight clared the Honolulu a hazard to sale at San Diego, California, even- from Honolulu, Territory of Ha- navigation and ordered her sunk. tually purchased by World Airways waii, to San Francisco, California, It took 1,300 rounds of 20 mm gun- and scrapped for parts. the Honolulu made a forced land- fire to carry out the order. The Third Boeing was ing in the Pacific. She was undam- The second Clipper, the Califor- christened Yankee Clipper by Mrs. aged but helpless with engine trou- nia, was ordered into the U. S. Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 3, ble. The U. S. Navy came to her Army on December 18, 1941. As an 1939. On May 22, the Yanhee de- aid and the 23 passengers and crew Army C-98, she flew war materials livered 200,000 letters and some were transferred to the aircraft car- and mail across the Atlantic. In cargo to -the first regu- rier Boy without incident. 1943 she returned to the Pacific, fly- larly scheduled U. S.-to-Europe air- The tender San Pablo was ing for the Naval Air Transport mail by heavier-than-air craft. ordered later to take the Honolulu Service. As both soldier and sailor When America enteredWorld War in tow. During the five-day ordeal, she carried Pan American Airways 2, Pan Am sold the Yanhee and the the big flying boat rode the crest of crews as did all the other Clippers other Clippers to the U. S. govern- a wave and was smashed against during the war. California ended ment. Yankee was assisned to the

Dama.gedin an attempted tow, tlze Honolulu was sunh by gunfire.

5 Navv ancl allowed to continr-re pas- Baltimore, Maryland. When the American. She served Pan Ameri- senger service between the U. S., war in Europe ended, the Navy re- can passengerson Atlantic cross- Portugal ancl (ireat Britain. On turned the Atlantic and other 8314s ings until the war. Within 24 hours Irebruary 22, 1943, after completing in transatlantic service to civilian after the attack on Pearl Harbor in a , the Yankee duty. She was retired to San Diego 1941,the American was in the Army Clipper circled for a landinfl over in 1946 and later scrapped. as a C-98. In the following months the Tagus River near . Her The Dixie Clipper offered the both Navy and Army 83l4s rushed polt wing-tip skir.r'rrr"redthe water, first schedr.rled passenger airplane blood plasma and medical supJllies drrg in and the Clipper slammed service over the Atlantic. The date to the fighting fronts of Europe and into the rivcr, Lrreaking in several was June 28. 1939. Likc the Ynn- the Far East. On return trips the pieces. She sank in l0 minutes. Itee and lhe Atlanlic. the l)lrle was big Clippers' holclswere filled witl'r Twenty-four personsdied; 15 sur- allowed to contintre l)assenger serv- vital m:rterials such as crude nlb- vived. Anrong the survivors: singer ice to Europe cven after she was lrcr,l:ervllium nnd mica. Jane Frot-nan, who was heacling a purchasecl blv thc government in F'rom 1943to 1945,the Anteriutrt scven-member entertainment troupe 1941. Occasionall.v, however, she flew lrir-sr.rpplystrpport for the Navv for Camp Shows Inc. Althotrgh se- was detached for special duty. On in the Pacific war effort. After the verel:y injured in the accidcnt, Miss one such assignment, the Dixie be- war she was sold as wtir surplus, Froman rc'c:overed and continued crame A presidential airpl:rne. In becoming,in 1948, a part of the her carecr. Among those who clied .Ianuary, 1943, Prosident Roosevelt Worlcl Airwavs fleet. She is one of were Tatn:rra Dnrsin. singcr and flew aboard the Dixie CliTtper

This is a Boeing I\Iodel 314 going atL:at.Where did it Eo? lf you are out there, Model 314, Please write home

I\ronnnr MUsEL,writing for United Press International from London, reminisced re- cently about a flight aboard a 8314 flying boat in 1943. He was reminded of the trip by his recent flight to London via Pan American 707. TWenty-five years earlier his Boeing Pan American Clipper had arrived nearly three weeks late. The trip had many wartime delays, side-stops, a near-brush with a Focke-Wulfe and a most cir- cuitous route to avoid other enemy warylanes. "You could have swum it faster," snapped Musel's editor when the reporter finally got to work. "Maybe so," Musel mused in his recent article. "My plane was 20 minutes early when I flew in the other day. But I won't be remembering that flight 25 years from now." For Mr. Musel and others who grow nostalgic about the giant Boeing flying boats of pre-war and wartime transocean passenger service, last month we recounted some exploits of the first six (Honolulu, Cali- f ornia, Yanhee, Atlantic, Dixie and. American) of the 12 Boeing Model 314s l'I delivered between 1939 and 1942. This month's report covers the second six- the Berwich, Bangor, Bristol, Pacific, An- zac and Capetown-and, finally, the in- conclusive concluding episode in the his- tory of all B314s. To be perfectly frank, five of the twelve planes presently are unaccounted for. But here is what we do know about the durable old flying boats, most of it gleaned from the files of aviation histo- rian M. D. Klaas of Chatsworth, California. The second order was for the Model 314A, so-called becauseof design changesin- cluding larger fuel tanks and more powerful engrnes. Eventually the earlier Clippers were modified to Model 314As. \\e Berwich, Bangor, and Bristol were operated by British OverseasAirways Corporation and thus, strictly speaking, were not Clippers. Clipper is a trademark name for aircraft operated by Pan American World Airways. After two or three route.trial flights down the coast of Africa, BOAC started reg- ular transatlantic service with the Boeing flying boats between Poole, England, and Baltimore, Maryland. A second route between Lisbon, Portugal, and Baltimore was established later. In January,1942, the Berwicft secretly carried Prime Minister v

',ri;*;iA*lfi-.-frq ?-r: t

-3.i4.e'rl.ryY

Bclrtrt gctling hcr BOAC rlor'l,'irlgs.Rt'r'u'it'li lttht's rtll rtrt lr'st flight 4 back to England after his meetings she became a government-owned mile trip around the world, the first with heads of state in the U. S. and ship and, after the war, was sold commercial to circle the . Churchill later wrote of by the War Assets Administration. globe. After the war this Clipper, the trip and recounted how the Damaged by a windstorm while at too, was put up for sale as war sur- plane was nearly shot down by anchor in San Diego, she was plus. She and some of the other British Hurricane fighters as his scrapped in 1946. Clippers anchored in the San Diego flight approached the English coast. The l1th of the B314s, in serial harbor in 1946 had one more adven- The Hurricanes, according to number order, was the Anzac CIip- ture together. But before discussing Churchill, ". . . failed in their mis- per, named, for a World War 1 acro- that, there is one more Clipper to sion . . ." and the Berwick landed nym standing for Australian and introduce. at Plymouth without incident. Army Corps. The 12th and last B3l4,the Cape- The BOAC 8314s were taken off During the early years of the war, town Clipper, was purchased from the transatlantic run in 1946 and Anzac worked on Atlantic transport Pan Am by the U. S. War Depart- placed on a thrice-weekly service duty for the government. In 1943 ment before America's entry into between Baltimore and . the Clipper was sent south to Natal World War 2. At the time of the The three planes were retired in on the coast of under orders attack on Pearl Harbor, Capetown 1948, and sold to General Phoenix of the Army Air Transport Com- was flying from Miami, Florida, to Corp., a brokerage firm of Balti- mand. From Natal she proceeded Leopoldville in the Belgian Congo more. What little else is known across the South Atlantic toward carrying supplies to the British in about them will be recounted later. North Africa landing at Bahrein in their defense of Africa. The other three Model 314As the Persian Gulf. Although it never In 1946, after short-term duty as were Pan American's Pacifi.c, Anzac has been confirmed officially, her civilian passenger , the and Capetown Clippers. The Pacific commander, Capt. William Mas- C lippers Calif ornia, Atlantic, Dixie, was in Auckland, New Zealand, land, has stated that the Anzac was American, Pacific, Anzac and Cape- when Pearl Harbor was under at- assigned to fly President Roosevelt, town were put up for sale by the tack in 1941. She had arrived that Prime Minister Churchill and Pre- War Assets Administration. Pan day, which was December 8 in New mier Stalin to for a meet- American Airways did not wish to 7,a.land., on a flight from Ios An- ing with Chiang Kai-shek after the repurchase the ships because swift- geles, California. Her pilot, Capt. Casablanca Conference. Presumably er land planes were being introduced Robert Ford, was advised by the for security reasons, that appoint- on world air routes. U. S. War Department to return to ment never was kept. The flight to Universal , a non-sched- the States by proceeding in a west- Australia, however, wasn't canceled. uled carrier flying passengers and erly direction. Captain Ford landed The Anzac made the trip unarmed cargo between New York City, the Pacific in New York on Janu- and unescorted through enemy- Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico, ary 6, 1942, after flying more than patrolled territory with a passenger bought the Clippers in 1946. Earlier 34,500 miles via Australia, India, list of military "brass." On the re- the Pacific had been badly damaged Arabia, Central Africa and South turn flight, the Clipper traveled in a windstorm and the airline America. Except for the breadth of north across the Pacific to thelJnit- stripped her for parts. The Univer- the United States, the Pacific had ed States and, flying over the IJ. S., sal operation faltered and in less flown around the world. returned to New York. On landing, than a year the six remaining Clip- As did all the Boeing Clippers, the Anzac had completed a 36,728- pers were again up for sale in San

Berwick (in foreground), Bangor azd Bristol were retired in 1948. Boeing crew readies Model 314 for test.

I I

5 Diego. One of them, the Atlnntic, seas. the U. S. Coast Guard was which were not Clippers because Y was scrapped later to get parts for more than 24 hours rescuing the they were not Pan American planes. the others and then there were five. passengers and crew from the wal- This gave World Airways five Boe- A second non-scheduled airline, lowing plane. Again, as in the case ing flying boats on cargo and char- American-International Airways of of. the Honolulu in the Pacific two ter flights along eastern seacoast New York, bought the five Clippers years earlier, the former Capetown's and on Caribbean routes. The com- and had at least one of them. the bow was smashed as the Coast pany was having financial trouble Capetown, completely overhauled Guard vessel Bibb tried to attach a in 1949 and was reorganized under refurbished. and tow line. By order of her command- new ownership in 1950. The present In October 1947, the Capetown, er, Charles Martin, the Bermuda World Airways has no record of the then renamed Bermuda Sky Queen, Sky (nee Capetown) was flying boats' final disposition. Their took oft from New York bound for Queen sunk with incendiary gunfire. That recorded histories seem to end there Poole, England. Under charter to although reports persist left four former Pan American Boe- that some Air Liaison Ltd. of London. she was of the B314s ing Clippers. fly on. Efrorts to check to bring a 62-man British delega- these reports have yielded A new no solid tion back to the U. S. to attend a company, World Airways, evidence. took over the United Nations meeting. On the re- California, Dixie, It is possible there even now may American turn trip the former Capetown,buck- and Anzac Clippers in be Boeing Model 314 flying boats ing strong headwinds all the way, 1948. The company scrapped out gracefully winging their way over ran short of fuel and was forced to the first two mentioned. World also sparkling waters. If you are out land on the storm-roughened North acquired the three British B314s- there, Model 314,please write home. Atlantic. Because of the choppy the Berwick, Bangor, and Bristol- 4

Y I

Instrument panel was relatiuely simple.

Coast Guard uessel Bibb sanh the Bermuda Sky Queen in rough North Atlantic in 1947.

Capetown (lnter Bermttda Sky Queen) uas the first Model 314 in World War 2. p r,r'rLr.rrlloeing Magazine storics recallsthe dcmise of one 8314. The rience. He was aboard the Model IU about two Brning comnrcrcial airplane had bcen sold to a local 374 Anzac Clipper when that plane :rircraft models of the late 1930s minister in the R:rltimore area who flew around the world in 1943. the and carly 1940s the Moclels 307 crrlleclhimself Master X. Late in first commercial airplane to do so. and 314 .have promptecl readers 1951 or early in 1952 the aircraft (Not the first commercial airliner to fill in some :rrlditional history. lrroke loose from its mooring in a to do so, however, according to a (See "A Plcasurc to Our Eycs," sudden windstorm and sank. Mr. letter from Curtis E. Tucker. Jr.. a J:rnrrary; "Modcl 314, Where Are Scott did not know which 8314 was member of the Wingfoot Lighter- I You?," .Iune, lnd "Please Write involved but Mr. Klaas believesit Than-Air Society. Tucker pointed Homc." July). was the Bristol. That would account out the first commercial airliner to I Rrrcingbuilt and delivered 12 fly- for all 12 of the Boeing flying boats. fly around the world was the Graf ing }xrats between 1939 and 1941. Boeing employee George Dupree LZ-127 in 1929.) Petitjean The ones for which no final records thought he had seena 8314 recent- added further information on the had been found at the time the arti- l.y in a Anzac's round-the-world fl ight. U.S. cles wcre written included the area in Syclney, British Columbia. Army General Robert Eichelberger American C lipper ( NC 18606) , That sighting was later determined rode the ship as far as Perth, Bertuick ( NC 18607 and G- to have bcen of a Martin Mcrs. Australia.There about a dozen A(i(lA\, Rangor (N(l 18608 and Two rcports wcre received that Navy junior officers, due for rota- G-AGCRt, Rristol (NC 18610and two or three B314s had been at tion back to the States, boarded the G-AGIIZ) , and Anzac Clipper {NC C)akland, (lalifornia, International B314 bound for Pearl Harbor. Since 18611) . The Beruick, Rangor and Airport l0 years ago. Authorities at Bristol were all three retired in Bal- the airport believe the planes in timore, Maryland, in 1948. question were British Solents. Oth- M. D. Klaas, an aviation histo- er readers said they had heard rian, belicves he knows the final dis- :rbout a 8314 in Puerto Rico and COPYRIGHTED BY METRO SUNDAY FEATURES position of all five of these ships. near Sebring, Florida. These reports He r.rnderst.endsthat Lhe American probably confuse the Boeing plane and the Anzac were scrapped in San with a Sikorsky S-44A operating in Diego, California, in the late 1940s the Caribbean area. and that the Rangor and Berwick Al Petitjean, an engineering sales were scrappedin Baltimore in 1950. representativefor Aero-West Group, 9 John F. R. Scott, Jr., director of Inc., did not know where any Boe- nvi:rtionat Friendship International ing flying boats might be but he had Airport near Baltimore, definitely a vivid memory of a personal expe-

Sforres on Models 314 and 307 drew letters from readers. Here's The follow-up

COPYRIGHTED BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

clayton Knight drew the Bermuda sky Queen as she utent doLanin Atlantic.

8 aB314s usually carried only top po- spent about four hours listening to Another 8314 incidcnt, the sink- per- jazz litical, diplomatic and military some good |rom a Memphis ing of the Berntuda Shy Qtteen sonnel, the ship was met at every radio station as we headed toward (the renamedCapetou,n Clipper) in stop by generals and admirals com- Honolulu on a beautiful moonlit 1947,was recalled in word and plete with side boys and bands. It night." The memory was so poi- drawing by ()lavton Knight. Knight s'as the most auspicious homecom- gnant that Wilson and his wife sketched the flying boat going down ing ever recorded for Navy ensigns repeatedthe trip on a Pan American in the North Atlantic. It was sunk rnd lieutenants. 707 in 1966. by gurrfire. The Queen had run out Another Navy lieutenant with a Marius Lodeensen of Bermuda, of fuel on a flight from Poole, Eng- World War 2 Model 314 experience who once flew B314s for Pan Ameri- l:rnd, to New York City and landed rvasBarry Wilson, now with J. Wal- can World Airways, recalled a fight in the storm-roughenedAtlantic. ter Thompson Company, New York. aboard the Capetou,n Clipper 25 After removing all passerngers,the In June, 1945, he was flying to years ago. It was a mission-then Coast Guard sank the damaged Honolulu when a admi- secret-to find an alternate air route plane as a menace to navigation. junior ral came aboard and bumped to Australia in caseJapan invaded Knight, who was an artist and officer Wilson from a berth to a pile southern Asia. It was a successful special correspondent for Associ- of mail bags stacked in what had searchwhich Lodeensenwrote up in ated Press during Worlcl War 2, heen the bridal suite. the March, 1968,issue of Explorer's irlso commented on a Boeing Maga- "Shortly after takeofi the captain Journal. He is presently working on zine story which depicted the histo- crlled me to the flisht deck and we a book about flying boats. ries of 10 Boeing Model 3O7Strato- liners built in 1939 and 1940. Knight flew home from England aboard the Stratol.iner "Zuni" in 1942.That plane is one of the three ll'ith "CIC" on tail, ol.d Model 307 is worhing at Tan-Son-Nhut. Saigon Model 307s still in service, all of them flying in Vietnam. The A.P. artist did a series of sketchcs aboard the plane in 1942 which werc exhibited later in the Ameri- can Artist's Gallery in New York. Otis F. Bryan, lssisLrnt to the presidentof (lenernl Precision Sys- tems, Inc., Binghamton, New York, and formerly chief pilot for , was moved to recall his Stratoliner exl)eriencesin a letter. "I nright point out," he wrote, "that in April of 1942 I flew one of these planes . . . from Wash- ington, D.(:., to Prestwick.The pas- sengerlist consisted of Gcneral Marshall, Cenenrl Arnold, Admiral Towers, H:rrr.y Hopkins, Averill Harriman, Field Marsh:rl Smuts flom Great Briiain and two brica- dier senerals:E isenhower and Mark Clark; :rlso a colonel: Hoyt Vandenberg.History might have beenchlnged if somethinghad hap- pened to this flight." Albert D. Birrker, presently an air traffic control adviser to the U.S. 'NA Air Force in Vietnam, wrote to say that Air Force photographers have taken new picturcs of the Mod- t, el 307s there. The photos will be 'rI.::'', used in aircraft recognition brief- , , ffiffi ings. The old Stratoliners may be i the only plzrneever retired from the aircraft recognition series and then l' reinstated when the planes refused to stay retired. <