Post by Bernard on Sept 16, 2024 10:20:42 GMT
At outbreak of the war in the Pacific in December 1941, the 'Pacific Clipper' was en route to New Zealand from San Francisco. Rather than risk flying back to Honolulu and being shot down by Japanese fighters, it was directed to fly west to New York.
Starting on December 8, 1941 at Auckland, New Zealand, the Pacific Clipper covered over 31,500 mi via locations including Surabaya, Karachi, Bahrain, Khartoum and Leopoldville. The 'Pacific Clipper' landed at Pan American's LaGuardia Field seaplane base on January 6, 1942, completing the first commercial plane flight to circumnavigate the world.
The extraordinary journey of Captain Robert Ford and his 10 men crew is related in Ed Dover's book "The Long Way Home".
On December 1st, 1941, the 'Pacific Clipper' took off at Treasure Island heading to San Pedro, CA
where it landed for a short stop.
After a flight of about eleven hours, the flying boat reached O'ahu Island and Honolulu.
While approaching the waterfield and PAA base at Pearl City peninsula in the late afternoon, it flew over Hickham Field Air Force Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station. Both bases are still missing aircraft.
Early morning of December 4, 1941 the 'Pacific Clipper' left Pearl City base for its way to the next stopover at Canton Island, Kiribati.
At this time, the coming up disaster was already taking its course. The Imperial Japanese Carrier Task Force with the Agaki, Hiryu, Kaga and Soryu was about 1'700 miles north of Hawaii. You know how this part went on ...
At this stage, Captain Ford wasn't aware how this fact will affect the rest ot the year. Let's see later.
The shoots aren't by far as stunning as those of Mike Hart's 'P3D Flying Boat Scenery Package' or of Larry's Lodestar review in CalClassic Forum.
The story goes on.
Having took off from Pearl City seaplane base on December 1st, the PAA Pacific Clipper headed to Canton Island.
Next day it reached the archipel ...
... and moored there.
On December 2, it took off and headed to Fiji Island.
Approach of the island with overcasted sky ...
and landing at Lauthala Bay.
Next stopover was scheduled at New Caledonia ...
... the seaplane base at Ile de Nou, now kown as Prèsqu'ile de Nouville, Noumèa - to be more precisely.
On memorable date of December 7th, the Pacific Clipper approached Auckland ...
... and landed at Mechanic Bay.
While trying to pick up a local broadcast, Captain Ford got the news of the Japense attack at Pearl Harbor.
Later on, Ford got following orders form Pan American headquarter:
NORMAL RETURN ROUTE CANCELED STOP PROCEED AS FOLLOWS COLON STRIP ALL COMPANY MARKINGS COMMA REGISTRATION NUMBERS COMMA AND IDENTIFIABLE INSIGNIA FROM EXTERIOR SURFACES STOP PROCEED WESTBOUND SOONEST YOUR DISCRETION TO AVOID HOSTILITIES AND DELIVER NC18602 TO MARINE TERMINAL LAGUARDIA FIELD NEW YORK STOP GOOD LUCK STOP
Almost unmarked, the Clipper at morning of December 14th, ready to begin its uncertain and adventurous long way home.
But first it flew back to Nouméa in order to evacuate a couple of PAA employees based there ...
... to Gladstone, Northern Queensland,
than went on to Port Darwin,
and Surabaya, Dutch East Indies. There where based some RAF Bristol Baufort fighters.
While the unexpected und unknown Clipper was approaching Surabaya waterfield, it was assumed to be an enemy aircraft. Therefore four Bristol Beaufort took off and intercepted the flying boat. They wanted to shoot the Boeing down.
In the very last moment, the leading pilot could discern part of an American flag on the top of the left wing.
On December 12, NC16802 left Surabaya for its next stopover at Trincomalee, Celyon. During the flight an other incident occured:
All afternoon the Boeing flew west, crossing the Java Sea, passing through the Sunda Strait. Below now in the night was the Bay of Bengal. Ford worried about his engines, and he worried about missing Ceylon altogether. If he got lost over India, he might run out of fuel before he could sort himself out. He had no charts. All he had was the latitude and longitude of his destination. So he stayed beneath scud and broken clouds, looking for lights for as long as the night lasted, looking for land after that. He was so low that he flew right over the top of a Japanese submarine.
(shown below the flying boat)
Its crew was on deck enjoying the fresh air.
As the Japanese ran for their deck gun, Ford added full power and pointed his nose up toward clouds.
Finally the Boeing approached Trincomalee, Ceylon
Due to the large natural dep-water harbour, the site was attracted by many acient seafarers like Marco Polo and even Horatio Nelson at beginning of his glorious career. Prior to WWII, this site became a Royal Navy base as well a RAF airfield, better known as China Bay. Here in the background:
BTW, Captain Ford reported the encounter with the Japanese submarine to the Wing Commander on duty at Trincomalee. But this didn't believed it and was convinced, the crew has confounded the submarine with a fishing boat!
Intended to fly on to Karachi, the Clipper had to turn back due to engine problems. With some delay Captain Ford could continue westward an reached Karachi, while flying over the hugh Indus River Delta, near Karachi, then capital of Sindh.
On December 28th, the Pacific Clipper left Karachi and headed to Bahrain, then Khartoum and arrived over the Stanley Pool at Léopoldville, Belgian Congo.
It moored at the former seaplane station used by Congo-LARA.
After the stopover began the long crossing of the South Atlantic to Natal, Brazil. This leg from Leopoldville to Natal, Brazil, would be the longest flight leg the Clipper had ever covered: 3,100 nautical miles, most of it over open ocean.
The Boeing over the River Congo, shortly after taking off at Léopoldville.
The extreme flight achieved, the Clipper reached the Brazilian coast and Natal..
On the second last leg it arrived at Port of Spain.
On January 6th, while at last the Clipper reached New York area,
It then sent following message to complete stupefied LaGuardia radio control:
“LAGUARDIA TOWER, LAGUARDIA TOWER – PAN AMERICAN CLIPPER NC18602, INBOUND FROM AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND. CAPTAIN FORD REPORTING. DUE TO ARRIVE PAN AMERICAN MARINE TERMINAL LAGUARDIA IN SEVEN MINUTES. OVER!”
In a final bit of irony, after over thirty thousand miles and two hundred hours of flying on their epic journey, the Pacific Clipper had to circle for nearly an hour, because no landings were permitted in the harbor until official sunrise.
After having flown again over Manhattan again,
they finally touched down just before seven, the spray from their landing freezing as it hit the hull. No matter, the Pacific Clipper had made it home.
What happend to 'Pacific Clipper'?
After a thorough inspection by Pan American mechanics, NC18602 was assigned to service with the Atlantic Division. It remained there until May, 1943 when it was returned to the Pacific Division. It continued in service through the final months of the Naval Air Transport contract and, for a short time after the war, under the renewed civilian operation until it was rendered obsolete by the coming of the faster, more efficient land planes of the post-war period.
Bernard
Starting on December 8, 1941 at Auckland, New Zealand, the Pacific Clipper covered over 31,500 mi via locations including Surabaya, Karachi, Bahrain, Khartoum and Leopoldville. The 'Pacific Clipper' landed at Pan American's LaGuardia Field seaplane base on January 6, 1942, completing the first commercial plane flight to circumnavigate the world.
The extraordinary journey of Captain Robert Ford and his 10 men crew is related in Ed Dover's book "The Long Way Home".
On December 1st, 1941, the 'Pacific Clipper' took off at Treasure Island heading to San Pedro, CA
where it landed for a short stop.
After a flight of about eleven hours, the flying boat reached O'ahu Island and Honolulu.
While approaching the waterfield and PAA base at Pearl City peninsula in the late afternoon, it flew over Hickham Field Air Force Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station. Both bases are still missing aircraft.
Early morning of December 4, 1941 the 'Pacific Clipper' left Pearl City base for its way to the next stopover at Canton Island, Kiribati.
At this time, the coming up disaster was already taking its course. The Imperial Japanese Carrier Task Force with the Agaki, Hiryu, Kaga and Soryu was about 1'700 miles north of Hawaii. You know how this part went on ...
At this stage, Captain Ford wasn't aware how this fact will affect the rest ot the year. Let's see later.
The shoots aren't by far as stunning as those of Mike Hart's 'P3D Flying Boat Scenery Package' or of Larry's Lodestar review in CalClassic Forum.
The story goes on.
Having took off from Pearl City seaplane base on December 1st, the PAA Pacific Clipper headed to Canton Island.
Next day it reached the archipel ...
... and moored there.
On December 2, it took off and headed to Fiji Island.
Approach of the island with overcasted sky ...
and landing at Lauthala Bay.
Next stopover was scheduled at New Caledonia ...
... the seaplane base at Ile de Nou, now kown as Prèsqu'ile de Nouville, Noumèa - to be more precisely.
On memorable date of December 7th, the Pacific Clipper approached Auckland ...
... and landed at Mechanic Bay.
While trying to pick up a local broadcast, Captain Ford got the news of the Japense attack at Pearl Harbor.
Later on, Ford got following orders form Pan American headquarter:
NORMAL RETURN ROUTE CANCELED STOP PROCEED AS FOLLOWS COLON STRIP ALL COMPANY MARKINGS COMMA REGISTRATION NUMBERS COMMA AND IDENTIFIABLE INSIGNIA FROM EXTERIOR SURFACES STOP PROCEED WESTBOUND SOONEST YOUR DISCRETION TO AVOID HOSTILITIES AND DELIVER NC18602 TO MARINE TERMINAL LAGUARDIA FIELD NEW YORK STOP GOOD LUCK STOP
Almost unmarked, the Clipper at morning of December 14th, ready to begin its uncertain and adventurous long way home.
But first it flew back to Nouméa in order to evacuate a couple of PAA employees based there ...
... to Gladstone, Northern Queensland,
than went on to Port Darwin,
and Surabaya, Dutch East Indies. There where based some RAF Bristol Baufort fighters.
While the unexpected und unknown Clipper was approaching Surabaya waterfield, it was assumed to be an enemy aircraft. Therefore four Bristol Beaufort took off and intercepted the flying boat. They wanted to shoot the Boeing down.
In the very last moment, the leading pilot could discern part of an American flag on the top of the left wing.
On December 12, NC16802 left Surabaya for its next stopover at Trincomalee, Celyon. During the flight an other incident occured:
All afternoon the Boeing flew west, crossing the Java Sea, passing through the Sunda Strait. Below now in the night was the Bay of Bengal. Ford worried about his engines, and he worried about missing Ceylon altogether. If he got lost over India, he might run out of fuel before he could sort himself out. He had no charts. All he had was the latitude and longitude of his destination. So he stayed beneath scud and broken clouds, looking for lights for as long as the night lasted, looking for land after that. He was so low that he flew right over the top of a Japanese submarine.
(shown below the flying boat)
Its crew was on deck enjoying the fresh air.
As the Japanese ran for their deck gun, Ford added full power and pointed his nose up toward clouds.
Finally the Boeing approached Trincomalee, Ceylon
Due to the large natural dep-water harbour, the site was attracted by many acient seafarers like Marco Polo and even Horatio Nelson at beginning of his glorious career. Prior to WWII, this site became a Royal Navy base as well a RAF airfield, better known as China Bay. Here in the background:
BTW, Captain Ford reported the encounter with the Japanese submarine to the Wing Commander on duty at Trincomalee. But this didn't believed it and was convinced, the crew has confounded the submarine with a fishing boat!
Intended to fly on to Karachi, the Clipper had to turn back due to engine problems. With some delay Captain Ford could continue westward an reached Karachi, while flying over the hugh Indus River Delta, near Karachi, then capital of Sindh.
On December 28th, the Pacific Clipper left Karachi and headed to Bahrain, then Khartoum and arrived over the Stanley Pool at Léopoldville, Belgian Congo.
It moored at the former seaplane station used by Congo-LARA.
After the stopover began the long crossing of the South Atlantic to Natal, Brazil. This leg from Leopoldville to Natal, Brazil, would be the longest flight leg the Clipper had ever covered: 3,100 nautical miles, most of it over open ocean.
The Boeing over the River Congo, shortly after taking off at Léopoldville.
The extreme flight achieved, the Clipper reached the Brazilian coast and Natal..
On the second last leg it arrived at Port of Spain.
On January 6th, while at last the Clipper reached New York area,
It then sent following message to complete stupefied LaGuardia radio control:
“LAGUARDIA TOWER, LAGUARDIA TOWER – PAN AMERICAN CLIPPER NC18602, INBOUND FROM AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND. CAPTAIN FORD REPORTING. DUE TO ARRIVE PAN AMERICAN MARINE TERMINAL LAGUARDIA IN SEVEN MINUTES. OVER!”
In a final bit of irony, after over thirty thousand miles and two hundred hours of flying on their epic journey, the Pacific Clipper had to circle for nearly an hour, because no landings were permitted in the harbor until official sunrise.
After having flown again over Manhattan again,
they finally touched down just before seven, the spray from their landing freezing as it hit the hull. No matter, the Pacific Clipper had made it home.
What happend to 'Pacific Clipper'?
After a thorough inspection by Pan American mechanics, NC18602 was assigned to service with the Atlantic Division. It remained there until May, 1943 when it was returned to the Pacific Division. It continued in service through the final months of the Naval Air Transport contract and, for a short time after the war, under the renewed civilian operation until it was rendered obsolete by the coming of the faster, more efficient land planes of the post-war period.
Bernard