1917-Continued

locations in France, England, Ireland and Italy, from

which naval air units were operating at the close of

the war.

10 August Ground was broken for the Naval

Aircraft Factory at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pa.

14 August In an experiment initiated through the

impetus of Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske, and con-

ducted by Lieutenant Edward O. McDonnell at

Huntington Bay, Long Island, N.Y., a dummy torpedo

was launched from a seaplane, but struck the water at

an unfavorable angle and ricocheted, nearly striking

the plane. This event marked the beginning of serious

Navy interest in launching torpedoes from aircraft.

15 August The Bureau of Construction and Repair

authorized the Curtiss Company to paint the wings of

naval aircraft with "English-Khaki-Gray-Enamel" and

all aircraft manufacturers to use either opaque yellow

or clear varnish on floats and hulls. These, the initial

variations to the color scheme that had been estab-

lished the preceding March, were followed by so

many other exceptions that no standard existed for the

next six months. The trend, however, was to use an

opaque yellow finish for school machines and to use a

khaki finish, similar to that used on British aircraft, for

service machines.

25 August The NC flying boat development was ini-

tiated by Chief Constructor David W. Taylor in a

memo which outlined certain general requirements of

an airplane needed in war and directed his staff to

investigate the subject further. In part, Taylor stated:

"The 'United States [Liberty] Motor' gives good promise

of being a success, and if we can push ahead on the

airplane end, it seems to me the submarine menace

could be abated, even if not destroyed, from the air.

The ideal solution would be big flying boats or the

equivalent, that would be able to fly across the

Atlantic to avoid difficulties of delivery, etc."

25 August The 12-cylinder Liberty motor passed a

50-hour test with a power output of 301 to 320 horse-

power, preliminary to being ordered into mass pro-

duction.

4 September The technical members of the Bolling

Mission, having just returned from studying air devel-

opments in Europe, submitted a report to the

Secretaries of War and Navy. Among other things they

recommended that air measures against submarines

take precedence over all other air measures, that the

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

29

United States establish and operate as many coastal

patrol stations in Europe as possible, and that

European aircraft be obtained for use at those stations

until the more satisfactory types manufactured in the

United States became available.

7 September In tests which led to additional orders

for 300 Simon radio transmitters, radio signals, sent

from an R-6 seaplane flying from NAS Pensacola, Fla.,

were received by Naval Radio Station New Orleans,

La., 140 miles distant.

7 September A forestry green winter service flying

uniform, of the same design as the summer uniform,

was authorized for all officers assigned to aviation

duty.

7 September A winged foul anchor was adopted as

an official device to be worn on the left breast by all

qualified Naval Aviators. Before the wings were

issued, use of the letters "U.S.", which had been incor-

porated in the first design, was abandoned by order of

12 October 1917 and the design adopted was essen-

tially that of the wings worn today.

8 September A site at Naval Operating Base,

Hampton Roads, Va., was established as an air training

station and patrol base to conduct experimental work

in seaplane operation. Detachments under training at

the Curtiss School at Newport News, Va., and at

Squantum, Mass., transferred to this location in

October, and on 27 August of the next year, the Naval

Air Station was formally established.

17 September A kite balloon from Huntington

(ACR 5) was hit by a squall and while being hauled

down struck the water so hard that the observer,

Lieutenant (jg) Henry W. Hoyt, was knocked out of

the basket and caught underwater in the balloon rig-

ging. As the balloon was pulled toward the ship,

Patrick McGunigal, Ships Fitter First Class, jumped

overboard, cleared the tangle and put a line around

Lieutenant Hoyt so that he could be hauled up on

deck. For this act of heroism, McGunigal was later

awarded the Medal of Honor.

18 September A production program of 1,700 oper-

ational type aircraft was established on the basis of a

report issued this date by the Joint Technical Board on

Aircraft.

26 September Lieutenant Louis H. Maxfield, com-

manding the Naval Air Detachment at Akron, Ohio,

reported the qualification of 11 students, including

himself, as lighter-than-air pilots and requested their