usarmyairservice

The prototype Douglas World Cruiser, Army Air Service serial number AS 23-1210, McCook Field prototype number P-318. She'd later be named "Boston II." The aircraft was designed and built to US Army Air Service (USAAS) specifications for the purpose of completing the first flight around the world (hence, the ability to operate either with interchangeable fixed handing gear or floats) . Four production aircraft were built for the flight. They were named, "Seattle" (AS 23-1229), "Chicago" (AS 23-1230), "Boston" (AS 23-1231), and "New Orleans" (AS 23-1232). Both "Seattle" and "Boston" would fail to complete the journey. "Seattle" would crash in Alaska on April 30, 1924 (the story of the survival of her crew is worth learning about). "Boston" would be forced to land at sea near the Faroe Islands after her engine failed. She'd be irreparably damaged in the forced landing, and would sink while being towed by the light cruiser USS Richmond (CL-9), on August 3, 1924. After the loss of "Boston," the prototype (AS 23-1210) was pressed into service for the remainder of the flight, now named "Boston II." It would join the flight at Pictou Harbor, Nova Scotia, on September 3, 1924. Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_World_Cruiser en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_aerial_circumnavigation

The Seattle Star. May 12, 1924, Page 7, column 1 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87093407/1924-05-12/ed-... reports the safety of the crew of the "Seattle" with headline "Aviators make their own rescue: Martin and Harvey walk for days to reach safety." Another description of the survival of the crew of the Seattle is at web.archive.org/web/20120622074326/http://www.alaskaairmu... This piece has a photo of the crashed plane. The Palisadian. September 12, 1924, ROTOGRAVURE SECTION, Image 9 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020438/1924-09-12/ed-... also includes a picture of the crashed plane.

Thanks TVL1970, we'll update our catalog record.

Pity the photo cannot be blown up more. Easily identifiable is the Curtiss JN-4HG 41554 to the left. That aircraft was also in Rockwell's inventory on 4 Dec 1919. Beside the "usual" Jennies and US built(?) DH-4 there is dark painted small aircraft under the the digit 3 of the hangar in the middle. A Thomas-Morse perhaps? Can the digits on the side be read? Stig

Stig Jarlevik Stig, I replaced this one with a big one.

Thanks However the mystery deepens. What I read on its side are the digits 448 which belonged to a LWF Model V and this is certainly not it! I sure can need some help with that one....😮 Stig

The aviator on the left side of the frame is (then) Lieut. Erik Henning Nelson (USAAS), pilot of Douglas World Cruiser No. 4 "New Orleans." There are several photos of him throughout the SDASM's collection on Flickr. See: dmairfield.com/people/nelson_eh/index.html Leaning on the wing on the right side of the frame is Lieut. "Smiling" Jack Harding (USAAS), Nelson's co-pilot aboard "New Orleans." See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_aerial_circumnavigation