Hello All,
The most incredible aviation story of all, is the round-the-world-flight of
the Pacific Clipper at the start of WWII. It is the subject of two books,
the first written by Pan Am Radio Officer Ed Dover:
73, Bruce WA8TNC
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"The Long Way Home: Captain Ford's Epic Journey" - Ed Dover
Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December, 1941, a giant
four-engined Pan American Airways Boeing flying boat, registered as NC18602,
under the command of Captain Robert Ford, embarked on a remarkable journey.
In one sense, it was the earthly 1940s equivalent of the first Apollo lunar
missions in that it ventured into unknown territory and returned home safely
in the face of overwhelming odds.
Caught en route over the South Pacific at the time of the Japanese attack,
Captain Ford and his crew were forced into a flight plan that none of them
had anticipated when they left San Francisco on 1st December for what was to
have been a routine round trip commercial flight to Auckland, New Zealand.
Faced with the threat of interception by Japanese forces, they were ordered
to take their strategically valuable aircraft on a globe-girdling, 31,500
mile, six-week odyssey, heading westward mostly across territory that had
never been flown over before by such a large commercial aircraft. With no
suitable navigation charts, no certainty of obtaining fuel or servicing, and
under a total veil of secrecy and radio blackout, they threaded their way
across the war zones of the Far East, the Middle East, Africa, the South
Atlantic, Brazil, and the Caribbean, to bring their aircraft home safely to
New York.
This is the story of that historic flight as related to me in person by
Captain Robert Ford.
****************************************************
"Escape of the Pacific Clipper" by George L. Flynn
The Escape of Pan Am's Pacific Clipper on its maiden voyage is a true story
of adventure and suspense.
In 1941, the Pacific Clipper was a technological marvel and the finest
commercial plane in the air. Not only did Japan and Germany seek the capture
of such desirable prize, but our Allies and friends looked for ways of
laying claim to her. Trapped in New Zealand after the bombing of Pearl
Harbor, with all their Pacific bases under attack or captured, the valiant
crew of eleven men challenged the Imperial Japanese navy, 30,000 miles of
uncharted waters, and the German Luftwaffe to try for a safe landing in
America. With courage and skill, the crew of the Pacific Clipper eluded the
pursuing Japanese through Australia, Indonesia, Ceylon, and India. In Iran,
the Germans took up the chase through Egypt, the Congo, and Brazil. After a
final stop at Trinidad, the heroic crew brought the Clipper home to New York
and the final showdown.
Lead by Captain Robert Ford, the Pacific Clipper and its crew flew across
continents landing on lakes and rivers that had never seen a flying boat.
Without arms, money or proper maintenance facilities, and under strict radio
silence, they succeeded where most would have given up or failed. Their
gripping tale and magnificent odyssey is captured by George Flynn and
illustrated with maps, schematics, and technical data on the revolutionary
monowing seaplane.
=======================
Doug wrote:
If you're interested in fiction about some of this, I highly recommend _The
Lost Flying Boat_ by Alan Sillitoe. This is fiction, but as a former radio
operator himself, and a fine writer, he communicates the magic of Morse very
nicely.
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