"With a Record Load"

"With a Record Load"

World War, 1939-1945; Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.); United States. Navy

In the top corner of the clipping, it reads "With a Record Load." Below that is the byline, "Flying Boat Mars Hops 4375 Nonstop Miles Over Water, Maryland to Natal, Brazil." Below that is a banner image of a large aircraft with what appears to be a crowd of people below its wings. The picture is captioned, "The giant Mars, with men clustered like dwarfs atop and beneath her wing." In two columns of text reads the story: "Flying nonstop from Patuxent River, Md., 4375 miles to Natal, Brazil, the Navy's huge new flying boat Mars has surpassed all existing records for overwater flight and air cargo transportation, Secretary Frank Knox announced yesterday. Knox said the performance of the gigantic craft was so good it is likely that the Navy will order others to be buit to help meet the ever-increasing need for fast cargo service. In addition to the long overwater hop to Natal, the Mars set new records for air cargo--35,000 pounds---and for the heaviest load ever lifted by a plane--148,500 pounds gross at takeoff from Patuxent River. On the flight to Natal, which the Navy said took 28 hours and 25 minutes, the Mars carried 13,000 pounds of Chirstmas mail for the armed forces. From Natal the more than half a million letters were carried to the Mediterranean war fronts in smaller cargo planes. The Mars returned to Belem, Brazil, with 23,000 pounds of cargo; flew from Belem to Port of Spain; Trinidad, with 35,000 pounds, and from Port of Spain to Bermuda with 27,400 pounds. The cargo included war materials labeled 'Priority A-1,' which, the Navy said, 'rides ahead of admirals.' It traveled at an average speed of 161 miles an hour. The Navy said the speed was far from maximum because minimum engine power was used to conserve the power plants, which are still experimental."

A clipping from the December 11, 1943 edition of the Washington Post describing the flight of the naval aircraft Mars, which made a stop in the Port of Spain where Edmund had been stationed.

11-Dec-43

18

6 x 4.5"

Newspaper clipping

CPL-UKLEJA-scrapbook-018-02