24

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

1917-Continued

15 January Seattle (Armored cruiser No. 11) arrived

at Culebra, P.R., with an aviation detachment and air-

craft on board, for fleet exercises in the Southern Drill

Grounds. From this date until 23 March her air detach-

ment operated from ship and temporary shore bases

performing scouting and other missions in conjunction

with fleet operations.

4 February The Secretary of the Navy directed that

16 nonrigid airships of Class B be procured. Contracts

were issued subsequently to the Connecticut Aircraft

Corporation, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

and the B. F. Goodrich Company.

5 February The Chief of Naval Operations recom-

mended that, in view of the urgent military necessity,

eight aeronautic coastal patrol stations be established.

10 February The National Advisory Committee for

Aeronautics (NACA) established a patent subcommit-

tee with Lieutenant John H. Towers as a member. The

necessity for this subcommittee arose from the fact

that the threat of infringement suits being brought by

the holders of basic aeronautic patents was causing

prohibitive prices for aircraft and general demoraliza-

tion of the entire industry.

13 February At Pensacola, Fla., Captain Francis T.

Evans, USMC, performed the first loop with a sea-

plane, an N-9 floatplane at 3,000 feet, and then forced

it into a spin and successfully recovered. For this con-

tribution to the science of aviation, he was later

awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

12 March The first interservice agreement regarding

the development of aeronautic resources and the

operations of aircraft was submitted by a board of

Army and Navy officers and approved by the

Secretaries of the War and Navy Departments. The

agreement recognized a general division of aeronauti-

cal functions along lines traditional to the services, but

stressed the importance of joint development, organi-

zation, and operation, and enunciated basic principles

whereby joint effort could be achieved in these areas.

13 March The Bureau of Construction and Repair

directed that all seaplanes be finished in an opaque

yellow color over all.

24 March The First Yale Unit of 29 men, among

which were four destined to hold such high positions

in the military departments as Assistant Secretary for

War held by F. Trubee Davison, Assistant Secretary of

the Navy for Air held by David S. Ingalls, Under

Secretary of the Navy and Assistant Secretary of the

Navy for Air held by Artemus L. Gates, and Secretary

of Defense held by Robert A. Lovett; enlisted in the

Naval Reserve Flying Force and four days later left col-

lege to begin war training at West Palm Beach. This

was the first of several college groups to join up as a

unit for war service.

6 April The United States declared that a state of

war existed with Germany. The strength of Naval

Aviation, Navy and Marine Corps combined, was: 48

officers and 239 enlisted men, 54 airplanes, 1 airship,

3 balloons, and 1 air station.

6 April The Secretary of the Navy, by approval of

the recommendation of the Board on Flying

Equipment, established standard flight clothing for the

Naval Flying Service, and authorized its issuance as

Title B equipage. Clothing consisted of a tan sheep-

skin long coat, short coat and trousers, moleskin

hood, goggles, black leather gloves, soft leather boots,

waders, brogans and life belts.

7 April By Executive Order, the president directed

that the Coast Guard be transferred from the Treasury

Department to operate as a part of the Navy until fur-

ther orders.

14 April The Navy's first guided missile effort began

when the Naval Consulting Board recommended to

the Secretary of the Navy that $50,000 be apportioned

to carryon experimental work on aerial torpedoes in

the form of automatically controlled aeroplanes or

aerial machines carrying high explosives.

20 April The Navy's first airship, DN-1, made its first

flight at Pensacola, Fla. Its performance was unsatisfac-

tory on several counts and, after only two more flights

in this month, it was grounded and never flown again.

26 April The catapult installed on Huntington (ACR

5) was given its first dead load tests at Mare Island

Navy Yard, San Francisco Bay, Calif.

27 April The Marine Aeronautic Company, Advance

Base Force, was organized at Marine Barracks,

Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pa., by the transfer of person-

nel from the Marine Aviation Section at Pensacola,

Fla., from other Marine Corps units and from the

Marine Corps Reserve Flying Corps. Captain Alfred A.

Cunningham was in command.

1 May An expansion of the training program was

approved which called for assignment of new classes

every 3 months and the establishment of a course of