1918-Continued

soon as students on board were graduated; and that

six advanced training squadrons be organized there to

begin training patrol plane and night bomber pilots as

soon as practicable.

24 May The first consignment of American-built fly-

ing boats, six HS-ls aboard Houston (AK 1) and two

aboard Lake Placid (a Navy cargo ship), arrived at

Pauillac, France.

13 June The first American-built aircraft to be

assembled in France, an HS-l, made its first flight at

Pauillac, France, piloted by Lieutenant Charles P.

Mason, USN, with Commander James B. Patton,

USN, and Lieutenant William B. Jameson, USNRF, as

passengers.

19 June NAS Pensacola, Fla., began taking upper

atmospheric weather soundings to provide information

on wind velocity and direction, needed for navigation-

al training flights. Recording instruments were carried

aloft by a kite balloon, a technique developed by the

station meteorological officer, Lieutenant W. F. Reed.

30 June The first Navy pilots of the Night Wing,

Northern Bombing Group, to take special training with

British units, marked the completion of their course by

participating as observers in a night bombing raid by

Royal Air Force (RAF) Squadron 214.

1 July An act of Congress repealed all laws relating

to the National Naval Volunteers (NNV) and autho-

rized the president to transfer as a class all its mem-

bers, in their confirmed ranks

and ratings, to the Naval

Reserve, the Naval Reserve

Flying Corps or the Marine

Corps Reserve.

7 July The Naval Aircraft

Factory completed its first

order for 50 H-16 flying boats.

20 July The RAF Station,

Killingholme, England, from

which U.S. Navy pilots had

been flying patrols since

February 1918, was turned

over to American forces and

established as a Naval Air

Station, Lieutenant Comman-

der Kenneth Whiting in com-

mand.

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

35

21 July A surfaced German submarine, firing on a

tugboat and three barges three miles off Nauset Beach

on Cape Cod, Mass., was attacked by two seaplanes

from NAS Chatham, Mass. After firing on both aircraft,

the submarine submerged and escaped.

24 July NAS Porto Corsini, Italy, the only U.S. Navy

seaplane patrol station established in Italy during

World War I, was placed in operating status,

Lieutenant Wallis B. Haviland commanding.

25 July The Secretary of War approved a recommen-

dation by the Joint Army and Navy Airship Board, thus

completing an inter-service agreement which assigned

responsibility for the development of rigid airships to

the Navy.

27 July The N-l, first experimental aircraft designed

and built at the Naval Aircraft Factory, made its fourth

successful flight and its first test of the Davis gun for

which it was designed. Lieutenant Victor Vernon pilot-

ed and Lieutenant Sheppard operated the gun which

gave what was reported as a very satisfactory perfor-

mance against a target moored in the Delaware River

near the factory.

30 July Headquarters Company and Squadrons A, B,

and C of the First Marine Aviation Force arrived at

Brest, France, on board DeKalb (a Navy troop trans-

port). Upon disembarking, they proceeded to air-

dromes between Calais, France, and Dunkirk, France,

for operations as the Day Wing, Northern Bombing

Group. With the arrival, the squadrons were redesig-

nated 7,8, and 9 respectively.

HS flying boats at Naval Air Station Brest, one of two receiving and assembly plants established in

France 1053803