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During 1917 the US Navy Bureau of Construction and Repair collaborated with Glenn Curtiss in an effort to produce a flying-boat that would be capable of crossing the Atlantic without difficulty. The intention was to ensure that such 'boats would be able to join operations in the war zone immediately after their arrival.
Preliminary designs, drawn up by naval team which included Commander Jerome Hunsaker, were developed by Curtiss and his engineers. The selected configuration was a wide-span biplane with three tractor engines, a short hull to accommodate a crew of five, and a biplane tail supported on booms projecting from the upper wing and the rear of the hull. Detail design was carried out by the Curtiss staff, except for the hull which was the work of US Navy Commander Holden Richardson. Soon afterwards Curtiss received an order for production of the NC 'boat as it had by then been designated (NC for Navy-Curtiss). Four aircraft were to be built by Curtiss, and it was decided that the Naval Aircraft Factory would build six more.
Existing factory space at the Curtiss Garden City, New York factory was greatly expanded with US Navy help for production of the NCs, which were to be taken by road in sections for final assembly at Rockaway Naval Air Station. When World War I ended only the NC-1 had been completed and the original purpose of the design no longer existed. Although the NAF NCs were cancelled, the US Navy decided to go ahead with the four Curtiss 'boats which would be used in a transatlantic flight to the UK. It was felt that the publicity gained by such a flight would be of great value to the US Navy.
Three NC boats (NC-1, NC-3 and NC-4) left Trepassey Bay, Newfoundland on 16 May 1919, NC-2 having already come to grief. Both the NC-1 and the NC-3 came down at sea short of Horta in the Azores, which was to be the first stop. Neither could take off again, the NC-1 being abandoned and its crew taken off by ship, but the NC-3 was able to taxi in to Horta. Only the NC-4 completed the journey to Plymouth successfully, arriving on 31 May following stops at Horta, Ponta Delgada, Lisbon, and Ferrol del Caudillo. The total distance flown from take-off at Rockaway, New York on 8 May was 6317km, completed in 57 hours 16 minutes total flight time.
 | A three-view drawing of NC-4 (800 x 418) |
| MODEL | Curtiss NC-4 |
| ENGINE | 4 x 298kW Liberty 12A inline piston engines |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 12700 kg | 27999 lb |
| Empty weight | 7257 kg | 15999 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 38.40 m | 125 ft 12 in |
| Length | 20.80 m | 68 ft 3 in |
| Height | 7.44 m | 24 ft 5 in |
| Wing area | 226.77 m2 | 2440.93 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 137 km/h | 85 mph |
| Ceiling | 760 m | 2500 ft |
James DiLeonardi, james.dileonardi(@)ge.com, 07.05.2008
Number of engines should be 3 tractor & 1 pusher
James DiLeonardi, james.dileonardi(@)ge.com, 07.05.2008
Number of engines should be 3
Ray Stone, jazz740(@)yahoo.com, 18.04.2008
My cousin, Elmer Stone, was the pilot for this transatlantic flight. He was Coast Guard pilot #1 and the only Coast Guard member of an, otherwise, all Navy crew.
I have a large poster from the Smithsonian with a picture of the NC4, names of the crew and a 2" square fabric from the original plane. Elmer was awarded a Navy Cross and received a written commendation from then Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt, dated
23 August 1919 that stated: "I wish to heartily commend you for your work as pilot of the Seaplane NC-4 during the recent trans-Atlantic flight expedition. The energy, efficiency, and courage shown by you contributed to the accomplishment of the first trans-Atlantic flight, which feat has brought honor to the American Navy and the entire American nation..."
On 1 October 1921 he was awarded the Victory Medal with Aviation Clasp and on 23 May 1930 he was awarded a special Congressional Medal, especially designed for the occasion, by the President in the name of Congress for "extraordinary achievement in making the first successful trans-Atlantic flight."
Among other things, I have an original letter on Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation letter head from its president, Eddie Rickenbacher, inviting Lt. Cmdr. Elmer Stone to be his guest at the 1934 "Indy 500" race.
The NC-4 made aviation history in May of 1919, but few people today are aware of it. If you ask someone about the first trans-atlantic flight, they invarably mention the Lindberg flight.
Tricia Douma, doumatr(@)yahoo.com, 03.08.2007
My Grandfather, Albert Stubee, was the Chief Engineer on this aricraft. Are there any drawings or documents that would have his name on them?
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Do you have any comments concerning this aircraft ?
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