The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-07-16
Navy Officers Haze Jolly
Time Thinking Up Mystic
Mineral Names for Craft
By JEAN KNOTT.

This n q story intended to explain,
30 far as possible. the meaning Of the
applications, 'NC-4," 'C-6." 'F-15,"
"R-34." and like letters and numerals
as applied to airplanes, seaplanes,
dirigibles and submarines.
Never, until men took to travelling
the heavens and the subseas, have
Newspaper readers had such meaning
less matter served mp to than in the
way Of names. In the news that the
Pinta, the Nina and Santa Maria had
finally landed within q short rail-
road trip OF New York. the people who
read the city editions Of October H.
1922, had something to tie to-some-
thing that their minds could grasp.
'Pinta!" There was a real name.
Sounding the ''i" as in "ice," and add
ing three familiar letters, one had
''PintArum," than which nothing more
meaninGful and significant has ever
been written-nOt even on prescrip-
don.
But IN the rush and hustle Of 1919
poetry and romance go by the board.
and we grab q couple Of letters out OF
the alphabet, throw in q few useless
numbers. taxi out OF the hangers, and
smear the result over three colmns OF
good white paper.
How GRC0 OFIgfnafed
nc" as applied to the American
seaplanes that first crossed the ocean.
used to mean ~Navy-Curtiss." but now
IT may mean anything at all. CThis
information, by the way. and the in
formation that follows has not been
plucked at random out Of the air,
however II may seem. To acquire 1t
valuable time was put in by Rear
Admiral Scales, OF the Naval Acad-
envy, several naval officers in Wash
ington. a small detachment of local
and long distance telephone operators
and two highly paid reportersD
The first seaplanes were said to
have been named NC because they
were Curtiss airplanes built especi-
ally for use at sea. But later planes
not of the Curtiss type were built fo=
use at sea and the names were not
changed. All nc" planes, therefore.
are big, transatlantic planes. and
the numbers designate the order in
which they were built.
Two other types OF American sea-
planes are the f. and the H types.
They are smaller than the Nc
planes and are used for patroling on:
The letter &C. as applied to Ameri- !
can dirigibles means nothing except |
that the third letter in the alphabet |
has been thought a pretty nickname |
for "Blimp." By what process the |
letter "R" was selected as the name
Of British dirigibIe No. "a, which has |
just completed her trans Atlantic |
round trip, is a matter not known |
generally in the United States navy. |
1t is presumed to mean no more than |
&C"
Was First Aid To Poor HumOr.
AS to the American submarines:
they were named after
fishes and snakes. There was the |
Whale and the Tortoise and so
on, but the story goes that the navy
men who were doing the christening
began to get too witty, calling the
subs "crab soup" and 1.-The dried her
ring" and "the shadroe," so the prac-
tice was stopped. Thereafter subma-
rines of the type that were first built
were designated by the letter "a" A
newer type that followed was called
3D." and thus it went until the new
Est American submarine is the 90
boat" In one class Of subsea boats |
there are three, and the highest num-
Der Of boats in any single class is
lbs. They, like the seaplanes, are
numbered in the order Of their con-
Itruction.
Two other types OF naval craft are
designated by letters. They are the
submarine chasers. known by the title
Sc" and numbering in the United
states navy about 300, and the boats
II the section patrol, known by the
title ESP" The ESP" boats are the
yachts, tugs. and launches, formerly
private properties of amateur seamen,
which were turned over to the Gov
eminent during the war. They are
stationed at regularly designated sec
lions along the coasts for patrol and
scout work.
In brief. they have named the NC"