New-York tribune., 1920-03-09
Navy Building
Two Triplanes
To Fly Pacific
Machines Twice as Big as
NC Craft Reported Under
Construction; Towers and
Read May Com m a N d
One Hop of 2,O91 Miles
Equipment Will Consist of
Nine Liberty Motors; Ca
pacity of Sixteen Men

Two giant metal triplane seapanes,
designed to bring to America the honor
of the first flight ;cross the Pacific
Ocean, are being constructed by the
United States Navy, according to an
announcement last night by the Maui
facturers' Aircraft Association. The
new flying craft are being built at the
naval aircraft factory in Philadelphia,
and when completed will be twice as
large as the famous NC seaplanes that
made the epochal flight across the At
lantic Ocean last year.
While no official statement has been
issued regarding the navy plans, in
aviation circles it is stated that Lieu
tenant Commander Albert C. Read, vic
tor of the Atlantic flight, will be placed
in command of one of the new giants,
and Commander John H. Towers will
command the other.
Route Being Considered
In connection with this statement, it
is pointed out that Commander Towers
was recently appointed as chief of
naval aviation on the Pacific Coast. This
position will give him ample oppor-
tunity to consider the advantages of the
alternative routes across the Pacific.
The route at present under consider
alton is from San Francisco to Hong
Kong, by way Of Honolulu, Wake Island,
Guam and Manila, total distance of
4 Nonstop flight of 1901 nautical miles
from San Francisco to Honululu, which
it is expected the new seaplanes will
make in twenty-four hours with neu-
trail wind. The seaplanes are being
built to fly $500 miles without a stop.
The construction Of the new sea-
planes is likely to mark the beginning
of the same friendly rivalry between
the United States Navy and British
manufacturers for first honors across
the Pacific that gave worldwide in
terest to the Atlantic flights last year.
1t is stated officially that British con-
Germs are constructing seaplanes as
large as the new navy giants for the
same purpose.
The Specifications Of the two new
aerial giants of the navy eclipse any
aircraft yet designed, despite the fact
that the same special care which char
acterized the building Of the NC sea-
planes is being followed in the case Of
the new "shps."
The new seaplancs will have three
wings, each measuring 140 feet from
tip to tip. The wings will have total
area Of 5000 feet, giving the seaplanes
total lifting capacity of thirty tons.
The hulls will be CT feet long, % fee,
longer than the NC seaplanes, and
there will be accommodation for a
crew of sixteen officers and men, be-
Il
speed Of the new monsters will be 85
knots an hour, equivalent to 1862
statute miles.
Dubbed the Giants"
While no official designation has yet
been applied to the new craft, at the
philadelphia factory they have been
According 10 aeronautical experts, the
justice of the appellation is indicated
in the power plant alone. The "giants"
will each be equipped with nine Lib
erty motors, giving each total of
3 600 horsepower, 1000 more horse
power than that which drove the NC-4
across the Atlantic.
The application Of this tremendous
power is along lines invented by Edison
Gallaudet, one of Americas pioneer
aircraft manufacturers. The nine
motors will be set in three nacelles,
three motors TO each nacelle. Each
set of three motors will be geared to a
common shaft, which in turn will drive
q gigantic propeller, 1S feet from tip
to tip. The propellers will be of the
tractor type and each will have four
blades.
Provision will be made in each of
the nacelles for an engineer, so that
repairs can be made to any Of the