Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-06-26
Flying Boat Mars
Returns 10 Pafuxenf
As Training Ship
BY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY,

NAVAL AIR STATION, PATUX-
ENT, Md, June 26.-The record
! breaking flying boat Mars, largest
in the world, has returned to this
station, after year and a half, to
take up the prosaic duties of a
training ship and laboratory.
Developed for the Navy by the
Glenn L. Martin Co. of Baltimore,
the air monster has just completed
a period of pioneering in the naval
air transport service. During this
period she not only broke record
after record in cargo transport and
air flight, but she established the
practicability of flying boats of this
size which resulted in the Navy
ordering 20 more.
Delivery Of the new craft will
start within the next three weeks,
and all of them are expected to be
in service within the next six or
seven months.
Will Attend School.
Part of the training time of the
crews with the Mars will be spent
at schools at the Martin plant, where
they will see the ships in various
stages of construction. Later they
will come to Patuxent where they
will be attached to the ship for fly
ing instructions. However, all of
those selected to man the new ships
are officers and men who have had
previous experience in heavy flying
boats and land transports out In the
combat areas
The Navy took a group Of mem
bers of Congress and the press to
PatuXent on Saturday, which was
designated as Mars Day" to show
them the boat and to detail its pos
sibilities as an intercontinental
transport now and after the war.
The Navy, at the same time, an
nounced the adoption for its air
transport of new type of SKY
meal and served one to its guests
This new meal combines q nutri-
tious diet, consisting of a meat
course and two vegetables. The
food is two-thirds cooked on the
ground, then flash frozen and
slowed in insulated, balsa wood
boxes in disposable plates. The
boxes can be kept indefinitely under
normal refrigeration at various ter
minal points.
Although the Mars never has fired
a shot in battle, she has played a
very vital part in the prosecution
of the war and has saved innumer-
able American lives. During her
service in the Alameda, Calf, Hon.
olulu run, 80 per cent of her cargo
to the latter station consisted of
whole blood
Record in First Mission.
During the time she was on the
Pacific Ocean route. she few more
than 200 miles in IS months, or
an average of 2l,760 miles per
month. In this period, her cargoes
averaged more than $4,000 pounds
per trip, which is said to be more
than $4,000 pounds greater than her
nearest land-plane competitor could
carry.
/ In her hrSt war mission, she broke
a record. She left Patuxent Novem-
Der 30, 1913, and the following day
arrived at Natal, Brazil, having car
ried $4,000 pounds of Christmas mail
and five passengers 1850 statute
miles-the longest nonstop cargo
fight and the longest over water
flight in aeronautic history. On her
return. between Belem, Brazil and
Port of Spain, Trinidad, she carried
IS ,000-pound pay load, declared to
be the heaviest ever carried by an
airplane From Port of Spain to
Bermuda, she carried as much
priority material as 10 cargo planes
of the time could have transported.
If used as a troop ship she could
carry 1873 troops with full equipment.
On one trip from Alameda to
Honolulu, she took off with a gross
weight of over AS, 900 pounds, which
is said to be the heaviest load ever
lifted by wings.