Boeing 314
Encyclopedia
The Boeing 314 Clipper was a long-range flying boat
produced by the Boeing Airplane Company between 1938 and 1941 and is comparable to the British Short S.26
. One of the largest aircraft of the time, it used the massive wing of Boeing’s earlier XB-15
bomber prototype to achieve the range necessary for flights across the Atlantic
and Pacific Ocean
s. Twelve Clippers were built for Pan Am, three of which were sold to BOAC
in 1941 before delivery.
. Boeing's bid was successful and on July 21, 1936, Pan American signed a contract for six. Boeing engineers adapted the cancelled XB-15's 149 feet (45 m) wing, and replaced the original 850 hp Pratt & Whitney
Twin Wasp radial engine
s with the more powerful 1600 hp Wright
Twin Cyclone
. Pan Am ordered an additional six aircraft with increased engine power and a larger carrying capacity of 77 daytime passengers as the Boeing 314A.
The huge flying boat was assembled at Boeing's Plant 1 on the Duwamish River
and then towed to Elliott Bay for taxi and flight tests. The first flight was on June 7, 1938, piloted by Edmund T. "Eddie" Allen
. As originally built, the aircraft had a single vertical tail. Allen found that he was unable to keep the aircraft flying straight, due to inadequate directional control. The aircraft was returned to the factory and fitted with the endplates on the ends of the horizontal tail in place of the single vertical fin. This too was found to be lacking and finally the centerline vertical fin was restored. In this configuration, the aircraft was found to fly satisfactorily.
Internally, the 314 used a series of heavy ribs
and spars
to create a robust fuselage and cantilevered wing. This sturdy structure obviated the need for external drag-inducing struts to brace the wings, something other flying boats of the day could not boast. Boeing addressed the flying boats' other drag-inducing issue, stabilizing pontoons, by incorporating Dornier
-style sponsons into the hull structure. The sponsons, which were broad lateral extensions placed at the water line, on both the port and starboard sides of the hull, served several purposes: they provided a wide platform to stabilize the craft while floating on water, they acted as an entryway for passengers boarding the flying boat and they were shaped to contribute additional lift in flight. With weight an extremely sensitive concern, passengers and their baggage were weighed, with each passenger allowed up to 77 pounds (34.9 kg) free baggage allowance (in the later 314 series) but then charged $3.25 per lb ($7.15/kg) for exceeding the limit. To fly the long ranges needed for trans-Pacific service, the 314 carried 4246 gallons (16,072.9 l) of gasoline. The later 314A model carried a further 1200 gallons (4,542.5 l). To quench the radial engines’ thirst for oil, a capacity of 300 gallons (1,135.6 l) was required.
Pan Am's "Clippers" were built for "one-class" luxury air travel, a necessity given the long duration of transoceanic flights. The seats could be converted into 36 bunks for overnight accommodation; with a cruise speed of only 188 miles per hour (302.6 km/h) (typically flights at maximum gross weight were carried out at 155 miles per hour (249.4 km/h)), many flights lasted over 12 hours. The 314s had a lounge and dining area, and the galleys were crewed by chefs from four-star hotels. Men and women were provided with separate dressing rooms, and white-coated stewards served five and six-course meals with gleaming silver service. Although the transatlantic flights were only operated for three months in 1939, their standard of luxury has not been matched by heavier-than-air transport since then; they were a form of travel for the super-rich, at $675 return from New York
to Southampton
, comparable to a round trip aboard Concorde
in 2006. Most of the flights were transpacific with a one-way ticket from San Francisco to Hong Kong
, via the "stepping-stone" islands posted at $760 (or $1,368 round-trip).
Equally critical to the 314's success was the proficiency of its Pan Am flight crews, who were extremely skilled at long-distance, over-water flight operations and navigation. For training, many of the transpacific flights carried a second crew. Only the very best and most experienced flight crews were assigned Boeing 314 flying boat duty. Before coming aboard, all Pan Am captains as well as first and second officers had thousands of hours of flight time in other seaplanes and flying boats. Rigorous training in dead reckoning, timed turns, judging drift from sea current, astral navigation, and radio navigation were conducted. In conditions of poor or no visibility, pilots sometimes made successful landings at fogged-in harbors by landing out to sea, then taxiing the Clipper into port.
The first 314, Honolulu Clipper, entered regular service on the San Francisco-Hong Kong route in January 1939. A one-way trip on this route took over six days to complete. Commercial passenger service lasted less than three years, ending when the United States entered World War II
in December 1941.
At the outbreak of the war in the Pacific, the Pacific Clipper
was enroute to New Zealand. Rather than risk flying back to Honolulu and being shot down by Japanese fighters, it was decided to fly west to New York. Starting on December 8, 1941 at Auckland, New Zealand, the Pacific Clipper covered over 8500 miles (13,679.4 km) via such exotic locales as Surabaya
, Karachi
, Bahrain
, Khartoum
and Leopoldville
. The Pacific Clipper landed at Pan American's LaGuardia Field
seaplane base at 7:12 on the morning of January 6, 1942.
The Yankee Clipper flew across the Atlantic on a route from Southampton to Port Washington, New York
with intermediate stops at Foynes, Ireland
, Botwood, Newfoundland
, and Shediac, New Brunswick. The inaugural trip occurred on June 24, 1939.
The Clipper fleet was pressed into military service during World War II, and the flying boats were used for ferrying personnel and equipment to the European and Pacific fronts. Only the markings on the aircraft changed: the Clippers continued to be flown by their experienced Pan Am civilian crews. American military cargo was carried via Natal, Brazil to Liberia, to supply the British forces at Cairo and even the Russians, via Teheran. The Model 314 was then the only aircraft in the world that could make the 2150 smi crossing over water. and were given the military designation C-98. Since the Pan Am pilots and crews had extensive expertise in using flying boats for extreme long-distance, over-water flights, the company's pilots and navigators continued to serve as flight crew. In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt traveled to the Casablanca Conference in a Pan-Am crewed Boeing 314. Winston Churchill
also flew on them several times adding to the Clippers’ fame during the war.
After the war, several Clippers were returned to Pan American hands. However, even before hostilities had ended, the Clipper had become obsolete. The introduction of long-range airliners such as the Lockheed Constellation
and Douglas DC-4
, together with a prodigious wartime runway construction program, made the flying boat all but superfluous. The new landplanes were relatively easy to fly, and did not require the extensive pilot training programs mandated for seaplane operations. One of the 314's most experienced pilots said, "We were indeed glad to change to DC-4s, and I argued daily for eliminating all flying boats. The landplanes were much safer. No one in the operations department... had any idea of the hazards of flying boat operations. The main problem now was lack of the very high level of experience and competence required of seaplane pilots"
, Portugal
, on February 22, 1943. Pan-Am's 314 was removed from scheduled service in 1946 and the seven serviceable B-314s were purchased by a start-up airline called New World Airways, although they sat for long time on San Diego's Lindbergh Field
before all were eventually sold for scrap in 1950. The last of the fleet, the Anzac Clipper NC18611(A) was resold and scrapped in late 1951 in Baltimore, Maryland.
BOAC's 314As were withdrawn from the Baltimore to Bermuda route in January 1948. They were replaced by Lockheed Constellation
s flying from new York and Baltimore to Bermuda.
Model 314A
B-314
C-98
Model 306
, cannibalized for parts, or otherwise written off. Underwater Admiralty Sciences, a non-profit oceanographic exploration and science research organization based in Kirkland, Washington, announced in 2005, at the 70th Anniversary of the first China Clipper flight in San Francisco, its plans to survey, photograph, and possibly recover the remains of the hulls of two sunken 314s: NC18601 (Honolulu Clipper), scuttled in the Pacific Ocean in 1945; and NC18612 (Bermuda Sky Queen, formerly Cape Town Clipper), sunk in the Atlantic by the Coast Guard in 1947. UAS has also spent significant time at Pan Am reunions and with individual crewmembers and employees of Pan Am conducting videotaped interviews for the mission's companion documentary.
There are unconfirmed reports that a private team of French businessmen initiated an expedition to find the Honolulu Clipper on February 15, 2011 using Russian equipment. It was further reported that the aircraft will be kept in a private collection and not open to the public.
There is a life-size 314 mock-up at the Foynes Flying Boat Museum, Foynes
, County Limerick
, Ireland. The museum is at the site of the original transatlantic flying-boat terminus.
film Foreign Correspondent
features the 314 in a pivotal in-flight disaster. The best-known example, in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark
, actually used a Short Solent
Mark III made to resemble a 314 by use of matte
effects. The 1991 novel Night Over Water
by author
Ken Follett
centers around a 314 flight from Southampton to New York during the outbreak of World War II.
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
produced by the Boeing Airplane Company between 1938 and 1941 and is comparable to the British Short S.26
Short S.26
|-See also:-External link:* after conversion for RAF use...
. One of the largest aircraft of the time, it used the massive wing of Boeing’s earlier XB-15
Boeing XB-15
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Boniface, Patrick. "Boeing's Forgotten Monster: XB-15 a Giant in Search of a Cause." Air Enthusiast, 79 January–February 1999....
bomber prototype to achieve the range necessary for flights across the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
s. Twelve Clippers were built for Pan Am, three of which were sold to BOAC
Boac
Boac may refer to:* Boac, Marinduque, a municipality in the Southern Philippines* Boac , an American rapper* British Overseas Airways Corporation, a former British state-owned airline...
in 1941 before delivery.
Design and development
The 314 was a response to Pan American's request for a flying boat with unprecedented range capability that could augment the airline's trans-Pacific Martin M-130Martin M-130
|-See also:-External links:* at the University of Miami Library*...
. Boeing's bid was successful and on July 21, 1936, Pan American signed a contract for six. Boeing engineers adapted the cancelled XB-15's 149 feet (45 m) wing, and replaced the original 850 hp Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
Twin Wasp radial engine
Radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders point outward from a central crankshaft like the spokes on a wheel...
s with the more powerful 1600 hp Wright
Curtiss-Wright
The Curtiss-Wright Corporation was the largest aircraft manufacturer in the United States at the end of World War II, but has evolved to largely become a component manufacturer, specializing in actuators, aircraft controls, valves, and metalworking....
Twin Cyclone
Wright R-2600
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London. Studio Editions Ltd, 1998. ISBN 0-517-67964-7-External links:...
. Pan Am ordered an additional six aircraft with increased engine power and a larger carrying capacity of 77 daytime passengers as the Boeing 314A.
The huge flying boat was assembled at Boeing's Plant 1 on the Duwamish River
Duwamish River
The Duwamish River is the name of the lower of Washington state's Green River. Its industrialized estuary is known as the Duwamish Waterway.- History :...
and then towed to Elliott Bay for taxi and flight tests. The first flight was on June 7, 1938, piloted by Edmund T. "Eddie" Allen
Edmund T. "Eddie" Allen
Edmund T. "Eddie" Allen was a pioneer of modern flight test who flew for nearly every major aircraft manufacturer and took some of the most famous planes of all time up for their first flights....
. As originally built, the aircraft had a single vertical tail. Allen found that he was unable to keep the aircraft flying straight, due to inadequate directional control. The aircraft was returned to the factory and fitted with the endplates on the ends of the horizontal tail in place of the single vertical fin. This too was found to be lacking and finally the centerline vertical fin was restored. In this configuration, the aircraft was found to fly satisfactorily.
Internally, the 314 used a series of heavy ribs
Rib (aircraft)
In an aircraft, ribs are forming elements of the structure of a wing, especially in traditional construction.By analogy with the anatomical definition of "rib", the ribs attach to the main spar, and by being repeated at frequent intervals, form a skeletal shape for the wing...
and spars
SPARS
SPARS was the United States Coast Guard Women's Reserve, created 23 November 1942 with the signing of Public Law 773 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The name is a contraction of the Coast Guard motto: Semper Paratus and its English translation Always Ready...
to create a robust fuselage and cantilevered wing. This sturdy structure obviated the need for external drag-inducing struts to brace the wings, something other flying boats of the day could not boast. Boeing addressed the flying boats' other drag-inducing issue, stabilizing pontoons, by incorporating Dornier
Dornier Flugzeugwerke
Dornier Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturer founded in Friedrichshafen in 1914 by Claudius Dornier. Over the course of its long lifespan, the company produced many notable designs for both the civil and military markets.-History:...
-style sponsons into the hull structure. The sponsons, which were broad lateral extensions placed at the water line, on both the port and starboard sides of the hull, served several purposes: they provided a wide platform to stabilize the craft while floating on water, they acted as an entryway for passengers boarding the flying boat and they were shaped to contribute additional lift in flight. With weight an extremely sensitive concern, passengers and their baggage were weighed, with each passenger allowed up to 77 pounds (34.9 kg) free baggage allowance (in the later 314 series) but then charged $3.25 per lb ($7.15/kg) for exceeding the limit. To fly the long ranges needed for trans-Pacific service, the 314 carried 4246 gallons (16,072.9 l) of gasoline. The later 314A model carried a further 1200 gallons (4,542.5 l). To quench the radial engines’ thirst for oil, a capacity of 300 gallons (1,135.6 l) was required.
Pan Am's "Clippers" were built for "one-class" luxury air travel, a necessity given the long duration of transoceanic flights. The seats could be converted into 36 bunks for overnight accommodation; with a cruise speed of only 188 miles per hour (302.6 km/h) (typically flights at maximum gross weight were carried out at 155 miles per hour (249.4 km/h)), many flights lasted over 12 hours. The 314s had a lounge and dining area, and the galleys were crewed by chefs from four-star hotels. Men and women were provided with separate dressing rooms, and white-coated stewards served five and six-course meals with gleaming silver service. Although the transatlantic flights were only operated for three months in 1939, their standard of luxury has not been matched by heavier-than-air transport since then; they were a form of travel for the super-rich, at $675 return from New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, comparable to a round trip aboard Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
in 2006. Most of the flights were transpacific with a one-way ticket from San Francisco to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, via the "stepping-stone" islands posted at $760 (or $1,368 round-trip).
Equally critical to the 314's success was the proficiency of its Pan Am flight crews, who were extremely skilled at long-distance, over-water flight operations and navigation. For training, many of the transpacific flights carried a second crew. Only the very best and most experienced flight crews were assigned Boeing 314 flying boat duty. Before coming aboard, all Pan Am captains as well as first and second officers had thousands of hours of flight time in other seaplanes and flying boats. Rigorous training in dead reckoning, timed turns, judging drift from sea current, astral navigation, and radio navigation were conducted. In conditions of poor or no visibility, pilots sometimes made successful landings at fogged-in harbors by landing out to sea, then taxiing the Clipper into port.
Operational history
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in December 1941.
At the outbreak of the war in the Pacific, the Pacific Clipper
Pacific Clipper
The Pacific Clipper was a Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat famous for having completed Pan American World Airways' first around the world flight. The flight of the then-named California Clipper began December 2, 1941 at the Pan Am base on Treasure Island, California for its scheduled passenger...
was enroute to New Zealand. Rather than risk flying back to Honolulu and being shot down by Japanese fighters, it was decided to fly west to New York. Starting on December 8, 1941 at Auckland, New Zealand, the Pacific Clipper covered over 8500 miles (13,679.4 km) via such exotic locales as Surabaya
Surabaya
Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city with a population of over 2.7 million , and the capital of the province of East Java...
, Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
and Leopoldville
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
. The Pacific Clipper landed at Pan American's LaGuardia Field
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...
seaplane base at 7:12 on the morning of January 6, 1942.
The Yankee Clipper flew across the Atlantic on a route from Southampton to Port Washington, New York
Port Washington, New York
Port Washington is a hamlet and census-designated place in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the community population was 15,846....
with intermediate stops at Foynes, Ireland
Foynes
Foynes is a village and major port in County Limerick in the midwest of Ireland, located at the edge of hilly land on the southern bank of the Shannon Estuary. The population of the town was 606 as of the 2006 census.-Foynes's role in aviation:...
, Botwood, Newfoundland
Botwood, Newfoundland and Labrador
Northwest: Point LeamingtonNorth: Northern ArmNortheast: Bay of Exploits, Burnt Arm, LaurencetonWest: Division No. 6, Subd. CBotwoodEast: Bay of Exploits, Division No. 6, Subd. A...
, and Shediac, New Brunswick. The inaugural trip occurred on June 24, 1939.
The Clipper fleet was pressed into military service during World War II, and the flying boats were used for ferrying personnel and equipment to the European and Pacific fronts. Only the markings on the aircraft changed: the Clippers continued to be flown by their experienced Pan Am civilian crews. American military cargo was carried via Natal, Brazil to Liberia, to supply the British forces at Cairo and even the Russians, via Teheran. The Model 314 was then the only aircraft in the world that could make the 2150 smi crossing over water. and were given the military designation C-98. Since the Pan Am pilots and crews had extensive expertise in using flying boats for extreme long-distance, over-water flights, the company's pilots and navigators continued to serve as flight crew. In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt traveled to the Casablanca Conference in a Pan-Am crewed Boeing 314. Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
also flew on them several times adding to the Clippers’ fame during the war.
After the war, several Clippers were returned to Pan American hands. However, even before hostilities had ended, the Clipper had become obsolete. The introduction of long-range airliners such as the Lockheed Constellation
Lockheed Constellation
The Lockheed Constellation was a propeller-driven airliner powered by four 18-cylinder radial Wright R-3350 engines. It was built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. A total of 856 aircraft were produced in numerous models, all distinguished by a...
and Douglas DC-4
Douglas DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
, together with a prodigious wartime runway construction program, made the flying boat all but superfluous. The new landplanes were relatively easy to fly, and did not require the extensive pilot training programs mandated for seaplane operations. One of the 314's most experienced pilots said, "We were indeed glad to change to DC-4s, and I argued daily for eliminating all flying boats. The landplanes were much safer. No one in the operations department... had any idea of the hazards of flying boat operations. The main problem now was lack of the very high level of experience and competence required of seaplane pilots"
Retirement
The last Pan Am 314 to be retired in 1946, the California Clipper NC18602, had accumulated more than a million flight miles. Of the 12 Boeing 314 Clippers built, three were lost to accidents, although only one of those resulted in fatalities with 24 fatalities among passengers and crew aboard the "Yankee Clipper" NC18603 in a landing accident at LisbonLisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, on February 22, 1943. Pan-Am's 314 was removed from scheduled service in 1946 and the seven serviceable B-314s were purchased by a start-up airline called New World Airways, although they sat for long time on San Diego's Lindbergh Field
San Diego International Airport
San Diego International Airport , sometimes referred to as Lindbergh Field, is a public airport located northwest of the central business district of San Diego, California and from the Mexico – United States border at Tijuana, Mexico...
before all were eventually sold for scrap in 1950. The last of the fleet, the Anzac Clipper NC18611(A) was resold and scrapped in late 1951 in Baltimore, Maryland.
BOAC's 314As were withdrawn from the Baltimore to Bermuda route in January 1948. They were replaced by Lockheed Constellation
Lockheed Constellation
The Lockheed Constellation was a propeller-driven airliner powered by four 18-cylinder radial Wright R-3350 engines. It was built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. A total of 856 aircraft were produced in numerous models, all distinguished by a...
s flying from new York and Baltimore to Bermuda.
Variants
Model 314- Initial production version with 1500 hp Twin Cyclone engines, six built
Model 314A
- Improved version with 1600 hp Twin Cyclones with larger-diameter propellers, additional 1200 gallons (4,542.5 l) fuel capacity, and revised interior. Still air range approx 4,700 miles six built
B-314
- Five Model 314s impressed into military service with the U.S. Navy
C-98
- Four Model 314s impressed into military service with the U.S. Army Air Forces
Model 306
- An concept aircraft using a Model 314 Fuselage with a tailless delta-wing planform. No examples built.
Operators
- Pan American World AirwaysPan American World AirwaysPan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
- United States Army Air Force
- United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
- British Overseas Airways CorporationBritish Overseas Airways CorporationThe British Overseas Airways Corporation was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 to 1974. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways Ltd. and British Airways Ltd...
| Registration | Type | Name | In service | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC18601 | 314 | Honolulu Clipper Honolulu Clipper Honolulu Clipper was the prototype Boeing 314 flying boat designed for Pan American Airways. It entered service in 1939 flying trans-Pacific routes.Like other long range Clipper aircraft in Pan-Am it aided US military during World War II... |
1939–1945 | Successfully landed 650 miles east of Oahu after losing power in two engines while flying for the US Navy on 3 November 1945. Aircraft mechanics from the escort carrier Manila Bay USS Manila Bay (CVE-61) USS Manila Bay was a Casablanca class escort carrier of the United States Navy.She was laid down as Bucareli Bay under Maritime Commission contract by Kaiser Company, Inc., Vancouver, Washington on 15 January 1943; renamed Manila Bay on 3 April 1943; launched on 10 July 1943; sponsored by Mrs.... were unable to repair the engines at sea. The seaplane tender Seaplane tender A seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:... San Pablo USS San Pablo (AVP-30) USS San Pablo was a United States Navy Barnegat-class seaplane tender which was in commission as such from 1943 to 1947 and then served as a commissioned hydrographic survey ship, redesignated AGS-30, from 1948 to 1969... attempted tow into port; but the flying boat was damaged in a collision with the tender and intentionally sunk on 14 November by perforating the hull with 20mm Oerlikon gunfire after salvage was deemed impractical. |
| NC18602 | 314 | California Clipper | 1939–1950 | Sold to World Airways after the War and was scrapped in 1950. |
| NC18603 | 314 | Yankee Clipper | 1939–1943 | Started Transatlantic mail service. Crashed on February 22 when a wing hit the water during a turn on landing at Lisbon Lisbon Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban... Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... . A total of 24 of 39 on board were killed. |
| NC18604 | 314 | Atlantic Clipper | 1939–1946 | Purchased by the US Navy in 1942, but operated by Pan Am; salvaged for parts. |
| NC18605 | 314 | Dixie Clipper | 1939–1950 | Started transatlantic passenger service, later sold to World Airways. First Presidential flight for the Casablanca Conference. Scrapped 1950. |
| NC18606 | 314 | American Clipper | 1939–1946 | Later sold to World Airways. Scrapped 1950. |
| NC18609 | 314A | Pacific Clipper Pacific Clipper The Pacific Clipper was a Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat famous for having completed Pan American World Airways' first around the world flight. The flight of the then-named California Clipper began December 2, 1941 at the Pan Am base on Treasure Island, California for its scheduled passenger... |
1941–1946 | Temporarily named California Clipper to replace 18602 that was being moved to Atlantic service, renamed Pacific Clipper in 1942. Later sold to Universal Airlines Universal Airlines Universal Airlines was an airline based in Georgetown, Guyana. The Universal Airlines operated a scheduled passenger service to the USA and to nearby Trinidad and Tobago... . Damaged by storm and salvaged for parts. |
| NC18611 | 314A | Anzac Clipper | 1941–1951 | Sold to Universal Airlines 1946, American International Airways 1947, World Airways 1948. Sold privately 1951, destroyed at Baltimore, Maryland 1951. |
| NC18612 | 314A | Cape Town Clipper | 1941–1946 | Sold to: US Navy - 1942, Sold to: American International Airways - 1947. As the Bermuda Sky Queen she ditched at sea on October 14, 1947. After the rescue of all passengers and crew she was sunk by the United States Coast Guard United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency... as a hazard to navigation. |
| Registration | Type | Name | In service | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G-AGBZ | 314A (#2081) | Bristol | 1941–1948 | Originally NC18607, sold to General Phoenix Corporation, Baltimore as NC18607 in 1948 |
| G-AGCA | 314A (#2082) | Berwick | 1941–1948 | Originally NC18608, sold to General Phoenix Corporation, Baltimore as NC18608 in 1948 |
| G-AGCB | 314A (#2084) | Bangor | 1941–1948 | Originally NC18610, sold to General Phoenix Corporation, Baltimore as NC18610 in 1948 |
Survivors
None of the dozen 314s built between 1939 and 1941 survived beyond 1951 with all 12 having been scrapped, scuttledScuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
, cannibalized for parts, or otherwise written off. Underwater Admiralty Sciences, a non-profit oceanographic exploration and science research organization based in Kirkland, Washington, announced in 2005, at the 70th Anniversary of the first China Clipper flight in San Francisco, its plans to survey, photograph, and possibly recover the remains of the hulls of two sunken 314s: NC18601 (Honolulu Clipper), scuttled in the Pacific Ocean in 1945; and NC18612 (Bermuda Sky Queen, formerly Cape Town Clipper), sunk in the Atlantic by the Coast Guard in 1947. UAS has also spent significant time at Pan Am reunions and with individual crewmembers and employees of Pan Am conducting videotaped interviews for the mission's companion documentary.
There are unconfirmed reports that a private team of French businessmen initiated an expedition to find the Honolulu Clipper on February 15, 2011 using Russian equipment. It was further reported that the aircraft will be kept in a private collection and not open to the public.
There is a life-size 314 mock-up at the Foynes Flying Boat Museum, Foynes
Foynes
Foynes is a village and major port in County Limerick in the midwest of Ireland, located at the edge of hilly land on the southern bank of the Shannon Estuary. The population of the town was 606 as of the 2006 census.-Foynes's role in aviation:...
, County Limerick
County Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
, Ireland. The museum is at the site of the original transatlantic flying-boat terminus.
Specifications (314A Clipper)
Popular culture
The 314 has been featured many times in pop culture, including several novels. The 1940 Alfred HitchcockAlfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
film Foreign Correspondent
Foreign Correspondent (film)
Foreign Correspondent is a 1940 American spy thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock which tells the story of an American reporter who tries to expose enemy spies in Britain, a series of events involving a continent-wide conspiracy that eventually leads to the events of a fictionalized World War...
features the 314 in a pivotal in-flight disaster. The best-known example, in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford. It is the first film in the Indiana Jones franchise...
, actually used a Short Solent
Short Solent
- External links :* * *...
Mark III made to resemble a 314 by use of matte
Matte (filmmaking)
Mattes are used in photography and special effects filmmaking to combine two or more image elements into a single, final image. Usually, mattes are used to combine a foreground image with a background image . In this case, the matte is the background painting...
effects. The 1991 novel Night Over Water
Night Over Water
Night Over Water is a politically-minded novel written by author Ken Follett and published by William Morrow in 1991. It was reprinted as a paperback book in the U.S. in 1992....
by author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Ken Follett
Ken Follett
Ken Follett is a Welsh author of thrillers and historical novels. He has sold more than 100 million copies of his works. Four of his books have reached the number 1 ranking on the New York Times best-seller list: The Key to Rebecca, Lie Down with Lions, Triple, and World Without End.-Early...
centers around a 314 flight from Southampton to New York during the outbreak of World War II.
See also
External links
- The Boeing 314
- Boeing 314
- Boeing 314 Clipper
- Pan American Clippers 1931-1946
- China Clipper 75th Anniversary Commemorative Flight (November 2010 - San Francisco Aeronautical Society)
- "Two Day Turn Around", February 1941 article
- "Three Deck Clipper Has Aisle In Wings", Popular Mechanics, August 1937, early article on Pan American Airways new airliner for trans-ocean flight
- "New York To Europe By Clipper", Popular MechanicsMay 1939, large article with cutaway drawing of interior
- "Sailors of the Sky", Popular Mechanics, December 1940, detailed article with photos on flight deck operations of the Boeing 314