On 18 January 1911, an American, Eugene Ely, successfully landed an aeroplane aboard the USS Pennsylvania anchored in San Francisco Bay. On this brisk January morning, at 11 AM Ely took off from Tanforan racetrack. USS Pennsylvania was anchored off the San Francisco waterfront and a crowd of spectators ashore, on ships, and small flotilla [...]
Whenever a crisis happens in the world, ever since World War II, our Presidents have probably asked as one of their first questions, “Where are our carriers?” On 29 October 1956, Israeli forces invaded Egyptian territory after Egyptian President Gamal Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal. British and French forces would join in the invasion two [...]
On 26 October 1922, Lieutenant Commander Godfrey de Chevalier, USN, flew his Aeromarine 39-B on to the flight deck of the United States Navy’s first aircraft carrier, USS Langley (CV-1), while cruising off Cape Henry, Virginia. Chevalier had launched from the Navy’s Yorktown Naval Aviation Field at Yorktown, Virginia (more on Yorktown Airfield). History was [...]
It has been a very cold, windy week here at Patriots Point. I don’t remember a couple of colder days in the past ten years (30′s daytime, 20′s at night), but the weather today is trending back towards springlike weather this weekend…70′s and sunny…and like the temperature going up, visitors to the Yorktown are increasing. [...]
