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In 1924, the US Army Air Service sent four specially-built aircraft, the Douglas World Cruisers (DWC) Seattle, Chicago, Boston, and New Orleans on an around the world flight. This collection consists of autographs of some of the DWC crew members.
In July 1923, US Army Air Service disclosed that it intended to attempt a global flight the following year. Four specially built aircraft were commissioned from the Douglas Aircraft Company. The World Cruisers, as they were called, were christened the Seattle, the Chicago, the Boston, and the New Orleans. The four aircraft departed from Seattle, Washington, in April 1924 to begin their flight. Only the New Orleans and the Chicago completed the arduous 27,553 mile (44,085 km) flight. It took 175 days, with a flying time of 371 hours and 11 minutes. The Seattle crashed into a mountainside and was destroyed early in the journey and later the Boston capsized at sea off the Faroe Islands and was also destroyed. Throughout the journey the crews prevailed against an endless series of forced landings, repairs, bad weather, and other mishaps that continually threatened the success of the flight. A monumental logistical accomplishment, it was an important step toward world-wide air transport.
NASM.XXXX.1048
Wade, Leigh
Circa 1924
Donor unknown, material found in collection, NASM.XXXX.1048
0.05 Cubic feet (1 folder)
National Air and Space Museum Archives
This collection consists of a 14 by 21 inch piece of heavy paper (folded into a 7 by 10.5 inch "booklet") that has been signed, in black ink, by various crew members of the different Douglas World Cruiser (DWC) aircraft including Lowell Herbert Smith and Leslie P. Arnold (Douglas World Cruiser (DWC) Chicago (#2)); Erik Henning "Swede" Nelson and John "Jack" Harding, Jr. (Douglas World Cruiser (DWC) New Orleans (#4)); and Leigh Wade and Henry H. Ogden (Douglas World Cruiser (DWC) Boston (#3)).
Collection is a single item.
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Douglas World Cruiser (DWC) Crew Autographs, NASM.XXXX.1048, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Aeronautics
Air pilots
Douglas World Cruiser (DWC)
Autographs
Collection descriptions
Archival materials