US Navy 1919 Transatlantic Flight (NC-4 Flight) Post Cards

This collection consists of eleven gelatin-silver photographs printed by the International Film Service as commercial post cards of the US Navy NC Transatlantic expedition of 1919, showing various stages of the flight, from the departure from NAS Rockaway (New York, USA) to shots of the Curtiss NC-4 at anchor in Lisbon, Portugal, and its crew being congratulated on arrival in Plymouth, England (UK).

On May 8, 1919, the Curtiss-built flying boat NC-4, in company with the NC-1 and NC-3, departed from the Naval Air Station Rockaway (New York) on the first leg of a transatlantic flight. Intermediate legs were planned for Naval Air Station Chatham (Massachusetts); Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Trepassey, Newfoundland. On May 16, the three aircraft began the longest leg of their mission -- from Newfoundland to the Azores. Naval vessels were stationed along the route to indicate the route to the aviators. NC-1 became disabled, and its crew was rescued by the Greek freighter SS Ionia. NC-3 was forced down but was able to taxi in to harbor in the Azores. NC-4 arrived safely in Horta (Ilha do Faial), in the Azores on May 17. After delays for repairs, NC-4 took off on May 27 and landed at Lisbon, Portugal, 9 hours later, becoming the first aircraft to make a crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. The NC-4 continued via Ferrol, Spain, to Plymouth, England, arriving on May 31, 1919. After service during World War I with the US Navy, commercial photographer Norbert George Moser partnered for a short time with the International Film Service (IFS) to publish photo post cards of Navy-related subjects. This group of US Navy "Transatlantic Flight May 14th 1919" post cards likely reproduces scenes captured by several different photographers. Note that the last card in the collection (NASM-9A19927), despite being titled as "Congratulating crew of the N.C.4 on arrival in England" is a US Navy photograph of officers of the seaplane tender USS Shawmut congratulating the crew of the Curtiss NC-4 at Lisbon, Portugal, on May 28, 1919.