In November 1917, U.S. Navy Lt. G.L. Cabot, flying a Burgess-Dunne airplane and accompanied by Lt. Commander P.H. Kemble, demonstrated the feasibility of picking up a weight from a floating platform. During one of the trials, the rope caught, broke and snapped back, fouling the propeller and splitting off a piece of the blade. The propeller was dented by the rope and left the copper sheathing with marks from the manila rope. This artifact is a souvenir of the incident retained by Kemble.

The aircraft resulted from a license and manufacturing agreement between Great Britain’s Aeroplane Syndicate and the Burgess Company of Marblehead Massachusetts. Because of the time frame, it is believed the engine was likely a Curtiss OXX-2 and the propeller was likely also produced by Curtiss.

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Type PROPULSION-Propellers & Impellers Physical Description Type: Two-Blade, Fixed-Pitch, Wood and Metal Diameter: 259.1 cm (102 in.) Chord: 23.5 cm (9.3 in.) Engine Application: Gnome 7-cylinder rotary, 60 kW (80 hp) Dimensions Rotor/Propeller: 259.1 x 23.5 x 129.5 x 19.4 x 16.5 x 1.1 x 8.3cm (102 x 9 1/4 x 51 x 7 5/8 x 6 1/2 x 7/16 x 3 1/4 in.)
3-D: 257.8 x 19.4 x 16.8cm (101 1/2 x 7 5/8 x 6 5/8 in.)
 Materials Wood
Copper Alloy
Varnish
 Inventory Number A19540060000 Credit Line Gift of Lt. Cmdr. Parker H. Kemble Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
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