| Herbert C. Rodd | |
|---|---|
 Ensign Herbert Rodd in 1919 | |
| Born | 4 September 1894 |
| Died | 15 June 1932 (aged 37) |
| Place of birth | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Place of death | Hampton Roads, Virginia |
| Allegiance |
 USA |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1917–1932 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander |
| Awards | Navy Cross |
Herbert Charles Rodd (4 September 1894 – 15 June 1932) was a United States Naval Aviator. He served as the radio officer on the first successful transatlantic flight by the Curtiss NC-4 in May 1919[1] and later helped set additional world records for flight payload, duration and speed.[2]
Rodd was born in Cleveland, Ohio on 4 September 1894.[3] He joined the U.S. Navy on 9 April 1917[4] as an enlisted seaman but was granted a provisional ensign's commission on 20 August 1918.[3]
After World War I, the U.S. Navy planned a transatlantic crossing by a division of four Curtiss NC seaplanes. Navy Ensign Rodd helped to develop the radio compass for these aircraft.[1] Three seaplanes began the journey on 8 May 1919, but only the NC-4 completed the trip successfully. In the aftermath, he was made a knight of the Order of the Tower and Sword by the Portuguese government on 2 June 1919.[5] As a member of the NC-4 crew, he was awarded the Navy Cross[6] and later received a Congressional Gold Medal in 1929.
On 15–16 August 1927, Navy Lieutenants Rodd and Byron James Connell (12 August 1894[7] – 30 January 1972[8]) flew a PN-10 seaplane for 20 hours, 45 minutes and 40 seconds on a 25-km triangular course until their fuel tanks ran dry. Their flight with Aviation Machinist's Mate Comar Vincent and a cargo of 500 kg of sand covered 2,525.3 km (about 1,568 miles).[2] Lt. Connell had previously been the pilot on Cmdr. John Rodgers' 1925 attempt to fly from California to Hawaii in a PN-9 seaplane.[9] The 1927 flight by Lts. Rodd and Connell set a new world record for average speed over a 2,000-km distance by a seaplane of 126.56 km/hr (78.56 miles/hr).[2]
Lt. Cmdr. Rodd died in the crash of Vought O2U Corsair seaplane near Hampton Roads, Virginia on 15 June 1932.[10] He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[11]
Legacy[]
The former Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Rodd Field near Corpus Christi, Texas was named in honor of Lt. Cmdr. Rodd. This naval airfield operated from 7 June 1941 through the late 1950s.[12] Rodd Field Road still exists in Corpus Christi.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wardrop, G. Douglas (19 May 1919). "The Start of the Trans-Atlantic Flight". p. 488. https://books.google.com/books?id=f1BRAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA488&lpg=PA488&dq=%22Ensign+Herbert+C.+Rodd,+radio+officer%22&source=bl&ots=c4uBtHRnLe&sig=OCZ0hjom-3AQKBCVu8gUa05h9zM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwigrJfoucvaAhVIxoMKHfznABEQ6AEIOzAE#v=onepage&q=%22Ensign%20Herbert%20C.%20Rodd%2C%20radio%20officer%22&f=false. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Naval Aviators Set Three World Records". 17 August 1927. p. 4. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1927/08/17/96665514.pdf. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The Men Who Showed Their Skill and Courage". 24 May 1919. p. 13. https://books.google.com/books?id=y0o_AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA13&lpg=RA1-PA13&dq=Charles+Rodd+Cleveland+1894&source=bl&ots=kaNq-nOxB4&sig=znxcFZTI9rQiycDp5_L0wafiIkA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjm2ozhlM7aAhXpy4MKHYnSA9MQ6AEILzAB#v=onepage&q=Charles%20Rodd%20Cleveland%201894&f=false. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
- ↑ "Rodd Herbert Charles". https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4221078. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ↑ "Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas" (in pt). http://www.ordens.presidencia.pt/?idc=154&list=1. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ↑ Annual Reports of the Navy Department for the Fiscal Year 1920. Government Printing Office. 1921. p. 415. https://books.google.com/books?id=ajZHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA415&lpg=PA415&dq=%22Rodd,+Herbert+C.,+ensign%22&source=bl&ots=Czm4gv0t_i&sig=_jKKa5yL7lEfBX_Sn87DVt6o_Cw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiXt_aNr8vaAhWmy4MKHUCxDkQQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=%22Rodd%2C%20Herbert%20C.%2C%20ensign%22&f=false. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ↑ "Lieut. Byron J. Connell". 31 August 1925. p. 2.
- ↑ "Connell, Byron James". 1 February 1972. p. 52.
- ↑ "Successful Failure?". 14 September 2012. http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/history-up-close/from-the-cockpit-stories-of-naval-aviation/successful-failure/. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ↑ "Casualties: US Navy and Marine Corps Personnel Killed and Injured in Selected Accidents and Other Incidents Not Directly the Result of Enemy Action". https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/c/casualties-usnavy-marinecorps-personnel-killed-injured-selected-accidents-other-incidents-notdirectly-result-enemy-action.html. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ↑ "Rodd, Herbert C". https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ↑ "Navy and Marine Corps Air Stations and Fields Named for Naval Aviators and Others (Appendix 11 in United States Naval Aviation 1910–1995)". 18 August 1997. p. 599. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/Aviation%20Appendices/APP11%20(1).PDF. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Herbert C. Rodd. |
The original article can be found at Herbert C. Rodd and the edit history here.