On this day, the non-rigid airship “America” took off from Atlantic City in New Jersey, in an attempt to make the first aerial crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. Having failed three times in his original attempt to reach the North Pole by air, and having learnt of Dr. Frederick Cook’s claim to have achieved this objective, the journalist Walter Wellman turned his attention to the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, the engines failed 38 hours into the flight, apparently due to contamination by beach sand, and the airship drifted down towards Bermuda where they sighted the Royal Mail steamship Trent. The crew of 6, together with the mascot cat “Kiddo”, got into the lifeboat and abandoned the airship which drifted out of sight and was never seen again. The first successful aerial crossings of the Atlantic came nine years later.
Puoi trovare altre brevi notizie storiche QUI
Your comments are always very welcome.
Ingliando 