- Nov 27, 2003
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August 1917, the Royal Navy was knees deep in the First World war where it was used to create a blockade to keep merchant ships from supplying Germany.
It wasn't going all that well, as obsolete signing systems and equally obsolete military protocol led to a very embarrassing outcome of the battle of Jutland where admiral David Richard Beatty quipped "Something is wrong with our bloody ships today And something wrong with our system!"
And if that wasn't enough THESE were coming more and more into play too.
U-boats quickly became the menace we all recognize them as being today.
It was being recognized that one could spot a U-boat from high up, so taking a leaf from whalers, destroyers were fitted with crow's nests to spot them.
But if you could spot a U-boat from 300 feet up, how quickly would one be able to spot one from 3000 feet up?
Now the idea to operate aircraft from ships wasn't new, Robert Langley was the first to try it.
Although his attempt failed but the aircraft carrier USS Langley was named after him in tribute.
Anyway, the idea of using scout planes from battle ships came in being with the the failure of using spotter blimps, which were gas filled balloons towed from the ships, it was a very hazardous thing as many of the Blimps were struck by lightning or sometimes when the cable gave way just drifted off to be never seen again.
However, taking off and landing on a ship was impossible with the large structures and cannons in the way.
This is the Battle Cruiser HMS Furious which was the first ship where one tried if it were possible to take off and land on her bow
And it was THIS man who achieved just that.
Squadron Commander Edwin Harris Dunning was the man who at 25 years of age would create history. He was the one who successfully took off from the Furious and also landed.
Dunning during the landing of his Sopwith Pup fighter. The men behind his plane are actually trying to pull it down, since the way to do it was to make the ship and the plane move at equal speed, so the plane would essentially hanging still in the air. So people would grab hold of it and manhandle it down unto the deck.
After the landing, Dunning and the crew celebrating this milestone.
However, that this system was flawed was proven the very next day when Dunning attempted to do it once more.
During this landing attempt, Dunning's engine stalled which made the plane slam into the deck, Knocking Dunning out and when his plane bounced up, the wind caught it and blew him overboard.
Keep in mind what I just said about how this worked: the plane and the ship had to move at equal speed, so the plane could be pulled from the sky. So the Furious was steaming full speed and by the time they had turned around to fetch Dunning from the sea it was already too late.
Squadron Commander Dunning was buried with full military honors and his family was told that their son had secured a place in aviation history by showing that naval aviation was possible.
100 years on, his legacy is still valid.
It wasn't going all that well, as obsolete signing systems and equally obsolete military protocol led to a very embarrassing outcome of the battle of Jutland where admiral David Richard Beatty quipped "Something is wrong with our bloody ships today And something wrong with our system!"
And if that wasn't enough THESE were coming more and more into play too.
U-boats quickly became the menace we all recognize them as being today.
It was being recognized that one could spot a U-boat from high up, so taking a leaf from whalers, destroyers were fitted with crow's nests to spot them.
But if you could spot a U-boat from 300 feet up, how quickly would one be able to spot one from 3000 feet up?
Now the idea to operate aircraft from ships wasn't new, Robert Langley was the first to try it.
Although his attempt failed but the aircraft carrier USS Langley was named after him in tribute.
Anyway, the idea of using scout planes from battle ships came in being with the the failure of using spotter blimps, which were gas filled balloons towed from the ships, it was a very hazardous thing as many of the Blimps were struck by lightning or sometimes when the cable gave way just drifted off to be never seen again.
However, taking off and landing on a ship was impossible with the large structures and cannons in the way.
This is the Battle Cruiser HMS Furious which was the first ship where one tried if it were possible to take off and land on her bow
And it was THIS man who achieved just that.
Squadron Commander Edwin Harris Dunning was the man who at 25 years of age would create history. He was the one who successfully took off from the Furious and also landed.
Dunning during the landing of his Sopwith Pup fighter. The men behind his plane are actually trying to pull it down, since the way to do it was to make the ship and the plane move at equal speed, so the plane would essentially hanging still in the air. So people would grab hold of it and manhandle it down unto the deck.
After the landing, Dunning and the crew celebrating this milestone.
However, that this system was flawed was proven the very next day when Dunning attempted to do it once more.
During this landing attempt, Dunning's engine stalled which made the plane slam into the deck, Knocking Dunning out and when his plane bounced up, the wind caught it and blew him overboard.
Keep in mind what I just said about how this worked: the plane and the ship had to move at equal speed, so the plane could be pulled from the sky. So the Furious was steaming full speed and by the time they had turned around to fetch Dunning from the sea it was already too late.
Squadron Commander Dunning was buried with full military honors and his family was told that their son had secured a place in aviation history by showing that naval aviation was possible.
100 years on, his legacy is still valid.
