Herbert C. Rodd

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]

Herbert C. Rodd
Ensign Herbert Rodd in 1919
Born(1894-09-04)4 September 1894
Cleveland, Ohio
Died15 June 1932(1932-06-15) (aged 37)
Hampton Roads, Virginia
Allegiance USA
Service/branchUnited States Navy
Years of service1917–1932
RankLieutenant Commander
AwardsNavy Cross

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/h (78.56 miles/hr).[2]

Lt. Cmdr. Rodd died in the crash of a 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. Wardrop, G. Douglas (19 May 1919). "The Start of the Trans-Atlantic Flight". Aerial Age Weekly. p. 488. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  2. "Naval Aviators Set Three World Records" (PDF). The New York Times. 17 August 1927. p. 4. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  3. "The Men Who Showed Their Skill and Courage". Aircraft Journal. 24 May 1919. p. 13. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  4. "Rodd Herbert Charles". National Archives Catalog. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  5. "Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas" [Portuguese Honorary Orders]. Presidency of the Portuguese Republic (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  6. Annual Reports of the Navy Department for the Fiscal Year 1920. Government Printing Office. 1921. p. 415. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  7. "Lieut. Byron J. Connell". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 31 August 1925. p. 2.
  8. "Connell, Byron James". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 1 February 1972. p. 52.
  9. "Successful Failure?". National Naval Aviation Museum. 14 September 2012. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  10. "Casualties: US Navy and Marine Corps Personnel Killed and Injured in Selected Accidents and Other Incidents Not Directly the Result of Enemy Action". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  11. "Rodd, Herbert C". Arlington National Cemetery. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  12. "Navy and Marine Corps Air Stations and Fields Named for Naval Aviators and Others (Appendix 11 in United States Naval Aviation 1910–1995)" (PDF). Naval History and Heritage Command. 18 August 1997. p. 599. Retrieved 2018-04-21.

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