Naval crew sailed their plane for portion of historic flight

By Bob Sigall

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 26, 2011

~~<p>Naval Commander John Rodgers was the first to attempt a nonstop flight from California to Hawaii 86 years ago this week. It was an attempt to show how far naval aviation had come, but things did not go as planned.</p>
<p>The five-man crew left San Francisco in a seaplane on Aug. 31, 1925. Anticipated tradewinds failed to materialize, and they ran out of fuel 450 miles east of Oahu. The seaplane landed in rough waters and waited for prearranged supply ships to find them.</p>
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Naval Commander John Rodgers was the first to attempt a nonstop flight from California to Hawaii 86 years ago this week. It was an attempt to show how far naval aviation had come, but things did not go as planned.

The five-man crew left San Francisco in a seaplane on Aug. 31, 1925. Anticipated tradewinds failed to materialize, and they ran out of fuel 450 miles east of Oahu. The seaplane landed in rough waters and waited for prearranged supply ships to find them. Login for more...