Holden Chester Richardson (December 7, 1878 – September 2, 1960) was a decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of captain. He is most noted as a pioneer in United States naval aviation.
Holden Chester Richardson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Holden C. Richardson, 1938 | |
| Born | December 7, 1878 Shamokin, Pennsylvania, US |
| Died | September 2, 1960 (aged 81) Bethesda, Maryland, US |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/ |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1901-1929, 1934-46 |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Navy Cross |
Biography edit
He was born on December 7, 1878, in Shamokin, Pennsylvania.[1] Richardson attended the United States Naval Academy, graduating in 1901. Among his classmates were fellow naval engineers Julius A. Furer and George C. Westervelt and future Chief of Naval Operations Ernest J. King.[2]
Richardson learned to fly from Glenn Curtiss in 1913, and he was designated Naval Aviator number 13. He was the Navy's first engineering test pilot and helped develop the first Navy-built seaplane, pontoons and hulls that overcame water suction, and a catapult to launch aircraft.
As a member of the Navy Construction Corps, Richardson helped to design the hull of the Curtiss NC flying boats.[3] On October 4, 1918, he performed the crucial test flight of NC-1, the first of these seaplanes, from Jamaica Bay. He then took the plane, with a full crew, for a shakedown flight to the Washington Navy Yard for inspection by Navy leadership. Four days later, the Armistice ended World War I, and the military's need for flying boats abruptly ended.
After the war, the Navy decided to pursue a transatlantic flight by a division of four Curtiss NC flying boats. Because of his involvement in their design and development, Richardson was chosen to be one of the two pilots of NC-3, the division flagship.[3] Only three planes were operational when they left Naval Air Station Rockaway on May 8, 1919. The overnight transatlantic crossing from Trepassey, Newfoundland to the Azores was attempted on May 16–17. NC-3 was forced to set down 200 nautical miles short of the Azores and Richardson had to taxi the remaining way until taken in tow by a Navy ship. NC-1 also had to set down short of the Azores, so only NC-4 was able to reach the European mainland at Lisbon, Portugal by air on May 27. Because of his contribution to this project, Richardson was awarded the Navy Cross.[4] He was also made an officer of the Order of the Tower and Sword by the Portuguese government on June 3, 1919.[5]
While Chief Engineer of the Naval Aircraft Factory, Richardson developed a rotatable catapult enabling aircraft to operate from capital ships. In 1925 he led efforts to develop carrier aircraft and patrol planes. He was the first secretary of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.
He died on September 2, 1960, in Bethesda, Maryland, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[6][7]
Legacy edit
Richardson was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1978 and in the Naval Aviation Hall of Honor in 1981. Richardson Field near Shamokin, Pennsylvania, was named in his honor.
References edit
- ^ "Holden Chester Richardson". Military Times. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- ^ The Lucky Bag of the United States Naval Academy. Vol. VIII. Philadelphia: Franklin Printing Company. 1901. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ^ a b Wardrop, G. Douglas (May 19, 1919). "The Start of the Trans-Atlantic Flight". Aerial Age Weekly. p. 487. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
- ^ Annual Reports of the Navy Department for the Fiscal Year 1920. Government Printing Office. 1921. p. 415. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
- ^ "Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas" [Portuguese Honorary Orders]. Presidency of the Portuguese Republic (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2018-04-26.
- ^ Burns, Benjamin J. (2012). The Flying Firsts of Walter Hinton: From the 1919 Transatlantic Flight to the Arctic and the Amazon. McFarland. p. 232. ISBN 9780786487943.
- ^ "Richardson, Holden C". ANC Explorer. Retrieved 2022-02-04.