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| Captain Albert C. Read | |
|---|---|
| Name | Albert C. Read |
| Caption | Captain Albert C. Read |
| Birth date | 1887-02-20 |
| Birth place | Bradford, Pennsylvania |
| Death date | 1967-12-19 |
| Death place | Washington, D.C. |
| Occupation | United States Navy officer, aviator |
| Known for | Commanding NC-4 transatlantic flight |
Captain Albert C. Read Captain Albert C. Read was a United States Navy officer and pioneering aviator who commanded the Curtiss NC-4 during the first successful transatlantic flight in 1919. His leadership during the NC-4 mission placed him alongside contemporaries in naval aviation and early aeronautical exploration, influencing developments at institutions such as the United States Navy and Naval Air Station Pensacola. Read's career connected him with figures and organizations across Aviation history, World War I, and interwar naval policy.
Born in Bradford, Pennsylvania, Read grew up during the era of industrial expansion associated with places like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and was exposed to technological advances tied to firms such as Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company and innovators like Glenn Curtiss. He attended preparatory education before entering the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, where he trained alongside classmates influenced by leaders from Admiral William S. Sims to instructors linked to Naval Aviation pioneers. His academy years coincided with contemporary developments involving institutions such as Smithsonian Institution collections on flight and exhibitions at Wright Brothers National Memorial.
After commissioning, Read served on capital ships and at shore installations influenced by strategic thinkers like Theodore Roosevelt and Alfred Thayer Mahan. His naval assignments included postings at Norfolk Naval Shipyard and aboard vessels connected to fleets commanded by officers such as Admiral Joseph Strauss and Admiral Hugh Rodman. Transitioning to aviation, Read trained within units associated with Naval Air Station North Island, linking his career to the expansion of facilities like Mare Island Naval Shipyard and organizational changes that involved the Bureau of Aeronautics and directives from leaders including Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels. Read worked with aviators and engineers who had collaborated with firms such as Boeing and Douglas Aircraft Company on seaplane and patrol designs.
In 1919 Read commanded the Curtiss NC flying boat NC-4 on a transatlantic crossing that followed earlier transoceanic attempts by crews including those on Vickers Vimy and expeditions inspired by Alcock and Brown. The NC-4 mission was coordinated with units from United States Navy Air Service and required surface support from the United States Navy fleet including destroyers like those from Destroyer Division groups and cruisers frequenting routes near Azores and Ponta Delgada. The flight involved navigational techniques used by contemporaries such as Charles Lindbergh's later transatlantic work and linked to meteorological support from services like the United States Weather Bureau. Read's crew operated under procedures influenced by naval doctrine from figures like Captain David W. Taylor and employed equipment produced by companies associated with Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company and suppliers working with Packard engines. The NC-4's success brought recognition from political officials including President Woodrow Wilson and military leaders such as Chief of Naval Operations admirals, and it intersected with international events like post-World War I naval conferences.
Following the NC-4 flight, Read continued service that connected him with interwar naval planning at institutions such as the Naval War College and policy circles involving the Washington Naval Conference. He took part in activities that engaged with aeronautical research at centers like Langley Research Center and collaborated with agencies including the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). Read's assignments brought him into contact with leaders of naval aviation programs and veterans' organizations such as the American Legion and advocacy groups allied with Aircraft Manufacturers Association. During World War II-era expansions he interfaced with training operations related to Naval Air Stations and administrative structures tied to Bureau of Naval Personnel.
Read's personal associations linked him to social and professional networks in Washington, D.C. and Annapolis, with acquaintances among contemporaries such as Admiral Richard E. Byrd and Rear Admiral William A. Moffett. He married and maintained family connections while participating in veteran and aviation communities that included memberships overlapping with organizations like Naval Order of the United States and civic institutions present in cities such as Baltimore and New York City. His engagements included public lectures and appearances at venues connected to institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and universities that hosted programs on aeronautics.
Read received awards and recognition that associated him with honors given by bodies such as the Navy Cross awarding authorities and civilian commendations from municipal governments like those of New York City and Lisbon for the NC-4 mission. His pioneering role influenced later aviators including Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, and naval aviators who trained at Pensacola and served on carriers such as USS Langley (CV-1), USS Lexington (CV-2), and USS Saratoga (CV-3). Memorialization of the NC-4 flight and Read's command appears in museum collections at the National Air and Space Museum and archives held by the Naval History and Heritage Command, and his career is cited in histories of early flight alongside authors and historians such as Tom D. Crouch and Walter J. Boyne. His legacy endures in studies of transatlantic aviation milestones and in institutional commemorations by organizations like the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and naval heritage groups.
Category:1887 births Category:1967 deaths Category:United States Navy officers Category:American aviators