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33-726: On 25 June 1945, the Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) asked Douglas Aircraft for a turboprop-driven aircraft. Three proposals were put forth in the next year and a half: the D-557A, to use two General Electric TG-100s (T31s) in wing nacelles; the D-557B, the same engine, with contra-rotating propellers ; and the D-557C, to use the Westinghouse 25D. These were canceled due to engine development difficulties, but BuAer continued to seek an answer to

66-661: A new battleship . Recommissioning, Pittsburgh patrolled the west coast of Mexico , during the troubled times of insurrection that led to American involvement with the Veracruz landing in April 1914. Later she served as flagship for Admiral William B. Caperton —Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet —during South American patrols and visits during World War I . Cooperating with the British , she scouted German raiders and acted as

99-410: A "production" engine until 1953, and while testing an XA2D with that engine, test pilot C. G. "Doc" Livingston pulled out of a dive and was surprised by a loud noise and pitch up. His windscreen was covered with oil and the chase pilot told Livingston that the propellers were gone. The gearbox had failed, but Livingston successfully landed the airplane. The A4D was ready to fly by the summer of 1954, but

132-453: A Medal of Honor recipient and battleship commander who had long supported the development of naval aviation. He served as bureau chief from 1921 until his death in 1933, in the crash of the airship USS Akron (ZRS-4) . Working closely with RADM Moffett, CAPT Henry C. Mustin (1874–1923) served as BuAer's first Assistant Chief helping lead naval aviation to the forefront of American military strength. A talented administrator, Moffett ensured

165-520: A famous stand during the Allied Campaign of 1918. In 1923, when docked in Amsterdam , the crew of Pittsburgh took part in another baseball game, this time against a team of Dutch players. The details of the game are not known, but it is known that Pittsburgh team won. It would be the first of several games Dutch players would play with US Navy crews. Pittsburgh became flagship for two of

198-675: A letter from Captain J.W. Todd, who commanded Pittsburgh in 1920. Captain Todd thanked the dean of the cathedral for various hospitality events during the two and a half months that Pittsburgh was in dry dock at Chatham. He enclosed a cheque for £52 10s to pay for the recasting of the bell, and suggested the inscription. [REDACTED]   This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships . The entry can be found here . [REDACTED]   This article includes information collected from

231-637: A powerful deterrent against their penetration of the eastern Pacific. While at Rio de Janeiro , in October and November 1918, failure to implement quarantine procedures by Captain George Bradshaw, led to the spread of the deadly strain of Spanish influenza on ship, sickening 663 sailors (80% of the crew) and killing 58 of them. Future Rear Admiral Ellis M. Zacharias served as a line officer aboard Pittsburgh during World War I. Future Governor of American Samoa George Landenberger commanded

264-526: A smooth landing from astern onto a specially built 130-by-32-foot (39.6 by 9.8 m) platform. At 11:58, the plane took off and returned to Selfridge Field, completing the earliest demonstration of the adaptability of aircraft to shipboard operations. In another of these early demonstrations, civilian aircraft designer and entrepreneur Glenn Curtiss taxied a hydroaeroplane alongside Pennsylvania as she lay anchored in San Diego Harbor , during

297-583: A team from Pittsburgh routed a team of British officers 21–8 at baseball. The following month, with Pittsburgh still in dry dock, a court-martial absolved Captain Todd of blame for the grounding but the navigator and watch officer were held accountable. She returned to decommission at Philadelphia, on 15 October 1921. Recommissioned on 2 October 1922, Pittsburgh returned to European and Mediterranean waters as flagship of Naval Forces Europe , arriving in Gibraltar on 19 October. On 23 October, she hoisted

330-498: Is on display at Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial ; a replica of it is still in place at the modern Carnegie Mellon University. The number 3 bell at Rochester Cathedral , England, bears the inscription "U.S.S. PITTSBURGH IN MEMORY OF 1920". For many years the reason for this inscription was a mystery. Then a researcher found the explanation in the Chatham News of 17 December 1920. That issue included

363-493: The Baltic Sea on further relief assignments. On 9 September 1920, she ran aground on rocks in the Baltic Sea off Libau . She was assisted by HMS  Dauntless and Frederick ; Frederick escorted her to Sheerness Royal Dockyard, Kent, England which she reached at 10:00 o'clock in the morning of 23 September. Before 12 October she had moved up river to Chatham Dockyard where she went into dry dock. On that date

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396-510: The 1840s, was replaced with the "Systems Commands" (SYSCOMs). BuWeps was replaced with the current Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command . USS Pennsylvania (ACR-4) The second USS Pennsylvania (ACR/CA-4) , also referred to as Armored Cruiser No. 4, and later renamed Pittsburgh ,

429-842: The Commanders-in-Chief, US Naval Forces European Waters, Admiral Philip Andrews in 1924–1925 and Vice Admiral Roger Welles in 1925–1926. The ship arrived at New York on 17 July 1926, to prepare for flagship duty with the Asiatic Fleet, during which time she was partially refitted, including the removal of her forward stack (making her unique to her class) and removal and plating over several 3-inch guns. She sailed on 16 October, for Yantai , arriving on 23 December. Early in January 1927, she landed sailors and Marines to protect Americans and other foreigners in Shanghai , from

462-748: The Wright Brothers aircraft at Fort Myer . The first test of an aircraft from naval vessel was in 1910 when a Curtiss Model D flown by Eugene Burton Ely took off from the USS Birmingham (CL-2) and again on USS Pennsylvania (ACR-4) in early 1911. These tests were enough for the USN to establish naval aviation units in the summer of 1911. The purchase of the first naval aircraft in May 1911 and passage of naval appropriations act in August 1916 lead to

495-543: The continued independence of naval aviation during the 1920s, when Army Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell and others sought to merge all U.S. military aviation into a single, independent air force. Upon Moffett's death, he was succeeded as Chief of the Bureau by Rear Admiral Ernest J. King , a future Fleet Admiral and Chief of Naval Operations during World War II . Other important bureau chiefs included Rear Admiral John S. McCain Sr. ,

528-817: The east coast of the United States and in the Caribbean Sea until 8 September 1906, when she cleared Newport for the Asiatic Station , returning to San Francisco on 27 September 1907, for west coast duty. She visited Chile and Peru in 1910. At 10:48, on 18 January 1911, Eugene Ely , flew a Curtiss Model D from Tanforan Racetrack in San Bruno , California, and at 11:01, landed on board Pennsylvania while she lay at anchor off Hunters Point , in San Francisco Bay . The plane made

561-523: The escort carriers were being mothballed, so time had run out for the troubled A2D program. Twelve Skysharks were built, two prototypes and ten pre-production aircraft. Most were scrapped or destroyed in accidents, and only one has survived. Data from Francillon 1988, pp. 441–443 General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Bureau of Aeronautics The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer)

594-483: The establishment of the Naval Reserve Flying Corps , which would train and deploy air corps for World War I . Congress established BuAer in 1921 in order to create a single organizational home for naval aviation. Prior to 1921, cognizance for aviation had been divided among various Navy bureaus and other organizations. The first Chief of BuAer was Rear Admiral William A. Moffett (1869–1933),

627-678: The flag of Vice Admiral Long when Utah returned to the US. By 10 July 1923, Pittsburgh was in the harbor at Cherbourg, France , to disembark 3 officers and 60 enlisted men of her Marine Detachment . They were detailed to travel to the dedication of the Belleau Wood National Monument to the American Expeditionary Force . The Battle of Belleau Wood was where the US Marine Corps made

660-420: The forenoon watch on 17 February 1911. The plane landed alongside the ship at 08:45 and sailors manned the cruiser's crane to hoist the machine on board. At 09:05, Pennsylvania hoisted the aircraft out and it returned to base. While in reserve at Puget Sound , from 1 July 1911 – 30 May 1913, the cruiser trained naval militia . She was renamed Pittsburgh on 27 August 1912, to free the name Pennsylvania for

693-633: The grandfather of U.S. Senator John S. McCain III (R-Ariz.). During the 1930s, BuAer presided over rapid technological change in naval aircraft. The bureau's policy was to limit its own production, in order to support the civilian aircraft industry. BuAer used the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , as a facility for building small numbers of prototype aircraft. World War II brought immense changes as well. BuAer

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726-611: The high fuel-consumption of jet aircraft . On 11 June 1947 Douglas received the Navy's letter of intent for a carrier-based turboprop. The need to operate from Casablanca -class escort carriers dictated the use of a turboprop instead of jet power. While it resembled the AD Skyraider , the A2D was different in a number of unseen ways. The 5,100- equivalent shaft horsepower (3,800 kW) Allison XT40-A2 engine had more than double

759-524: The horsepower of the Skyraider's R-3350 . The XT40 installation on the Skyshark used contra-rotating propellers to harness all the available power. Wing root thickness decreased from 17% to 12%, while both the height of the tail and its area grew. Engine development problems delayed the first flight until 26 May 1950, made at Edwards Air Force Base by George Jansen . Navy test pilot Cdr. Hugh Wood

792-417: The late 20th century's Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ); BuAer considered these to be aircraft, while BuOrd saw them as guided missiles. To fix the problem, in 1959 the Navy merged BuAer and BuOrd to create the Bureau of Naval Weapons (BuWeps). This was only a temporary solution, however, and in 1966 the Navy undertook a wholesale revision of its material organization. The bureau system , which had existed since

825-435: The propellers failed to feather. As the wings' lift disappeared, a fatal sink rate was induced. Additional instrumentation and an automatic decoupler was added to the second prototype, but by the time it was ready to fly on 3 April 1952, sixteen months had passed, and with all-jet designs being developed, the A2D program was essentially dead. Total flight time on the lost airframe was barely 20 hours. Allison failed to deliver

858-853: The turmoil and fighting of the Chinese power struggle. When Chiang Kai-shek 's National Revolutionary Army won control of Shanghai, in March, Pittsburgh resumed patrol operations and exercises with the Asiatic Fleet. Closing her long career of service, she carried the Governor General of the Philippines, Dwight F. Davis , on a courtesy cruise to such ports as Saigon , Bangkok , Singapore , Belawan , Batavia (Jakarta), Surabaya , Bali , Makassar , and Sandakan , returning to Manila , on 15 April 1931. Six days later, she steamed for Suez , en route to Hampton Roads , arriving on 26 June. She

891-586: The vessel in 1930. Returning to the east coast, Pittsburgh prepared for duty as flagship for Commander, US Naval Forces in the eastern Mediterranean, for which she sailed from Portsmouth, New Hampshire on 19 June 1919. Cruising the Adriatic Sea , Aegean Sea , and Black Sea , she joined in the massive relief operations and other humanitarian concerns with which the Navy carried out its quasi-diplomatic functions in this troubled area. In June 1920, she sailed north to visit French and British ports and cruise

924-560: Was a United States Navy armored cruiser , the lead ship of her class . She was originally assigned the name Nebraska but was renamed Pennsylvania on 7 March 1901. She was laid down on 7 August 1901, by William Cramp & Sons of Philadelphia , launched on 22 August 1903. Pennsylvania was sponsored by Miss Coral Quay, daughter of Senator Matthew S. Quay of Pennsylvania, and commissioned on 9 March 1905, with Captain Thomas C. McLean in command. Pennsylvania operated on

957-597: Was decommissioned on 10 July, and under the terms of the London Naval Treaty , sold for scrapping to Union Shipbuilding , Baltimore, Maryland on 21 December. Pittsburgh ' s bow ornament was presented to the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , where it was installed overlooking Junction Hollow at the western edge of the school's campus. Today, the ornament

990-480: Was forced to expand rapidly in order to comply with the nation's defense needs. By the war's end, the bureau had developed an administrative structure that oversaw thousands of personnel, and the procurement and maintenance of tens of thousands of aircraft. In 1943, the Navy established the position of Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air, or DCNO(Air), a move which relieved some of BuAer's responsibility for Fleet operations. RADM McCain , now promoted to vice admiral,

1023-465: Was killed attempting to land the first prototype XA2D-1, BuNo 122988 , on 19 December 1950, on its 15th flight. He was unable to check the rate of descent, resulting in a high-impact crash on the runway. The investigation found the starboard power section of the coupled Allison XT40A turboprop engine had failed and did not declutch. This meant the surviving engine was powering the failed engine's compressor, using up much of its available power. Additionally,

Douglas A2D Skyshark - Misplaced Pages Continue

1056-414: Was the U.S. Navy 's material-support organization for naval aviation from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" ( i.e. , responsibility) for the design, procurement, and support of naval aircraft and related systems. Aerial weapons, however, were under the cognizance of the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance (BuOrd). The USN's first attempt for naval aviation began in 1908 when it conducted observations of

1089-419: Was the first to fill the position. BuAer downsized after the war, but continued its focus on aeronautical research and development. But as naval technology became increasingly complex, it became clear that the Navy's material organization was insufficient. In particular, the Navy needed better integration of aerial weapons with naval aircraft. There was also the question of "pilotless aircraft" (the ancestors of

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