In late 1941, the crew of the Pan American “Pacific Clipper” (Boeing 314 flying boat) made a historic, emergency flight around the world just to get home. Its record setting flight was both due to, and overshadowed by, the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor that same month. The entire world was now at war and not paying much attention to a single flight, no matter how incredible.
The B-314 was a luxurious, four prop, flying boat capable of long flights across oceans. Its passengers were all First Class – elite entrepreneurs, notable politicians, and wealthy travelers. The flying boats even had a separate dining area and lounge. The galleys were staffed with four-star chefs. White-coated stewards served six-course meals on china, crystal and silver. Like overnight trains, the seats were converted to bunk beds.
There were only 12 Boeing Clippers in existence. The seaplane was one of the largest ever to fly, 106 ft. long, with a wingspan of 152 ft. It carried up to 36 passengers and 11 crew. The aircraft had enough fuel to island hop from San Francisco to Australia. The Pacific Clipper’s captain was Robert Ford, a thirty-five year old Pam Am pilot based in San Francisco, along with the crew.
Ford was a veteran pilot, one of the company’s best aviators. He had flown this trip many times. The Clipper’s trans-Pacific flight west to Auckland, New Zealand started out uneventful. Pan Am flight 18602 left San Francisco on December 1st, with stops at Los Angeles, then Pearl Harbor, Hawaii three days later. Those passengers going on across the Pacific Ocean boarded the plane for New Zealand.
Three days after leaving Hawaii, the Pacific Clipper was preparing to land in Auckland harbor, New Zealand. The flying boat was carrying just 12 passengers on this leg and a crew of ten. The plane had stopped off for fuel at Canton Island, Fiji, then Noumea, New Caledonia. They were on the final leg of their journey. It was now December 7, 1941.
The calmness of the flight deck was suddenly shattered by an urgent message.
Radio Operator John Poindexter was listening for local signals coming out of Auckland when he’d picked up shocking news. “Holy smokes! The Japs have attacked Pearl Harbor!” He read the message out – Pearl Harbor has been attacked by Japanese war planes and suffered heavy losses.
Captain Ford ordered him to try and get confirmation. Poindexter managed to lock onto the long-range signal from the Pan Am ground station at New Caledonia, where they had just departed. The station was broadcasting Morse code on a constant loop. PEARL HARBOR ATTACKED. IMPLEMENT PLAN A.
Plan A? What the heck was Plan A? the crew wondered. Then Ford reached into his jacket pocket and pulling out a sealed brown envelope. He was the only member of the crew who knew what Plan A meant. He broke open the envelopes that he, and every Clipper Captain, had been secretly issued that month.
To: Captain, PAA Flight 6039/6040. From: Division Manager, Pacific Division. Subject: Pan American Airways, in cooperation with the US Army, Pacific Fleet Operations, has agreed to place its flying boats at the disposal of the military for whatever tactical purpose they deem necessary, at such time as hostilities break out between the U.S. and Imperial Japan. You may assume that hostilities have occurred. The aircraft under your command represents a strategic military resource which must be protected and secured from falling into enemy hands.
Ford, a former Navy pilot, immediately sensed the danger they were in and the need to avoid the Japanese at all costs. He briefed his stunned crew and the implication sunk in. The Japanese now controlled the Pacific so their return route back to San Francisco was now cut off. Ford ordered radio silence and the extinguishing of all lights.
They would now have to survive a long way from home in a world at war.
After landing in Auckland, the crew and passengers learned the grim details of the Japanese attack on the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor. Worse still, all across the Pacific, Pan Am facilities came under assault by the Japanese: Wake Island, Manila, and Hong Kong. Captain Ford and his crew were faced with a dilemma. How in the hell were they going to get home?
Word finally came on December 15 from Pan Am headquarters in New York. In order to avoid the enemy, they were to make it back to the U.S. westbound, the long way, around the world. It was a daunting order. The trip would be a 30,000 mile journey, over oceans and countries that none of them had ever flown through. They’d have to do their own servicing, scrounging for fuel, supplies and equipment. All without flight plans, navigational charts or weather forecasts.
The Pacific Clipper took off on December 16th and headed west for Australia. Ford had ordered Fourth Officer John Steers to remove the American flag painted on the nose of the flying boat. Besides their crew of 10, three Pan Am employees were on board: a meteorologist, an airport manager, and a radio operator.
Hours later, they put down in Gladstone, north of Brisbane on the Coral Sea. Their first leg of many was complete. Captain Ford had no idea how they were going to pay for everything they’d need. A young banker heard of their plight and approached Ford out of the blue. He’d gone to his bank and withdrew $500 cash, which he handed over to a stunned Ford. That $500 would finance the entire trip back.
The very next day, they flew northwest to Darwin, flying over the Queensland desert. During the entire flight, the crew didn’t see a river big enough to set down their big B-314 should anything go wrong. Flying over land in a flying boat was unnerving for the crew. Any emergency would force them to belly land the airplane onto the desert. After they had landed in Darwin harbor, the garrison commander offered Ford’s crew a surprising place to shower … in an Australian Army brothel!
Then the crew set about refueling their big airplane. The gas was unfortunately stored in 5 gallon cans, so each one had to be hauled up over the wing and emptied. It was past midnight when they were finished. They managed to grab a few hours of fitful sleep before takeoff in the morning. Ford was anxious to be under way.
News of the advancing Japanese forces was sketchy, so they dare not delay.
Their next landing was Surabaya, Java in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). The flight continued under radio silence. They had no way of knowing if the Japanese advancement had reached that far. The crew flew 2,253 km (1,400 miles) over the Timor Sea and reached sight of the city on December 18. If all went well, Ford intended to stop only for fuel, as they were now nearer the war zone.
Port Darwin was to have telegrammed Surabaya of their coming, but never did. The city was guarded by a British garrison with a squadron of fighters. As the Clipper approached the harbor, a patrolling British RAF fighter got on its tail. Then four more fighters were scrambled. The crew tensed as the fighters drew in closer, checking them out. At last, the British controller granted permission to land, with a caveat, “If they do anything suspicious, shoot them out of the sky!”
As they neared the harbor, Captain Ford could see it was filled with British warships, so he set the Clipper down in the smooth water just outside the harbor entrance. The suspicious pilots followed them the entire way. A speedboat came out to their position, but stopped short. They were instructed by bullhorn to follow them closely behind to a mooring as the harbor had already been mined!
They were detained while the Dutch authorities contacted their headquarters for orders. While the crew waited, they received an unwelcome surprise. They’d not be able to refuel with 100 octane aviation gas. With a war now on, it was reserved for the military. There was plenty of automobile gas on site however. Ford was welcome to buy however much he needed. The captain had little choice.
The Pacific Clipper took off early on December 21 as soon as their release was approved. Their next target was Trincomalee, Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The 4 powerful engines spit and popped while running on low octane fuel, but they managed to reach their cruising altitude. They flew northwest, paralleling the coast of Sumatra. They had no aviation charts for this part of the world; only the coordinates of their destination.
The crew was not just worried about finding the harbor, but missing Ceylon altogether.
With remarkable precision, navigator Roderick Brown found the island and the city. As they neared the port, suddenly, floating on the sea right in front of them was a Japanese submarine! They could see the crew running about for the deck gun. Ford jammed the throttles forward and the engines complained. Their speed soon had them well out of range, and the crew heaved a sigh of relief.
The B-314 finally touched water in the harbor at Trincomalee. The British Forces stationed there were anxious to hear what Ford and his crew had to report from the war zone to the east, so the crew was immediately summoned to a meeting with the garrison commander.
The Pacific Clipper stayed there until Christmas Eve, December 24 while they checked over the engines. Once refueled, they departed for Karachi, India (now Pakistan). An hour after takeoff, they heard a shocking bang as the number 3 engine sputtered. As they peered through the windows, the crew could see black oil gushing back over the wing. Ford had no choice but to turn the plane around and head back to Trincomalee.
The engine repairs took the rest of Christmas Eve and all of Christmas Day. It was not how they were hoping to spend their Christmas. Repairs were made by ‘Swede’ Rothe and ‘Jocko’ Parish, the Clipper’s flight engineers. Finally, early in the morning of December 26th, they took off from Ceylon a second time. All day they flew across the lush Indian subcontinent, then cut across the Arabian Sea to land in Karachi.
After refueling and a night’s rest, the Pacific Clipper left for Bahrain, in the Persian Gulf, on the eastern shore of Arabia. Once again, the Brits would only sell them their automobile fuel, and Captain Ford had no choice but to take it. They took off and flew west across the Gulf of Oman toward Arabia. After just a bit over eight hours of flying, they landed in Bahrain.
Then yet another frustration presented itself in Bahrain.
They had intended to fly straight west across the Arabian peninsula and the Red Sea into Africa. But they were warned by the British authorities not to fly across Arabia as their loyalty in the new war was unclear. They had little choice however. The crew headed west straight across Saudi Arabia.
They flew for several hours before there was a break in the clouds, and realized they were now smack over Mecca! Looking below, they could see Arabs pouring out of mosques at the sound of their four loud engines. One of the officers likened it to kicking an angry ant hill. Thankfully, the Arabs didn’t possess any anti-aircraft guns.
The Pacific Clipper crossed the Red Sea and hitthe coast of Africa in the early afternoon. The land below was yellow-brown, with nothing but rocky outcrops and rolling sand dunes. The only sign of habitation was small clusters of men herding livestock, who stared up at the strange loud bird overhead. The crew prayed for the continued good health of their four engines. Should they have to make an emergency desert landing, they’d be in dire straits indeed.
Late in the afternoon, they approached the Nile River, and Ford turned the ship to follow it downriver to Khartoum. They landed safely in the river, and after they moored, the crew went ashore to be greeted by more RAF officers. Their navigator’s plan was to continue southwest to Leopoldville (Kinshasa), in the Belgian Congo, then begin their South Atlantic crossing there. They had no desire to set out due west across the dangerous and waterless Sahara.
Ford wanted to refuel quickly, but he received a vital military affairs message from the Brits. He was to wait for 3 VIP passengers to be taken to the U.S. They sat there for two frustrating days. The VIPs were the publisher of a Chicago newspaper, his wife and her sister. However, the aircraft flying them from Cairo had to make a forced landing. When the passengers didn’t show, Capt. Ford was allowed to leave without them.
Early the next morning, on New Year’s Day, they took off for the Belgian Congo.
One of the Pacific Clipper’s engines then blew off an exhaust stack, which made it not only noisy, but a potential fire hazard. Over their engineer’s recommendation, they did not turn back. This was to be a particularly long overland flight, and they wanted to leave plenty of daylight for the arrival. They would be landing on the Congo River at Leopoldville.
The endless desert of the Sudan gave way to lush green hills. They flew over native villages, and great herds of wildebeest, who stampeded in panic as the Pacific Clipper roared overhead. The grassland soon turned to dense jungle. Finally, they saw a large river ahead, much wider than anything they had crossed. It had to be the mighty Congo. They turned and followed the river downstream.
Late in the afternoon, they raised the Congolese capital of Leopoldville and obtained permission to land. Ford set the huge Boeing down gently onto the river, and immediately felt the strength of the current. He powered the ship engines into the mooring. When the crew finally stepped ashore, it was like stepping into a sauna. The heat was more oppressive than anything they had encountered so far.
A pleasant surprise awaited them however, when a Pan American Airport Manager met them at the dock with cold beers. With no exhaust parts available, Captain Ford decided to take the risk and continue. He ordered a full load of more than 5,100 gallons of aviation fuel to make the long crossing of the South Atlantic to Natal, Brazil. After a night ashore, the takeoff would be risky in the humid heat.
Just beyond the town, they were told the Congo changed from a flat river into a cataract of rushing rapids and rocks. Ford held the engines at full takeoff power on their four, 14-cylinder engines. The crew held their breath while the airplane gathered speed. The heat, humidity, and weight of their fuel all worked against them. Just before they would have entered the rapids, the hull lifted free.
Just beyond the cataracts they entered a steep gorge. The Pacific Clipper slowly clawed for every inch of altitude. At last, they were clear of the walls, and Captain Ford pulled the throttles back. The crew sighed in unison. He then turned the giant seaplane west toward the South Atlantic. In spite of their fatigue, the crew were excitedly optimistic.
Against all odds they were about to cross the South Atlantic Ocean.
The Pacific Clipper flew 5,766 kilometers (3,583 miles) westward to Natal, Brazil. The flight was completed in 23.5 hours, the longest nonstop flight by any Pan Am aircraft. The interior of the airplane that had been their home for so many days was beginning to wear thin. They were sick of the endless hours of apprehension and frustration. They just wanted to get home.
After being airborne nearly a day, they landed without incident in the harbor at Natal just before noon. While they were waiting for the immigration formalities, the Brazilian authorities insisted that the entire crew disembark. They had to wait while the interior of their airplane was fumigated for yellow fever by two men in rubber suits and masks.
Regardless, they were finally in their own hemisphere and anxious to get home. They only stayed at Natal four hours, gassing up and finally replacing the exhaust stack that had blown off at Khartoum. They left Natal on January 3 and headed north for Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. The new exhaust stack blew off again during the take-off, so their one engine roared again, all the way to Trinidad.
They followed the Brazilian coast and the sun set as they crossed the mouth of the Amazon, nearly a hundred miles wide. It was then the crew made an unpleasant discovery inside. Most of their personal papers and money were missing, obviously stolen by the Brazilian fumigators. There was little they could do. Finally at 6 AM the following morning, they landed at Trinidad. There was a Pan Am station at Port of Spain, and they happily shook some friendly hands.
The Pacific Clipper made the final leg from the balmy Caribbean to freezing New York City in 13 hours. It was a few minutes before 6 a.m. and still very dark on January 6, 1942. The control tower at New York’s LaGuardia Airport received an unusual radio message: “Pan Am Pacific Clipper, inbound from Auckland, New Zealand. Capt. Ford reporting. Due to arrive Marine Air Terminal LaGuardia in 7 minutes.”
The LaGuardia tower quickly checked with Pan Am Airways.
There was no flight plan for a flying boat to arrive at that time—certainly not one from New Zealand. Was this a joke? Could it be a German crew flying an American plane? Since it was still dark, no one could spot the plane from the tower. Pan Am officials rushed in. Night landings were forbidden in the bay, so the Clipper had to circle for an hour, waiting for sunrise.
The giant Boeing B-314 and its exhausted crew finally landed at 7:12 a.m., in the shadow of Manhattan skyscrapers. It had completed the longest continuous—and most unusual— flight of a commercial aircraft, all during the early days of WWII.
The crew and passengers, were unprepared for the cold January weather. The water splashed up on the sea wings and froze into a solid, icy glaze. No matter — the Pacific Clipper had made it home. Once the flying boat was moored, the crew and passengers emerged. Dressed in summer clothing, they clutched wool blankets to ward off the frigid air. They could care less as they were finally back in the U.S.
Everyone was questioned by shocked military intelligence officers. Afterwards, they learned from Pan Am officials that their trusty Pacific Clipper was being transferred to the Atlantic division and serve the U.S. Navy there, and would not return to San Francisco. The crew would have to board a train home.
Pan Am decided to give the flight as much publicity as possible. The New York World newspaper described the flight as the “greatest achievement in the history of aviation since the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk.” Pan Am boasted, “It was a test of ingenuity, self-reliance, and resourcefulness.”
Capt. Bob Ford’s post-flight report praised his fellow crew members. He pointed out that “The credit for success of the whole operation should be given to the crew, handling practically every demand that can arise in the course of long flights. When it came to pilots, navigators, meteorologists, communications, mechanics, we had experts.”
The flight of the Pacific Clipper took one month and four days in all. It was the first round-the-world flight by a commercial airliner, the longest continuous flight (3,583 miles from Africa to Brazil), and the first equatorial circumnavigation (they crossed the Equator 4 times.) The Pacific Clipper touched five of world’s seven continents, three oceans and made 18 stops under 12 different nations.
And it had flown more than 6,000 of its miles over desert and jungle. They had proceeded under a radio blackout through the war zones. The crew never knew with any certainty whether they’d be able to get fuel and supplies at any of the stops. The flight was made without adequate navigation charts over unfamiliar territory and without weather reports or knowledge of its water landing sites.
After this historic flight, the Pacific Clipper was assigned to the U.S. Navy for the rest of World War II as a troop carrier. When the war ended, the aircraft was sold to Universal Airlines who sadly salvaged it after the plane was severely damaged flying in a storm in 1946. Soon after, commercial jet planes would replace these luxurious, prop-engine flying boats and the golden age of passenger air travel would never be the same.
Great piece on a rarely if ever told story.