Podcast Summary

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode: Battle Stations 43-08-19 (3) The Navy's Air Arm
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Date: August 16, 2025 (original air date: August 19, 1943)
Theme: The birth, development, and triumph of the United States Navy’s air arm, tracing its journey from a novelty to a decisive force in World War II.

Overview

This episode of "Battle Stations" dramatically narrates the inception and rise of the U.S. Navy’s air arm. Through historical vignettes, reenacted dialogues, and commentary, it follows pioneering figures such as Captain Washington Irving Chambers, Eugene Ely, and Glenn Curtiss as they challenge skepticism to integrate aviation into naval warfare. The episode culminates with a firsthand account by Rear Admiral Patrick N.L. Bellinger, who reflects on how naval aviation turned from an experiment into a crucial asset in the fight against the Axis.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Days of Naval Aviation (00:28–07:29)

• 1910 Air Meet & Visionary Leaders:
  • Captain Washington Irving Chambers attends an early aviation meet and sees potential in aircraft for naval scouting and warfare, despite skepticism from fellow officers.
    • Quote: “This is going to develop into quite a sport. Or I miss my guess, and maybe quite a bit more than that.” – Captain Chambers [02:32]
• First Shipboard Launch Attempt:
  • Captain Chambers enlists Eugene Ely to attempt takeoff from a makeshift platform atop the USS Birmingham.
    • Ely overcomes adverse weather and a short runway, barely making it airborne after striking the waves.
    • Quote: “Weather isn’t going to get any better. Worse if anything. ...If airplanes are to be of any use they'll have to operate in all weather.” – Chambers & Ely [06:01]
    • Memorable moment: The dramatic takeoff—“The craft's pulling up. It's over the water. It's firing.” – Ely [07:14]

2. Proving the Concept & Overcoming Doubts (07:29–13:01)

• First Landing on a Ship:

  • Ely later lands a plane on USS Pennsylvania using arresting gear, marking the birth of the aircraft carrier.
    • Quote: “The aircraft carrier has been born. The cosmic keels have been laid for the Lexington, Wasp, Saratoga, Hornet, Enterprise…” – Narrator [11:26]
  • Skepticism persists about how to routinely recover planes at sea.
    • Quote: “Until these flying machines can land in water and go up off it or land on the ships some way, I guess. That's quite a way off yet.” – Lieutenant Ellison [09:20]

• Beginner Flyers and Buoyant Platforms:

  • Navy begins training Lieutenant Theodore G. Ellison, officially recognizing him as the first Navy flyer.
  • The notion of hydroplanes and launching/landing innovations gains traction.

• Catapults and Innovation:

  • The Navy experiments with catapult launches using salvaged equipment (torpedo tubes, air tanks). After an accidental test with a goat (!) and then an official test with Ellison, the concept proves successful.
    • Memorable moment: Sailors prank-test the catapult with a goat named Bill—“Look at him go. Man. Old man, he went like a bullet.” [16:43]

3. The Navy’s Air Arm Comes of Age (13:01–18:14)

• Hydroplane Developments:

  • Glenn Curtiss successfully demonstrates a hydroplane taking off and landing alongside a ship, addressing a major naval requirement.
    • Acceptance from previously skeptical leadership follows real-world tests.

• Board of Aeronautics Established:

  • With Franklin Roosevelt’s signature, naval aviation becomes an official and organized arm.

4. Combat Lessons and Innovations (18:14–21:32)

• Naval Aviation in World War I:
  • Early anti-submarine and bombing efforts meet with logistical and technological challenges; bomb accuracy is poor (e.g., hitting German U-boat with a dud bomb).
    • Quote: “I hit a square and the bomb was a dud.” – Ely [19:21]
• Birth of Dive Bombing:
  • Major L.H. Sanderson invents the dive-bombing technique, improving bombing accuracy.
    • Quote: “One time out of ten I’m gonna try it.” – Lieutenant Ellison [20:33]
• First Transatlantic Flights:
  • NC4 flying boat’s successful crossing, showcasing how far Navy aviation has come.
    • Quote: “Reed, Towers and Bellinger pushed their planes on to Lisbon, on to Plymouth, receiving the cheers reserved for the first flyers to cross the Atlantic.” – Narrator [21:23]

5. Naval Aviation in WWII: Pearl Harbor & Atlantic Operations (21:32–27:56)

• Historic Moment: Pearl Harbor

  • Scout Squadron 6 on the USS Enterprise is en route to Pearl Harbor as the Japanese attack, linking the pioneering era directly to World War II combat.
    • Quote: “Scout Squadron six is making a historic flight. Eighteen of its planes soar into a sky of peace to come down, some of them in flames an hour later as they come into Pearl harbor…” – Narrator [23:48]

• Current (1943) Outlook – Rear Admiral Bellinger Speaks:

  • Bellinger recounts the dramatic expansion of naval aviation's role from a mere auxiliary to a main striking force against submarines and enemy fleets, especially in the Atlantic.
    • Quote: “Naval aviation has grown in that short time to one of the major striking forces in the fleet. ...There are no parts of the ocean now which are safe for enemy submarines.” – Admiral Bellinger [25:09]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Every cruiser should be equipped with planes. This is the beginning.”
  – Captain Chambers, exulting after Ely’s successful takeoff [07:49]

• “The aircraft carrier has been born. ...The dozens of others that have carried will carry the navy wings to victory—…”
  – Narrator [11:26]

• “I desire to place myself on record as positively assured of the importance of the airplane in future naval warfare.”
  – Captain CF Pond, USS Pennsylvania [12:42]

• “One time out of ten I'm gonna try it.”
  – Lieutenant Ellison, on invention of dive bombing [20:33]

• “Naval aviation was a decisive factor in safeguarding the deliveries that made the victories of Tunisia and Sicily possible. And it will be until the challenge of the U-boat is permanently licked.”
  – Admiral Bellinger [27:09]

Timeline / Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:28–02:40: Captain Chambers envisions naval aviation at 1910 flying meet
• 03:00–06:25: Ely agrees to takeoff experiment; preparations on USS Birmingham
• 06:45–07:29: Ely’s historic shipboard takeoff
• 08:01–11:26: First shipboard landing; birth of the aircraft carrier
• 13:49–14:22: Hydroplane demonstration and acceptance by Secretary of the Navy
• 15:08–17:01: Catapult experiments, including the goat test and Ellison’s official trial
• 18:14–21:23: Dive bombing, wartime bombing frustrations, NC4’s transatlantic flight
• 23:18–24:44: USS Enterprise, Scout Squadron 6 and Pearl Harbor attack
• 25:09–27:56: Rear Admiral Bellinger’s update on WWII naval aviation

Language & Tone

The episode blends earnest, historically accurate dramatization with dry wit, humble reflection, and moments of real suspense. Characters frequently voice skepticism and enthusiasm in equal measure, capturing the era's spirit of innovation, uncertainty, and eventual triumph.

Conclusion

This richly dramatized episode chronicles the transformation of naval aviation from fragile early experiments to a decisive force in WWII. It honors forgotten heroes, technical leaps, and the relentless push against institutional resistance, ending on an optimistic note as naval aviation delivers safety and victory on the world’s oceans. The personal reflections of Rear Admiral Bellinger underscore the episode’s ultimate message: vision, perseverance, and innovation turn dreams into tools of national survival and success.