Albert Cushing Read
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Albert Cushing Read, Sr. was an aviator and Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. He and his crew made the first transatlantic flight in the NC-4, a Curtiss NC flying boat.
Read in 1919
Grave at Arlington National Cemetery
Curtiss NC-4
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The NC-4 is a Curtiss NC flying boat that was the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, albeit not non-stop. The NC designation was derived from the collaborative efforts of the Navy (N) and Curtiss (C). The NC series flying boats were designed to meet wartime needs, and after the end of World War I they were sent overseas to validate the design concept.
Curtiss NC-4
Crews of the NC-4, NC-3 and NC-1 immediately before the departure of the first transatlantic flight
US Navy warships "strung out like a string of pearls" along the NC's flightpath (3rd leg)
The crew of the NC-4, posing before Howard was replaced. Left to right: Read, Stone, Hinton, Rodd, Howard, Breese.