China Clipper flight departure site
| Site of the China Clipper flight departure | |
|---|---|
Martin model 130 China Clipper class flying boat.
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| Location | Alameda Naval Air Station, Alameda, California |
| Designated | November 5, 1985 |
| Reference no. | 968 |
The China Clipper flight departure site is listed as California Historical Landmark number 968. It is the site from which Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) initiated trans-Pacific airmail service on November 22, 1935. A flying boat named China Clipper made the first trip, and the publicity for that flight caused all flying boats on that air route to become popularly known as China Clippers. For a few years, this pioneering mail service captured the public imagination like the earlier Pony Express, and offered fast luxury travel like the later Concorde.
In 1927, wetlands on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay were filled to form an airport with an east/west runway, three hangars, an administration building, and a yacht harbor. By 1930, United States Army Air Corps operations referred to the site as Benton Field. Pan Am used the yacht harbor as their California terminal for trans-Pacific flights beginning in 1935. On 1 June 1936, the city of Alameda, California gave the airport to the United States government a few months before the Army discontinued operations from the field. Congressional appropriations for construction passed in 1938 and allowed naval air station operations to begin on 1 November 1940. Pan Am shifted their terminal to Treasure Island for the duration of the Golden Gate International Exposition in anticipation the island would become San Francisco's airport following the exposition. The United States Navy took over Treasure Island when the exposition ended, and San Francisco municipal airport was built at Mills Field; so the Pan Am flying boat Clippers used Navy terminal facilities for the remainder of their service lives. The site is now part of the Alameda Naval Air Station.
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