NC-4 Medal

NC-4 Medal
The wearable version of the NC-4 Medal
Awarded by the President of the United States in the Name of the 70th United States Congress
Type	Commemorative medal
Eligibility	Members of the crew of NC-4
Awarded for	Extraordinary achievement in making the first successful transatlantic flight
Description	One Time Award
Statistics
Established	February 9, 1929
Total awarded	7
Precedence
Next (higher)	Peary Polar Expedition Medal
Next (lower)	Byrd Antarctic Expedition Medal

The NC-4 Medal is a military decoration that was authorized by the United States Congress in 1929 to commemorate the 1919 trans-Atlantic crossing by the members of the NC-4 mission. Originally awarded as a non-wearable table medal, in 1935 a wearable version of the medal was subsequently authorized. A commemorative medal, the NC-4 Medal was a one-time award, and does not currently appear on U.S. Navy award precedence charts.

In 1919, the United States Navy decided to plan a mission to complete the first trans-Atlantic crossing by aircraft. This mission would demonstrate the capabilities of the Navy Curtis seaplane. The mission began with three identical aircraft, NC-1, NC-3, and NC-4 departing from Naval Air Station Rockaway on May 8, 1919. On May 15 the aircraft arrived at Trepassey, Newfoundland, having made intermediate stops along the way. There they met their "base ship" the USS Aroostook (CM-3), recently converted from minelayer to seaplane tender.

After repairs and refitting, the NC's took off for the Azores on 16 May. During this longest leg of the journey, the planes were guided by a picket of twenty-two U.S. Navy ships spaced approximately 50 miles apart. The ships, brightly illuminated, kept the aircraft on course through the night.

After flying all night, NC-4 was the sole aircraft to arrive in the Azores. After an elapsed flying time of 15 hours, 18 minutes, NC-4 arrived at the town of Horta on Faial Island in the Azores on Ma7 17, 1919. The crew had flown about 1,200 miles (1,920 km). During the flight bad weather had forced the NC-1 and NC-3 to land in the open sea, with the NC-4 being the only aircraft to successfully complete the flight.