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American Trans-Oceanic Company was an airline based in the United States.

American Trans-Oceanic Company

Founded	1914
Hubs	Port Washington, New York Palm Beach, Florida
Headquarters	New York City [1]
Key people	Rodman Wanamaker Glen Curtiss Grover Whalen

History

Rodman Wanamaker published a letter in 1916 stating the founding of the American Trans-Oceanic Company to capitalize on the 1914 effort to fly across the Atlantic non-stop. A Curtiss H-16 aircraft was ordered for the company. Wanamaker claimed that if the trans-Atlantic flight could be accomplished once, then it could be accomplished over and over with commercial transports shortly thereafter.[2]

Forming just prior to America's full involvement in World War I, American Trans-Oceanic Company became one of the earliest commercial airlines in the United States. Operations also included a full-time flight school in Long Island and Palm Beach using Curtiss aircraft.[3] New innovations were deployed, such as a Sperry autopilot.[4] Rates varied from $15 for a 15-minute flight to $250 for a 320-mile flight to Cuba. Four five-hour flights a week were flown to Bimini at night.[5] By 1918, the company carried four to five thousand passengers without incident.[6]

The company's most distinctive aircraft was Big Fish, A Curtiss H-16 painted as a fish that flew between Palm Beach, Havana, Nassau, and New York City.[7]

In 1927, Wanamaker sponsored Richard E. Byrd through the American Trans-Oceanic Company to make the Transatlantic attempt again in a Fokker Trimotor, the America. The company put up nearly $150,000 to fund the effort.[8] The aircraft crashed on the attempt to win the Orteig Prize, losing to Charles Lindbergh. The team attempt was accomplished on July 1, 1927, crashing in Ver-sur-Mer.[9]

Wanamaker died in May 1928. Without Wanamaker's involvement, American Trans-Oceanic Company's sponsorships did not continue.

Destinations

Country/Continent

• Havana
• Nassau
• Bimini
• New York City
• Atlantic City
• Newport
• Bar Harbor
• New London
• Boston
• Saratoga Springs
• Lake George
• Albany

Fleet

The American Trans-Oceanic Company fleet consists of the following aircraft as of 1918:[10]

American Trans-Oceanic Company Fleet

Aircraft	Total	Routes	Notes
Curtiss Model F		Short Routes	5-6 place open flying boats
Curtiss H-16		Long Routes	14-16 place flying boats

Incidents and accidents

In January 1917, one of the Twin engine Curtiss flying boats was destroyed when it was torn from its hangar in a gale storm in Long Island.[11] In 1921 the Big Fish, Curtiss H-16 was destroyed in a crash.[12]

See also

• List of defunct airlines of the United States
• Wanamaker Triplane

References

External links

• Image of the Curtiss H-16 Big Fish
• Hotel Royal Poinciana, Palm Beach Photographs of Big Fish

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