John Rodgers (naval officer, World War I)

John Rodgers (15 January 1881 – 27 August 1926) was an officer in the United States Navy and an early aviator.

The great grandson of Commodores Rodgers and Perry, Rodgers was born in Washington, D.C. and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1903. His early naval career included service on ships of various types before studying flying in 1911 and becoming the second American naval officer to fly for the United States Navy. On September 1911, Lieutenant John Rodgers flew a crated (he then assembled) Wright model B-1 aircraft delivered by Orville Wright at an armory in Annapolis, Maryland, and then bringing Naval flight as a pioneer to the United States Navy (Air & Space Smithsonian, October/November 2002, Volume 18, Number 4, p. 16).

He commanded Division 1, Submarine Force, Atlantic Fleet in 1916; and, after the United States entered World War I, he commanded the Submarine Base at New London, Connecticut.

Following the war, he served in European waters and received the Distinguished Service Medal for outstanding work on minesweeping operations in the North Sea. After several important assignments during the next 5 years, he commanded Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet, in Langley in 1925. That year he made the first attempt at a non-stop flight from California to Hawaii while he was in command of the flying boat PN9-1. An additional plane that began the expedition, the PN9-3, was commanded by Lt. Allen P. Snody. The PN9-3 had engine failure and was forced to land about five hours into their flight. The two planes departed San Pablo Bay, California (near San Francisco) on 31 August, but a fuel shortage forced his plane to land short of her destination 1 September. While ships searched for the plane, Comdr. Rodgers led his crew in improvising sails from the plane's wing material to continue the trip afloat. Finally, 9 days later, after sailing the plane to within 15 miles of Nawiliwili Bay, Kauai, Rodgers was found by Submarine R-4 on routine patrol and was towed near the reef outside of the port. The harbor master and his daughter rowed out to the plane and helped Rodgers and his crew surf over the reef and into the safety of the harbor.

After this experience, he served as Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics until his accidental death in an airplane crash after the plane he was piloting suddenly nose-dived into the Delaware River on 27 August 1926.

Legacy

Six ships were named in honor of him, his great-grandfather and another related Rodgers. See USS "Rodgers" and USS "John Rodgers". John Rodgers Airport (now Honolulu International Airport) was also named after him. He was a cousin of pioneer transcontinental pilot Cal Rodgers.

In 2007, a full-length feature screenplay, "HAWAII CALLS", depicting these historic events was created by Rick Helin, a California screenwriter. As of early 2008, it is in the early pre-production stage.

External links

* [http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/johnrodg.htm John Rodgers] at Arlington National Cemetery