USA WINS INTERNATIONAL SEAPLANE RACES FOR 1ST TIME
New York (JFK+50) On September 28, 1923, the United States was victorious in the international seaplane races for the first time in history. The races were held at Cowes*, Isle of Wright.
The Evening Star reports "the ships which carried the Stars and Stripes to first and second places were Navy-Curtiss** racers equipped with 500 horsepower motors."
The winning ship, piloted by Lt. David Rittenhouse, was built in 1921.
*Cowes is an English seaport town on the Isle of Wright & on the bank of the estuary of River Medina.
**Curtiss was the only major U.S. aircraft firm with prior experience in racer design & was awarded a USN contract for 2 aircraft. They were streamlined biplanes with a single open cockpit. CR-2/CR-3 won at a speed of 177.4 mph & CR1/CR3 won at 173.5 mph.
SOURCES
"First Time U.S. Has Won," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., September 28, 1923, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
"The Curtiss Racers," by Norman Polmar, U.S. Naval Institute, www.usni.org/
