Thomas G. W. Settle
Encyclopedia
Thomas Greenhow Williams "Tex" Settle (born November 4, 1895 in Washington, D.C.
– died April 28, 1980, Bethesda, Maryland
) was an officer of the United States Navy
who on November 20, 1933, together with Army major Chester L. Fordney, set a world altitude record in the Century of Progress stratospheric
balloon
. An experienced balloonist, long-time flight instructor
, and officer on the airship
s and , Settle won the Litchfield Trophy in 1929 and 1931, the International Gordon Bennett Race
in 1932, the Harmon Aeronaut Trophy
for 1933, and the Harmon National Trophy for 1932 and 1933. He also set numerous distance and endurance records.
In 1934 Settle transferred to sailing duties, initially as captain of the China
-based . In 1944–1945 he commanded the heavy cruiser
, earning the Navy Cross
for his action in the Battle of Surigao Strait
. After World War II
Vice Admiral
Settle held Navy appointments in the continental United States and overseas, and was charged with tasks ranging from distributing international aid to Greece
and Turkey
to conducting nuclear tests
in the Aleutian islands.
in 1918, second in his class, and began his naval career as an ensign
on the destroyer
s , and . The nickname "Tex" dates back to his Academy years. After these assignment he attended the Cruft High Tension Laboratory
of Harvard University
, graduating as a communications engineer in the summer of 1924.
Settle married Fay Brackett, an employee of Cruft Laboratory, in June 1924, and in July assumed his next Navy assignment, that of communications officer on , a rigid, 207-meter airship
based at Lakehurst Naval Air Station. When the newly built arrived at Lakehurst later in October 1924, Settle was appointed its communications officer as well; dual appointments were possible because helium
supplies allowed flying only one airship at a time.
On the day when Shenandoah crashed, Settle was training alone in a captive kite balloon. After the crash he volunteered for airship pilot training and received his Naval Aviator's (Airship) wings
No. 3350 on January 19, 1927. Settle also wanted to train as an airplane pilot, but Admiral Moffett declined his requests. Soon he flew a small balloon for 21 hours over 478 miles (769.3 km)—a flight that could make a world distance record had it been equipped with a barograph
.
On August 25, 1927, when captain Charles E. Rosendahl was on the ground, Settle happened be the senior officer on board Los Angeles when the airship, tied to a mooring mast, literally "stood on its nose". At 13:29 a sudden cold weather front
hit Los Angeles; the resulting increase in the buoyancy
of the airship, warmed by sunlight, pushed it upward. The tail freely went up while the nose remained tied to the tower. Settle requested Rosendahl's permission to disengage from the tower, but the captain "saw no need for it". Winds threw the tail further upward; Settle sent the men into the tail, but Los Angeles kept rising until reaching a nearly vertical (88 degrees) nose-down position. The airship slowly rotated back; Settle called his men back and released aft balance, saving Los Angeles from a tail-first impact. Los Angeles survived the accident and served until 1932, performing 331 flights without major accidents or fatalities.
. In October 1928 Settle crossed the Atlantic on board Graf Zeppelin
together with two other Navy observers. Inspired by the reliability of German airships, he publicly denounced United States dependence on German Maybach
engines.
Settle spent the first half of 1929 in the Akron, Ohio
hangars of Goodyear-Zeppelin, supervising construction of the future and , threatened by saboteurs
. In 1930 he tested captive sailplanes carried by Los Angeles, where he remained the second in command. In 1931 Settle became the first pilot of K-1
, the first U. S. Navy non-rigid airship with an internally-suspended control car, and the first using propane
as engine fuel. K-1 remained the sole specimen of its type; the Navy considered it too large for its tasks.
in the future. Settle became the definitive Navy competitor in national and, when qualified, international gas balloon races:
In 1932 the board of the Century of Progress
trade show, to be held in Chicago
in summer 1933, invited renowned Swiss balloonist Auguste Piccard
to perform a high-altitude flight at the fairgrounds. Auguste declined, recommending his twin brother Jean
instead. Jean took the lead, but did not have a U. S. flight license, so the Piccards invited Settle to fly the balloon. Named for the show, Century of Progress was built in America with a gondola donated by Dow Chemical
, a gas bag from Goodyear-Zeppelin, hydrogen
donated by Union Carbide
, and scientific instruments supplied by Arthur Compton
and Robert Millikan .
The first flight from Soldier Field
, with Settle alone on board, attracted thousands of spectators and ended in a flop. Moments after liftoff, an open gas release valve forced Century to fall in a nearby railroad yard.
For the next flight the Marine Corps
recommended their representative, Major Chester L. Fordney, to join Settle as instrument operator (the experiments were vital to justify financing of the flight). Fordney himself "was crazy for tying up with an adventurer like Settle". On November 20 they lifted off from the Goodyear-Zeppelin facilities in Akron, Ohio
, watched by only a few hundred spectators. Nevertheless, the flight received national publicity as radio transmissions from the stratosphere were broadcast on radio networks. Century floated at peak altitude for two hours, and landed softly in Bridgeton, New Jersey
marshes in the confluence of Delaware
and Cohansey rivers, incidentally, a few miles from Jean Piccard's home. It was already dark, so Settle and Fordney spent the night in the chilling cold of the gondola. They dumped radio batteries during descent, so in the morning Fordney waded five miles through the swamp in search for help. The balloon's barograph
, examined by the National Bureau of Standards, confirmed the world altitude record of 18,665 meters (61,237 feet). The flight earned Settle the Harmon Trophy
and the FAI
Henri de la Vaulx medal. Earlier in 1933 the USSR-1
had flown to 62,230 feet, but it was not recognized by the FAI, so Settle and Fordney became the official record holder until the flight of Explorer II in 1935.
The Piccards retained Century of Progress; while piloting the airship in October 1934, Jeannette Piccard
became the first woman to reach the stratosphere
.
, tasked with sailing 1300 miles (2,092.1 km) up the Yangtze River
from Wusong
to Chongqing
. Palos, a gunboat
stationed around Shanghai
since 1914, had recently been refitted and over time became twice as heavy against her original displacement (340 vs. 180 tons), making her hardly capable of the upstream journey. In 1929 alone, of 67 Yangtze steamers three were totally destroyed by the rapid
s with 47 casualties; a thousand junk
sailors perished every year.
The boat left Wusong on October 1, passing Hankou
(the last "western" city on the route) on October 11. At Yichang
Settle disembarked, leaving the boat and its crew to prepare for forcing the rapids, and himself took a reconnaissance trip to Chongqing on a British steamer. He returned just as the water level fell below optimum, and immediately ordered departure. Balancing engine thrust, steering, and pulling the boat by cables, and struggling to avoid downstream-bound junks, Settle managed to get Palos through the rocky rapids. On November 12, 1934, Palos reached Chongqing where it was eventually decommissioned in 1937; the hulk was still afloat in 1939.
After the Palos journey Settle remained on the Yangtze, now in command of another old gunboat, . In 1939–1941 Settle attended the Naval War College
.
_battle_of_leute.jpg)
On March 2, 1944, Settle arrived by airplane at his new command, , then stationed at Eniwetok. Prior to this appointment, Settle had been in charge of all of U.S. Navy blimps. According to Portlands historian W. T. Generous, the crew—aware of Settle's pre-war fame—recognized him as an "All-Navy" carrier of old school naval tradition and etiquette
. Settle "walked with an air of superb self-confidence", making a "terrific impression on the crew", and maintained his reputation until leaving Portland. He notably reduced internal paperwork and external communications, producing very brief dispatches.
After supporting landings in Hollandia
, Portland returned to California
for dry dock
repairs and sailed back to the war zone, via Pearl Harbor
, in August, carrying Seabee
s, infantrymen and reporters (including Joe Rosenthal
and John Brennan). In September Portland arrived at Peleliu
, supporting landing at Peleliu
with gunfire.
On the night of October 24, 1944, Portland took its place in Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf
's order of battle
at the northern exit of Surigao Strait
, as an inferior Japanese detachment of two battleship
s and a heavy cruiser
approached through the strait from the south. Shortly before 04:00 Portland gunners opened fire on the approaching Mogami; by 05:40 the battle was over and Oldendorf recalled the pursuing cruisers. Portland became the only heavy cruiser to engage enemy battleships at night twice. In December 1944, Portland provided gunfire support to ground troops in the battle of Mindoro
and then sailed to Palau
, where Admiral Oldendorf presented Settle with a Navy Cross
for his action at Surigao Strait.
On the opening day of the invasion of Lingayen Gulf
, January 9, 1945, when admiral Theodore E. Chandler
was killed in a kamikaze
attack against , Settle assumed command of Chandler's cruiser division. Settle's radical shiphandling skills saved Portland from direct kamikaze hits; ship's officers attributed their captain's luck to his former aviator experience. Settle used to break formation under threat from the air, and at least once his maneuvering earned him a reprimand from a commanding admiral; in another episode, it nearly led to the destruction of a landing craft
full of troops.
In February 1945 Portland together with and HMAS Shropshire
supported ground and airborne forces in the recapture of Corregidor and in March sailed to assist capture of Okinawa
. On March 21, his first day of the Okinawa campaign, Settle managed to evade eleven torpedo
attacks from a submarine
but failed in ramming
the sub. He left command of Portland in July, one month before the end of the war
, when the cruiser was still at Okinawa.
where he replaced Vice Admiral Bertram Rodgers as the commander of the Seventh Amphibious Force. Later, Settle moved to Turkey
assisting in the implementation of U.S. aid to Greece
and Turkey under the Truman Doctrine
. He had a long-held ambition to become the ambassador to the Soviet Union that never materialized. After his return to the United States Settle served with the 8th Naval District in New Orleans, Louisiana
, with the Pacific Fleet in San Diego, California
, and in Norway
.
In 1950 Rear Admiral Settle was appointed commander of Joint Task Force 131, responsible for carrying out underground nuclear tests
on the Aleutian island Amchitka
, codenamed Operation Windstorm. Three 20-kiloton blasts were scheduled for August 30, September 22 and October 2, 1951. In March 1951 news of an upcoming test leaked to the press; Settle proposed a rescheduling of the operation that, in his opinion, would be safer and simpler if performed at established test sites in Nevada
and California
. As the military and politicians discussed probable alternatives, Settle spoke out in favor of discarding the Aleutian program and disbanding Task Force 131. The project was eventually closed in summer of 1951.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
– died April 28, 1980, Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
) was an officer of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
who on November 20, 1933, together with Army major Chester L. Fordney, set a world altitude record in the Century of Progress stratospheric
Stratosphere
The stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down. This is in contrast to the troposphere near the Earth's surface, which is cooler...
balloon
Balloon (aircraft)
A balloon is a type of aircraft that remains aloft due to its buoyancy. A balloon travels by moving with the wind. It is distinct from an airship, which is a buoyant aircraft that can be propelled through the air in a controlled manner....
. An experienced balloonist, long-time flight instructor
Flight instructor
A flight instructor is a person who teaches others to fly aircraft. Specific privileges granted to holders of a flight instructor qualification vary from country to country, but very generally, a flight instructor serves to enhance or evaluate the knowledge and skill level of an aviator in pursuit...
, and officer on the airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
s and , Settle won the Litchfield Trophy in 1929 and 1931, the International Gordon Bennett Race
Gordon Bennett Cup in ballooning
The Gordon Bennett Cup is the world's oldest gas balloon race, and is "regarded as the premier event of world balloon racing" according to the Los Angeles Times. Referred to as the "Blue Ribbon" of aeronautics, the first race started from Paris, France, on September 30, 1906...
in 1932, the Harmon Aeronaut Trophy
Harmon Trophy
The Harmon Trophy is a set of three international trophies, to be awarded annually to the world's outstanding aviator, aviatrix , and aeronaut...
for 1933, and the Harmon National Trophy for 1932 and 1933. He also set numerous distance and endurance records.
In 1934 Settle transferred to sailing duties, initially as captain of the China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
-based . In 1944–1945 he commanded the heavy cruiser
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
, earning the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
for his action in the Battle of Surigao Strait
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
Settle held Navy appointments in the continental United States and overseas, and was charged with tasks ranging from distributing international aid to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
to conducting nuclear tests
Nuclear testing
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the effectiveness, yield and explosive capability of nuclear weapons. Throughout the twentieth century, most nations that have developed nuclear weapons have tested them...
in the Aleutian islands.
Early career
Settle graduated from the United States Naval AcademyUnited States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in 1918, second in his class, and began his naval career as an ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
on the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s , and . The nickname "Tex" dates back to his Academy years. After these assignment he attended the Cruft High Tension Laboratory
Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
The Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science , a school within Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences , serves as the connector and integrator of Harvard's teaching and research efforts in engineering, applied sciences, and technology.Engineering and applied sciences at Harvard...
of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, graduating as a communications engineer in the summer of 1924.
Settle married Fay Brackett, an employee of Cruft Laboratory, in June 1924, and in July assumed his next Navy assignment, that of communications officer on , a rigid, 207-meter airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
based at Lakehurst Naval Air Station. When the newly built arrived at Lakehurst later in October 1924, Settle was appointed its communications officer as well; dual appointments were possible because helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
supplies allowed flying only one airship at a time.
Airship pilot
United States Aviator Badge
A United States Aviator Badge refers to three types of aviation badges issued by the United States military, those being for Army, Air Force, and Naval aviation....
No. 3350 on January 19, 1927. Settle also wanted to train as an airplane pilot, but Admiral Moffett declined his requests. Soon he flew a small balloon for 21 hours over 478 miles (769.3 km)—a flight that could make a world distance record had it been equipped with a barograph
Barograph
A barograph is a recording aneroid barometer. It produces a paper or foil chart called a barogram that records the barometric pressure over time....
.
On August 25, 1927, when captain Charles E. Rosendahl was on the ground, Settle happened be the senior officer on board Los Angeles when the airship, tied to a mooring mast, literally "stood on its nose". At 13:29 a sudden cold weather front
Weather front
A weather front is a boundary separating two masses of air of different densities, and is the principal cause of meteorological phenomena. In surface weather analyses, fronts are depicted using various colored lines and symbols, depending on the type of front...
hit Los Angeles; the resulting increase in the buoyancy
Buoyancy
In physics, buoyancy is a force exerted by a fluid that opposes an object's weight. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus a column of fluid, or an object submerged in the fluid, experiences greater pressure at the bottom of the...
of the airship, warmed by sunlight, pushed it upward. The tail freely went up while the nose remained tied to the tower. Settle requested Rosendahl's permission to disengage from the tower, but the captain "saw no need for it". Winds threw the tail further upward; Settle sent the men into the tail, but Los Angeles kept rising until reaching a nearly vertical (88 degrees) nose-down position. The airship slowly rotated back; Settle called his men back and released aft balance, saving Los Angeles from a tail-first impact. Los Angeles survived the accident and served until 1932, performing 331 flights without major accidents or fatalities.
Test pilot
Later Settle piloted different types of airships stationed at Lakehurst. In January 1928 Settle nearly drowned at sea when his J-3 non-rigid airship carrying trainee pilots lost power and was swept into the Atlantic; the crew managed to restart the engines and reach Lakehurst. As a flight instructor, Settle—although an aviator himself—was known for merciless airborne training drills and advocated abolition of flight pay incentives, convinced that they attracted "deadwood" into naval aviationNaval aviation
Naval aviation is the application of manned military air power by navies, including ships that embark fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters. In contrast, maritime aviation is the operation of aircraft in a maritime role under the command of non-naval forces such as the former RAF Coastal Command or a...
. In October 1928 Settle crossed the Atlantic on board Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was a German built and operated passenger-carrying hydrogen-filled rigid airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who was a Graf or Count in the German nobility. During its operating life,...
together with two other Navy observers. Inspired by the reliability of German airships, he publicly denounced United States dependence on German Maybach
Maybach
Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH is a German luxury car manufacturer. It was founded in 1909 by Wilhelm Maybach and his son. The company was originally a subsidiary of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH and was itself known as Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH until 1912.Today, the ultra-luxury car brand is owned by...
engines.
Settle spent the first half of 1929 in the Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
hangars of Goodyear-Zeppelin, supervising construction of the future and , threatened by saboteurs
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
. In 1930 he tested captive sailplanes carried by Los Angeles, where he remained the second in command. In 1931 Settle became the first pilot of K-1
K-1 (airship)
The K-1 was an experimental blimp designed by the United States Navy in 1929. Due to the inability to get Congressional approval for the construction of an airship the navy used the ploy of ordering a "universal" control car which could be used on the J-type airships from the Naval Aircraft...
, the first U. S. Navy non-rigid airship with an internally-suspended control car, and the first using propane
Propane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
as engine fuel. K-1 remained the sole specimen of its type; the Navy considered it too large for its tasks.
Balloon races
Settle entered his first balloon race together with George N. Stevens on May 30, 1927. They had to ground their 35000 ft3 balloon due to heavy rain after only 393 miles (632.5 km) in flight, losing the race. This incident motivated Settle to seek all possible cooperation from Navy meteorologistsMeteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
in the future. Settle became the definitive Navy competitor in national and, when qualified, international gas balloon races:
- In May 1928 Settle withdrew early from the National Race in Pittsburgh, where lightning strikeLightning strikeLightning strikes are electrical discharges caused by lightning, typically during thunderstorms.Humans can be hit by lightning directly when outdoors. Contrary to popular notion, there is no 'safe' location outdoors. People have been struck in sheds and makeshift shelters...
s downed three balloons, killing two pilots and injuring four. - In May 1929 Settle and ensign Wilfred Bushnell competed at the National Race, winning the Litchfield Trophy with a 952 miles (1,532.1 km) flight which set a world record in three balloon categories and qualified them for the International Balloon Race.
- In July 1931 Settle and Bushnell (now lieutenant) won their second Litchfield Trophy.
- In September 1932 Settle and Bushnell won the International Gordon Bennett RaceGordon Bennett Cup in ballooningThe Gordon Bennett Cup is the world's oldest gas balloon race, and is "regarded as the premier event of world balloon racing" according to the Los Angeles Times. Referred to as the "Blue Ribbon" of aeronautics, the first race started from Paris, France, on September 30, 1906...
with a 963 miles (1,549.8 km) record flight from BaselBaselBasel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
to VilniusVilniusVilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
. The flight earned Settle his first national Harmon TrophyHarmon TrophyThe Harmon Trophy is a set of three international trophies, to be awarded annually to the world's outstanding aviator, aviatrix , and aeronaut...
. - In September 1933 Settle and lieutenant Kendall made a 776 miles (1,248.8 km) flight, setting a world endurance record but only coming second in the International Gordon Bennett Race, losing in distance to the Polish team of Franciszek Hynek and Zbigniew BurzyńskiZbigniew BurzynskiZbigniew Burzyński , was a Polish balloonist and constructor of balloons, pioneer of Polish balloons, who twice won the Gordon Bennett Cup in ballooning, also beat the world record.-Biography:...
.
Century of Progress
Century of Progress
A Century of Progress International Exposition was the name of a World's Fair held in Chicago from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial. The theme of the fair was technological innovation...
trade show, to be held in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in summer 1933, invited renowned Swiss balloonist Auguste Piccard
Auguste Piccard
Auguste Antoine Piccard was a Swiss physicist, inventor and explorer.-Biography:Piccard and his twin brother Jean Felix were born in Basel, Switzerland...
to perform a high-altitude flight at the fairgrounds. Auguste declined, recommending his twin brother Jean
Jean Piccard
Jean Felix Piccard , also known as Jean Piccard, was a Swiss-born American chemist, engineer, professor and high-altitude balloonist. He invented clustered high-altitude balloons, and with his wife Jeannette, the plastic balloon...
instead. Jean took the lead, but did not have a U. S. flight license, so the Piccards invited Settle to fly the balloon. Named for the show, Century of Progress was built in America with a gondola donated by Dow Chemical
Dow Chemical Company
The Dow Chemical Company is a multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. As of 2007, it is the second largest chemical manufacturer in the world by revenue and as of February 2009, the third-largest chemical company in the world by market capitalization .Dow...
, a gas bag from Goodyear-Zeppelin, hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
donated by Union Carbide
Union Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. It currently employs more than 2,400 people. Union Carbide primarily produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume...
, and scientific instruments supplied by Arthur Compton
Arthur Compton
Arthur Holly Compton was an American physicist and Nobel laureate in physics for his discovery of the Compton effect. He served as Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis from 1945 to 1953.-Early years:...
and Robert Millikan .
The first flight from Soldier Field
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...
, with Settle alone on board, attracted thousands of spectators and ended in a flop. Moments after liftoff, an open gas release valve forced Century to fall in a nearby railroad yard.
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
recommended their representative, Major Chester L. Fordney, to join Settle as instrument operator (the experiments were vital to justify financing of the flight). Fordney himself "was crazy for tying up with an adventurer like Settle". On November 20 they lifted off from the Goodyear-Zeppelin facilities in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
, watched by only a few hundred spectators. Nevertheless, the flight received national publicity as radio transmissions from the stratosphere were broadcast on radio networks. Century floated at peak altitude for two hours, and landed softly in Bridgeton, New Jersey
Bridgeton, New Jersey
Bridgeton is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States, in the south part of the state, on the Cohansey River, near Delaware Bay. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 25,349. It is the county seat of Cumberland County...
marshes in the confluence of Delaware
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
and Cohansey rivers, incidentally, a few miles from Jean Piccard's home. It was already dark, so Settle and Fordney spent the night in the chilling cold of the gondola. They dumped radio batteries during descent, so in the morning Fordney waded five miles through the swamp in search for help. The balloon's barograph
Barograph
A barograph is a recording aneroid barometer. It produces a paper or foil chart called a barogram that records the barometric pressure over time....
, examined by the National Bureau of Standards, confirmed the world altitude record of 18,665 meters (61,237 feet). The flight earned Settle the Harmon Trophy
Harmon Trophy
The Harmon Trophy is a set of three international trophies, to be awarded annually to the world's outstanding aviator, aviatrix , and aeronaut...
and the FAI
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...
Henri de la Vaulx medal. Earlier in 1933 the USSR-1
USSR-1
USSR-1 was a record-setting, hydrogen-filled Soviet Air Forces high-altitude balloon designed to seat a crew of three and perform scientific studies of the Earth's stratosphere...
had flown to 62,230 feet, but it was not recognized by the FAI, so Settle and Fordney became the official record holder until the flight of Explorer II in 1935.
The Piccards retained Century of Progress; while piloting the airship in October 1934, Jeannette Piccard
Jeannette Piccard
Jeannette Ridlon Piccard was an American high-altitude balloonist, and in later life an Episcopal priest. She held the women's altitude record for nearly three decades, and according to several contemporaneous accounts was regarded as the first woman in space.Jeannette was the first licensed...
became the first woman to reach the stratosphere
Stratosphere
The stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down. This is in contrast to the troposphere near the Earth's surface, which is cooler...
.
USS Palos
Shortly before the record ascent, Settle applied for a transfer to sea duty. In the second half of 1934 Settle arrived in ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, tasked with sailing 1300 miles (2,092.1 km) up the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
from Wusong
Wusong
Wusong,Chinese: s , t , p Wúsōng. formerly Woosung, was a port town located fourteen miles downriver from Shanghai.The Battle of Woosung occurred on 16 June 1842 between British and Chinese forces during the First Opium War. It was the site of China's first telegraph wires and first railroad, both...
to Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
. Palos, a gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
stationed around Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
since 1914, had recently been refitted and over time became twice as heavy against her original displacement (340 vs. 180 tons), making her hardly capable of the upstream journey. In 1929 alone, of 67 Yangtze steamers three were totally destroyed by the rapid
Rapid
A rapid is a section of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. A rapid is a hydrological feature between a run and a cascade. A rapid is characterised by the river becoming shallower and having some rocks exposed above the...
s with 47 casualties; a thousand junk
Junk (ship)
A junk is an ancient Chinese sailing vessel design still in use today. Junks were developed during the Han Dynasty and were used as sea-going vessels as early as the 2nd century AD. They evolved in the later dynasties, and were used throughout Asia for extensive ocean voyages...
sailors perished every year.
The boat left Wusong on October 1, passing Hankou
Hankou
Hankou was one of the three cities whose merging formed modern-day Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers where the Han falls into the Yangtze...
(the last "western" city on the route) on October 11. At Yichang
Yichang
Yichang is a prefecture-level city located in Hubei province of the People's Republic of China. It is the second largest city in Hubei province after the province capital, Wuhan. The Three Gorges Dam is located within its administrative area, in Yiling District.-History:In ancient times Yichang...
Settle disembarked, leaving the boat and its crew to prepare for forcing the rapids, and himself took a reconnaissance trip to Chongqing on a British steamer. He returned just as the water level fell below optimum, and immediately ordered departure. Balancing engine thrust, steering, and pulling the boat by cables, and struggling to avoid downstream-bound junks, Settle managed to get Palos through the rocky rapids. On November 12, 1934, Palos reached Chongqing where it was eventually decommissioned in 1937; the hulk was still afloat in 1939.
After the Palos journey Settle remained on the Yangtze, now in command of another old gunboat, . In 1939–1941 Settle attended the Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
.
USS Portland
Etiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
. Settle "walked with an air of superb self-confidence", making a "terrific impression on the crew", and maintained his reputation until leaving Portland. He notably reduced internal paperwork and external communications, producing very brief dispatches.
After supporting landings in Hollandia
Operations Reckless and Persecution
Operation Reckless, known as the Landing at Hollandia and Operation Persecution known as the Aitape landing, were Allied amphibious landings which commenced the Western New Guinea campaign. Both operations commenced on 22 April 1944....
, Portland returned to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
for dry dock
Dry dock
A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...
repairs and sailed back to the war zone, via Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, in August, carrying Seabee
Seabee
Seabees are members of the United States Navy construction battalions. The word Seabee is a proper noun that comes from the initials of Construction Battalion, of the United States Navy...
s, infantrymen and reporters (including Joe Rosenthal
Joe Rosenthal
Joseph John Rosenthal was an American photographer who received the Pulitzer Prize for his iconic World War II photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, taken during the Battle of Iwo Jima. His picture became one of the best-known photographs of the war.-Early life:Joseph Rosenthal was born on...
and John Brennan). In September Portland arrived at Peleliu
Peleliu
Peleliu is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu forms, along with two small islands to its northeast, one of the sixteen states of Palau. It is located northeast of Angaur and southwest of Koror....
, supporting landing at Peleliu
Battle of Peleliu
The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II, was fought between the United States and the Empire of Japan in the Pacific Theater of World War II, from September–November 1944 on the island of Peleliu, present-day Palau. U.S...
with gunfire.
On the night of October 24, 1944, Portland took its place in Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf
Jesse B. Oldendorf
Jesse Bartlett "Oley" Oldendorf was an admiral in the United States Navy, famous for defeating a Japanese force in the Battle of Leyte Gulf during World War II...
's order of battle
Order of battle
In modern use, the order of battle is the identification, command structure, strength, and disposition of personnel, equipment, and units of an armed force participating in field operations. Various abbreviations are in use, including OOB, O/B, or OB, while ORBAT remains the most common in the...
at the northern exit of Surigao Strait
Surigao Strait
Surigao Strait is a body of water in the Philippines located between the islands of Mindanao and Leyte. This strait connects the Bohol Sea with Leyte Gulf and is regularly crossed by ferries that transport goods and people between Visayas and Mindanao...
, as an inferior Japanese detachment of two battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s and a heavy cruiser
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
approached through the strait from the south. Shortly before 04:00 Portland gunners opened fire on the approaching Mogami; by 05:40 the battle was over and Oldendorf recalled the pursuing cruisers. Portland became the only heavy cruiser to engage enemy battleships at night twice. In December 1944, Portland provided gunfire support to ground troops in the battle of Mindoro
Battle of Mindoro
The Battle of Mindoro was a battle in World War II between forces of the United States and Japan, in Mindoro Island in the central Philippines, from 13-16 December 1944, during the Philippines campaign....
and then sailed to Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
, where Admiral Oldendorf presented Settle with a Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
for his action at Surigao Strait.
On the opening day of the invasion of Lingayen Gulf
Invasion of Lingayen Gulf
The Liberation of Lingayen Gulf was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II. In the early morning of 9 January 1945, an Allied force commanded by Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf began approaching the shores of Lingayen. U.S...
, January 9, 1945, when admiral Theodore E. Chandler
Theodore E. Chandler
Theodore Edson Chandler was an admiral of the United States Navy during World War II, who commanded battleship and cruiser divisions in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. He was killed in action when Japanese kamikaze aircraft struck his flagship.He was the grandson of William E...
was killed in a kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
attack against , Settle assumed command of Chandler's cruiser division. Settle's radical shiphandling skills saved Portland from direct kamikaze hits; ship's officers attributed their captain's luck to his former aviator experience. Settle used to break formation under threat from the air, and at least once his maneuvering earned him a reprimand from a commanding admiral; in another episode, it nearly led to the destruction of a landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
full of troops.
In February 1945 Portland together with and HMAS Shropshire
HMS Shropshire (73)
HMS Shropshire was a Royal Navy heavy cruiser of the London sub-class of County class cruisers. She is the only warship to have been named after Shropshire, England. Completed in 1929, Shropshire served with the RN until 1942, when she was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy following the...
supported ground and airborne forces in the recapture of Corregidor and in March sailed to assist capture of Okinawa
Volcano and Ryukyu Islands campaign
-Further reading:...
. On March 21, his first day of the Okinawa campaign, Settle managed to evade eleven torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
attacks from a submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
but failed in ramming
Ramming
In warfare, ramming is a technique that was used in air, sea and land combat. The term originated from battering ram, a siege weapon used to bring down fortifications by hitting it with the force of the ram's momentum...
the sub. He left command of Portland in July, one month before the end of the war
Victory over Japan Day
Victory over Japan Day is a name chosen for the day on which the Surrender of Japan occurred, effectively ending World War II, and subsequent anniversaries of that event...
, when the cruiser was still at Okinawa.
Post-war career
In 1946 Settle returned to China, on the Yangtze RiverYangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
where he replaced Vice Admiral Bertram Rodgers as the commander of the Seventh Amphibious Force. Later, Settle moved to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
assisting in the implementation of U.S. aid to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Turkey under the Truman Doctrine
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a policy set forth by U.S. President Harry S Truman in a speech on March 12, 1947 stating that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent their falling into the Soviet sphere...
. He had a long-held ambition to become the ambassador to the Soviet Union that never materialized. After his return to the United States Settle served with the 8th Naval District in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, with the Pacific Fleet in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, and in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
In 1950 Rear Admiral Settle was appointed commander of Joint Task Force 131, responsible for carrying out underground nuclear tests
Nuclear testing
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the effectiveness, yield and explosive capability of nuclear weapons. Throughout the twentieth century, most nations that have developed nuclear weapons have tested them...
on the Aleutian island Amchitka
Amchitka
Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island is about long, and from wide...
, codenamed Operation Windstorm. Three 20-kiloton blasts were scheduled for August 30, September 22 and October 2, 1951. In March 1951 news of an upcoming test leaked to the press; Settle proposed a rescheduling of the operation that, in his opinion, would be safer and simpler if performed at established test sites in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. As the military and politicians discussed probable alternatives, Settle spoke out in favor of discarding the Aleutian program and disbanding Task Force 131. The project was eventually closed in summer of 1951.
Books by Settle
- The Last Cruise of Palos (1964), in: , originally published in Shipmates, vol. 24 no. 4, April 1964
External links
- "Why Explore The Stratosphere?" Popular Mechanics, October 1933