Frank Wead - Military Service

Military Service

A 1916 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Wead began to promote Naval Aviation after World War I through air racing and speed competitions. This competition, mainly against the United States Army Air Service (and its leading racer, Jimmy Doolittle), helped push U.S. military aviation forward. These competitions would give naval aviation a much-needed spotlight in the public eye. The public attention that it generated helped push Congress to fund the advancement of military aviation. During World War I, Wead served on a minelayer in the North Sea. After World War I he was a test pilot for the Navy. On 29 May 1916, midshipmen Frank Wead, Calvin Durgin, John D. Price graduated from the United States Naval Academy. Following graduation, Ensign Wead departed, on 2 June 1916, for leave and travel to his first sea-duty assignment. Ensign Frank Wead is indicated in decklog of USS San Diego (ACR-6) (homeported: San Diego, California), reporting aboard 28 June 1916, while the cruiser was in anchorage off Guaymas, Mexico.

Aboard USS Pittsburgh (CA-4) was Commander George B. Bradshaw, USN; Executive Officer was Commander Zeno Everett Briggs, USN. Ensigns Frank W. Wead and John D. Price began this Latin cruise departing out of San Francisco Bay, 25 April 1917. As pollywogs, they participated in the time-honored naval tradition of the Line-crossing ceremony and were initiated into the royal Kingdom of King Neptune's realm and became crusty shellbacks when the armored cruiser crossed the equator at 0°0′0″N 36°05′00″W / 0°N 36.0833333°W / 0; -36.0833333, on 10 June. The ship reached Rio de Janeiro where with several other officers they departed the Pittsburgh, on 21 September. They were booked for passage to the Port of New York aboard SS Zeelandia. She departed Rio de Janiero on 25 September and arrived in New York on 17 October. Whereupon, Ensigns Wead and Price reported to the Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, for sea duty orders.

In 1918, LT(j.g.) Frank Wead served aboard USS Shawmut (CM-4). It operated in the area of the North Sea Mine Barrage. Following the Armistice with Germany, Shawmut returned stateside to the Boston Navy Yard, Massachusetts, with newly promoted LT(j.g.) Wead. A kite-balloon division of six balloons under the command of LT(j.g.) John G. Paul, USN, were staged on various ships and aboard the Shawmut. All units were assembled by 15 February, and began operations with the fleet. They participated in long-range spotting practice giving practical demonstration of aircraft and balloon capabilities, and of the advantages to be derived from the coordinated employment of air and surface units. The experiences gained from these fleet maneuvers had historical significances not only for Air Detachment, Atlantic Fleet, but also for LT(j.g.) Frank Wead. It was during these fleet maneuvers that Wead became more interested in the new post-war naval aviation career than as a gunnery or submarine officer. The influence provided by both Lieutenant Commander Marc Mitscher, USN, and Captain Steele was enough to convince Wead that the new field of naval aviation would become a promising naval career. With the knowledge that the Naval Aviation Division was seeking naval officers with a strong aptitude in naval engineering, having a desire to accept projects with a certain amount of risk, and with the combat-proven ability to lead naval personnel by example, Wead began the process for obtaining endorsements to his application for flight training.

LT(j.g.) Frank Wead requested orders for naval aviation flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. His request was approved. The orders stated to report for "Class 1" (the first class of regular officers sent to NAS Pensacola after the commencement of World War I), on 15 September 1919. Wead was assigned to a training flight team comprising three students: (1) LT(j.g.) Frank Wilbur "Sparrow" "Spig" Wead, USNA-1916; (2) LTjg Robert Moran "Jerry" Farrar, USNA-1916; and, (3) LTjg Calvin "Cal" "Pansy" Thornton Durgin, USNA-1916). LT(j.g.) The three aviators (Wead, Farrar, Durgin) learned the basics of flight and advanced flying and navigating. Their training involved flying, navigating, radio time. Wead was designated a Naval Aviator on 17 April 1920. On that date, his wife, Mrs. Minnie "Min" Wead, pinned his golden wings just above his two decoration ribbons: Mexican Service Medal and World War Victory Medal. Both Farrar and Durgin received their aviation wings on 27 May 1920.

On 21 April 1921, LT Frank Wead reported to USS Aroostook (CM-3), homeported at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California. Aboard Aroostook, Wead was assigned aviation duties involving flying: Aeromarine 39-B (two-seater seaplane used as a "scout plane") and Felixstowe F-5-L (flying boat that carried a crew of four). In the spring of 1923, Wead reported to NAS Anacostia, Washington DC (today, known as the Naval Support Facility Anacostia) for shore duty assignment.

On the 22nd and 23 June 1924 in Anacostia, D.C., as a lieutenant, Wead along with Lieutenant John Dale Price, using a Curtiss CS-2 with a Wright T-3 Tornado engine, set new Class C seaplane records for distance (963.123 miles), duration (13 hours 23 minutes 15 seconds), and three speed records (73.41 mph for 500 kilometers, 74.27 mph for 1000 km, and 74.17 mph for 1500 km). Lieutenants Wead and Price struck again on the 11th and 12 July 1924, with new Class C seaplane records for distance (994.19 miles) and duration (14 hours 53 min 44 sec) using a CS-2 with a Wright Tornado engine. In order to set these records, Wead and Price had to exchange positions at the controls, as the aircraft had only one set of controls. One of the pair would leave the navigator/spotter position, climb out of the plane and slide along the hull on a small rail. The two would both occupy the pilots seat as one slid into place and the other slid out and exited the aircraft and moved to the navigator's position. Following his successful assignment at NAS Anacostia as staff officer of the Bureau of Aeronautics, Wead was assigned staff duty involving flying at NAS North Island where he served as Flag Lieutenant to Captain Stanford Elwood Moses, USN- the flight project commander at NAS North Island. One big event Wead was involved with during 1924–25 was the planning for the San Francisco to Hawaii endurance and navigation tests to comprise two Naval Aircraft Factory PN-9 flying boats, and one Boeing PB-1 flying boat.

Harvey M. Beigel provided an article that was published in the American Aviation Historical Society Journal (winter 1997) describing further details of "Spig" Wead's aviation exploits and screenwriting abilities.