Lindbergh in Japan.

[johnbr]

Charles Lindbergh with Japanese military men at Kasumigaura, Japan, 27 August 1931.

Missouri Historical Society | Find Yourself Here.

 

[Wurger]

 

[vikingBerserker]

Very cool!

 

[mikewint]

Lindbergh's flight to the Orient by way of Canada, Alaska, Siberia and Japan was an important milestone in the pioneering days of aviation. Their planned route covered 7,100 miles. Lindbergh and Anne Morrow, were attempting to find a commercial route to Asia for Juan Trippe, president of Pan American Airways.

In 1929 Charles purchased a Sirius aircraft from Lockheed's Jack Northrop and Gerald Vultee for $22,825. A low-wing monoplane with a 680-hp Wright Cyclone engine, the Sirius had a range of 2,100 miles and a top speed of 115 mph. Andre Priester, Pan Am's chief engineer, installed the radio equipment, including a trailing antenna. The Sirius' registration number, NR-211, was the same one Lindbergh had used on his Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis.
In preparation for their trip, the couple replaced the Sirius' wheeled undercarriage with Edo pontoons, as much of their flight would be over open water and the lake-and river-dotted Canadian north. The pontoons doubled as extra fuel tanks.

On July 27, 1931, the Sirius lifted off from Long Island Sound. Their first stop was Washington, D.C. where they picked up passports and the required permissions from Canada, the Soviet Union, Japan and China. Their next stop was the Morrows' summer home in North Haven, Maine.

On July 30 they left on their next leg from North Haven to Ottawa, Canada. After several refueling stops in Canada their last N. American stop was Nome, Alaska.
Their next stop was the Siberian island of Karaginski, it was August 16.

The most dangerous part of the entire flight was their next leg, to the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The fog became so thick that landmarks were invisible. By sheer luck Lindberg found a clear patch of sea 100 miles short of their destination. Anne managed to reach a Japanese radio operator for assistance. Spending the night on the water they awoke to find a Japanese ship, Shinshur Maru, waiting nearby to provide assistance. The ship attached a line and towed the aircraft to Brouton Bay, where the plane was repaired and refueled. Of the conditions once they were back in the air, Anne wrote, "Fog, fog, fog, more fog and more drizzle."

In Japan, enthusiastic, cheering crowds greeted the Lindberghs at each stop especially in Tokyo
The weather for their departure from Osaka was hot and sunny, a welcome respite from all the days of fog and drizzle. The couple's first sight of the Chinese countryside revealed a flooded landscape. The lower Yangtze River valley had been inundated by water, and thousands of people were homeless and in need of medical supplies.
As they moved on to survey the river valley, an unfortunate accident brought the Lindberghs' journey to a premature end. The British aircraft carrier Hermes was anchored in the Yangtze at Hankow, the next stop on their flight. Since the river's currents were strong, the decision was made to hoist the Sirius onto the carrier's deck.

The next day the floatplane was hoisted over the side. When it touched the water, still attached to its harness, strong currents began to whip the aircraft around. Charles gave the engine full throttle, trying to break free before the Sirius was smashed against Hermes' hull. But one wing dipped into the water and was caught in the current, and the aircraft began to flip over. Both Charles and Anne jumped into the river and were picked up uninjured. The Lindberghs were lucky, but their floatplane had been badly damaged and would be returned to the U.S. via ship.

 

[vikingBerserker]

I'll tell you Mike, nobody plagiarizes like you!

 

[jetcal1]

I wonder how many in that picture survived the war.

 

[Shinpachi]

 

[Peter Gunn]

Absolutely great photo, I love pix like this, a couple of thoughts.
1. What about the four guys by the cockpit? They didn't get to sign their names? Just ordinary schmoes?
2. As Jetcal said, wonder how many (other than Lindbergh) survived the war.
3. No matter how many of these glimpses of friendship like this you see, you always know what's just around the corner for all those folks a few years hence. And that makes me melancholy about these types of photos.

 

[Shinpachi]

It looked strange for me to sign on the pic.
We usually sign on the reverse side if necessary.

 

[Gnomey]

Interesting stuff!

 

[jetcal1]

It looked strange for me to sign on the pic.
We usually sign on the reverse side if necessary.

Maybe it's a cultural thing. The only times Americans sign on the back is they either don't have a marker or there's too many people.

 

[Shinpachi]

Thanks for your kind information, jetcal1.
Mr.and Mrs. Lindbergh on the Etorofu island, Hokkaido during their emergency landing on August 23 to 24, 1931.

Source: 英雄リンドバーグ夫妻が不時着 北方領土・択捉島紗那沼で撮った写真が現存 | THE PAGE（ザ・ページ）