The Douglas World Cruiser Seattle and the crash on April thirtieth, nineteen twenty-four that almost ended the first flight around the world

On April 30, 1924, the Douglas World Cruiser Seattle slammed into a fog-shrouded mountainside near Port Moller, Alaska, nearly ending the most ambitious aviation expedition ever attempted — the first flight around the world. Pilot Major Frederick Martin and mechanic Staff Sergeant Alva Harvey survived the crash, spent ten days trekking through remote Alaskan wilderness to reach safety, and watched from the ground as the remaining three aircraft pressed on without them. Two of those planes would eventually complete the 26,000-mile circumnavigation on September 28, 1924.

Why Was the U.S. Racing to Fly Around the World in 1924?

By early 1924, the United States Army Air Service faced a competitive problem. Britain, France, and Portugal all had teams preparing their own around-the-world attempts. The Americans chose to build a purpose-designed aircraft for the mission: the Douglas World Cruiser, a modified version of the DT torpedo bomber built by Donald Douglas’s young company in Santa Monica, California.

The airplane was powered by a 400-horsepower Liberty V-12 engine, carried roughly 450 gallons of fuel, and cruised at about 70–80 miles per hour with a maximum range of approximately 1,600 miles. Pontoons could be swapped for wheels depending on the terrain. Four aircraft were built, each named after an American city: the Seattle, the Chicago, the Boston, and the New Orleans.

Who Were the Crews?

Each World Cruiser carried two men in tandem open cockpits — a pilot and a mechanic. There were no reliable radios, no weather forecasting network, and navigation depended on dead reckoning, coastal landmarks, and charts that were often little more than rough sketches.

Major Frederick Martin led the expedition from the Seattle, with Staff Sergeant Alva Harvey as his mechanic. Lieutenant Lowell Smith flew the Chicago. Lieutenant Leigh Wade piloted the Boston with Sergeant Henry Ogden. The fourth aircraft, the New Orleans, rounded out the formation.

The fleet departed Seattle, Washington, on April 6, 1924, heading north through British Columbia and into Alaska — the first leg of a planned route spanning Japan, China, Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, Europe, the North Atlantic, and home.

What Happened to the Seattle on April 30, 1924?

Alaska in April offered some of the worst flying conditions imaginable. The four World Cruisers were island-hopping up the Alaskan coast through dense fog, snow squalls, and winds strong enough to push a biplane sideways. Mountain peaks along the Alaska Peninsula were not accurately charted. Passes and fjords went unmarked on the maps.

On April 30, the Seattle was flying from Seward to Chignik, following the Alaska Peninsula coastline. Martin and Harvey were ahead of the other three aircraft when fog from the Bering Sea closed in. Visibility dropped. The ceiling fell. Martin faced the decision every pilot dreads in deteriorating conditions: press on or turn back.

He pressed on. Near Port Moller, the Seattle flew into a mountainside. The impact destroyed the aircraft — the Liberty engine tore loose, the wings folded — but both men survived. They crawled from the wreckage onto a fog-covered mountain in one of the most remote regions of North America, with no radio and no way to signal their position.

How Did Martin and Harvey Survive?

Martin and Harvey spent ten days working their way off the mountain and along the Alaskan coast. They carried minimal supplies salvaged from the wreckage and crossed volcanic rock, dense brush, and streams swollen with snowmelt. They finally reached a small settlement near Port Moller, where a fishing vessel picked them up. Both men were exhausted, frostbitten, and battered — but alive.

The Seattle would never fly again. Its wreckage remained on that Alaskan mountainside.

How Did the Mission Continue After the Crash?

When word reached the remaining crews that the Seattle was down and Martin and Harvey were missing, there was no debate about whether to continue. Lieutenant Lowell Smith assumed command of the formation, and three aircraft pushed westward across the North Pacific.

The journey that followed tested every crew to the limit:

They hopped across the Aleutian Islands on pontoons, dodging fishing boats and debris in remote harbors.
In Japan, they became instant celebrities.
Monsoon conditions battered them across China and Southeast Asia.
Sandstorms hit over India; hundred-degree heat cooked them in open cockpits over the Middle East.
Across Europe, they were greeted as heroes.

Then the North Atlantic nearly ended the mission a second time. The Boston suffered engine failure over open ocean between the Orkney Islands and Iceland. Wade and Ogden ditched in the frigid water. A nearby ship rescued them, but the Boston sank. The expedition was down to two aircraft.

The Army provided a replacement, the Boston II, and Wade and Ogden rejoined for the final legs. But only two of the original four aircraft — the Chicago and the New Orleans — completed the full circumnavigation when the formation landed back in Seattle on September 28, 1924.

175 days. 57 stops. 26,000 miles. The first flight around the world.

Where Are the Douglas World Cruisers Today?

Of the four original aircraft, two survive:

The Chicago is displayed at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
The New Orleans is at the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica, near where Donald Douglas built them.
The Seattle remained on its Alaskan mountainside.
The Boston rests on the bottom of the North Atlantic.

The Decision That Every Pilot Faces

Major Martin’s choice to press on through deteriorating weather near Port Moller was neither reckless nor cowardly. It was the kind of judgment call that every pilot who has flown in marginal conditions understands. Sometimes the mountain wins. Martin reportedly carried the weight of that decision for the rest of his career — he had been the expedition leader, the flagship commander, and the first to go down.

What the crash of the Seattle reveals is that the triumph of the first around-the-world flight was never inevitable. These men flew without reliable weather information, with inaccurate charts, in open cockpits exposed to every extreme the atmosphere could deliver. They packed spare parts and engine oil the way explorers packed provisions for wilderness expeditions. By the time the survivors returned home, they had aged years in six months.

Two airplanes left. Two came home. The two that were lost are the reason the achievement matters.

Key Takeaways

The Douglas World Cruiser Seattle crashed near Port Moller, Alaska, on April 30, 1924, when Major Frederick Martin flew into a fog-shrouded mountainside during the first around-the-world flight attempt.
Both crewmembers survived and spent ten days trekking through remote Alaskan wilderness to reach rescue.
The mission continued without them — Lieutenant Lowell Smith assumed command, and three aircraft pressed westward.
Only two of four original aircraft — the Chicago and the New Orleans — completed the full 26,000-mile circumnavigation in 175 days.
The crash is a reminder that the first flight around the world was earned through extreme risk, not guaranteed by superior technology.

Sources: Carroll Glines, “Around the World in 175 Days”; Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum archives.