John D. Price
John D. Price | |
---|---|
Birth name | John Dale Price |
Born | Augusta, Arkansas, U.S. | May 18, 1892
Died | December 18, 1957 San Diego, California, U.S. | (aged 65)
Service/ | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1916-1954 |
Rank | Admiral |
Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
Awards | Navy Cross Legion of Merit (2) Distinguished Flying Cross |
John Dale Price (May 18, 1892 – December 18, 1957) was an admiral in the United States Navy who, early in his career, set many records as a naval aviator.
Early life and education[]
Price graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1916[1] along with his friend Spig Wead. In 1920, he was designated as a naval aviator.[1]
Career[]
Lieutenants Wead and Price set five world records for Class C seaplanes with a Curtiss CS-2 biplane on June 22–23, 1924 - distance (963.123 miles, 1,544.753 km), duration (13 hours, 23 minutes, 15 seconds), speed over 500 km (73.41 mph, 117.74 km/h), speed over 1,000 km (74.27 mph, 119.12 km/h) and speed over 1,500 km (74.17 mph, 118.96 km/h) - and again on July 11–12 - distance (994.19 miles, 1599.99 km) and duration (14 hours, 53 minutes, 44 seconds).[2] Lieutenant Price is also credited with making the first planned night landing on a US aircraft carrier, on the USS Langley (CV-1) in a TS fighter biplane on April 8, 1925 (Lieutenant "stalled while practicing night approaches" and landed by accident on February 5).[3]
He served in World War II, and at some point commanded Fleet Air Wing Two as a rear admiral.[4] After the war, he served as commander of the Naval Air Forces in the Pacific from 1947 until 1948 and from 1948 until 1950. He was a "tombstone admiral", meaning he was promoted to four star rank upon retirement.
He died in 1957 at the Naval Hospital in San Diego.[1] He was survived by his wife Miriam.[1]
He was played by Ken Curtis in the 1957 film The Wings of Eagles, which starred John Wayne as Spig Wead. Price served as a technical adviser on the film.[5] He also served as a technical advisor for the movie Mister Roberts.[6]
References[]
- ^ a b c d "Ex-Aviator John Price Dies at 65". The Victoria Advocate. December 20, 1957.
- ^ "United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995 Part 3: The Twenties 1920-1929" (PDF). Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved May 20, 2013. p. 13
- ^ "First Planned Night Carrier Landings". Naval History Blog, United States Naval Institute. April 8, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
- ^ "Navy Rocket Pioneers" (PDF). Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved May 20, 2013. p. 7
- ^ "Notes: The Wings of Eagles (1957)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
- ^ Mister Roberts at IMDb
External links[]
- 1892 births
- 1957 deaths
- People from Augusta, Arkansas
- Aviators from Arkansas
- American aviation record holders
- United States Navy admirals
- United States Naval Academy alumni
- United States Navy personnel of World War I
- United States Navy personnel of World War II
- United States Navy World War II admirals
- Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States)
- Recipients of the Legion of Merit
- Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)