Mitchell Wolfson Sr. (1900 – January 28, 1983) was an American businessman, theatre owner, politician, and founder of Wometco Enterprises .
106-741: Wolfson was born in 1900 in Key West , Florida . He went to school in Key West and at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, New York , and then graduated from Columbia University . After school, he went to work for the East Coast Wholesale Corp in Miami, founded by his father in 1884. In 1925, he partnered with his brother-in-law, Sidney Meyer, forming the Wo lfson- Me yer T heater Co mpany and began construction on
212-493: A flight deck on the fore-deck; in 1917 it was reconstructed with separate flight decks fore and aft of the superstructure; then finally, after the war, it was heavily reconstructed with a three-quarter length main flight deck, and a lower-level take-off only flight deck on the fore-deck. On 2 August 1917, Squadron Commander E.H. Dunning , Royal Navy, landed his Sopwith Pup aircraft on Furious in Scapa Flow , Orkney , becoming
318-623: A cable television company, a soft drink bottling franchise, and tourist attractions including the Miami Seaquarium . At the time of his death, Wometco had over $ 500 million in sales. Wolfson served two terms as city councilman in Miami Beach, Florida , before being elected its first Jewish mayor in 1943. He resigned after one term to fight Nazi Germany in World War II . As a founder and for his later philanthropy towards Miami-Dade College ,
424-403: A country's seagoing forces with air cover over areas that may not be reachable by land-based aircraft, giving them a considerable advantage over navies composed primarily of surface combatants. Naval aviation also provides countries with the opportunity to deploy military aircraft over land and sea, without the need for air bases on land. Aircraft may be used to conduct naval mine clearance ,
530-619: A manned reconnaissance device that would give the viewer the advantage of considerable height. In 1908 Prime Minister H. H. Asquith approved the formation of an "Aerial Sub-Committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence " to investigate the potential for naval aviation. In 1909 this body accepted the proposal of Captain Reginald Bacon made to the First Sea Lord Sir John Fisher that rigid airships should be constructed for
636-658: A month after the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis . In 1982, the city of Key West briefly asserted independence as the Conch Republic as a protest over a United States Border Patrol blockade . This blockade was set up on US 1 , where the northern end of the Overseas Highway meets the mainland at Florida City . A traffic jam of 17 miles (27 km) ensued while the Border Patrol stopped every car leaving
742-403: A more mobile strike capacity led to the development of the aircraft carrier - the backbone of modern naval aviation. HMS Ark Royal was the first purpose-built seaplane carrier and was also arguably the first modern aircraft carrier. She was originally laid down as a merchant ship, but was converted on the building stocks to be a hybrid airplane/seaplane carrier with a launch platform and
848-726: A naval zeppelin detachment in Berlin-Johannisthal and an airplane squadron in Putzig (Puck, Poland). The Japanese established the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service , modelled on the RNAS , in 1913. On 24 January 1913 came the first wartime naval aviation interservice cooperation mission. Greek pilots on a seaplane observed and drew a diagram of the positions of the Turkish fleet against which they dropped four bombs. This event
954-612: A platform extending from the side of the flight deck. In the United States, Admiral William Benson attempted to entirely dissolve the USN's Naval Aeronautics program in 1919. Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Roosevelt and others succeeded in maintaining it, but the service continued to support battleship-based doctrines. To counter Billy Mitchell 's campaign to establish a separate Department of Aeronautics, Secretary of
1060-731: A position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier . Carrier-based aircraft must be sturdy enough to withstand the demands of carrier operations. They must be able to launch in a short distance and be sturdy and flexible enough to come to a sudden stop on a pitching flight deck; they typically have robust folding mechanisms that allow higher numbers of them to be stored in below-decks hangars and small spaces on flight decks. These aircraft are designed for many purposes, including air-to-air combat , surface attack , submarine attack , search and rescue , matériel transport, weather observation , reconnaissance and wide area command and control duties. Naval helicopters can be used for many of
1166-727: A seaplane carrier against a land target as well as a sea target took place in September 1914 when the Imperial Japanese Navy carrier Wakamiya conducted ship-launched air raids from Kiaochow Bay during the Battle of Tsingtao in China. The four Maurice Farman seaplanes bombarded German-held land targets (communication centers and command centers) and damaged a German minelayer in the Tsingtao peninsula from September until 6 November 1914, when
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#17328633115781272-585: A ship which was under way occurred. Hibernia steamed at 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) at the Royal Fleet Review in Weymouth Bay , England . Hibernia then transferred her aviation equipment to battleship London . Based on these experiments, the Royal Navy concluded that aircraft were useful aboard ship for spotting and other purposes, but that interference with the firing of guns caused by
1378-615: A slow decline in the cigar industry in Key West. Still, Key West remained the largest and wealthiest city in Florida at the end of the 1880s. USS Maine sailed from Key West on her fateful visit to Havana, where she blew up and sank in Havana Harbor , igniting the Spanish–American War . Crewmen from the ship are buried in Key West, and the Navy investigation into the blast occurred at
1484-459: A small number of aircraft. The solution to the problem were large numbers of mass-produced merchant hulls converted into escort aircraft carriers (also known as "jeep carriers"). These basic vessels, unsuited to fleet action by their capacity, speed and vulnerability, nevertheless provided air cover where it was needed. The Royal Navy had observed the impact of naval aviation and, obliged to prioritise their use of resources, abandoned battleships as
1590-501: A state of the art theater in downtown Miami. The Capital Theatre was completed in 1926 at the cost of $ 300,000 and featured an early form of air conditioning. They built the company into a business conglomerate using the portmanteau , Wometco Enterprises . In 1949, Wometco founded the first television station in Miami, WTVJ . Wometco went on to own and operate the largest chain of movie theaters in South Florida, six television stations,
1696-555: Is a method of supplying naval vessels at sea, by helicopter . This means moving cargo and supplies from supply ships to the flight decks of other naval vessels using naval helicopters. During the Cold War , the navies of NATO faced a significant threat from Soviet submarine forces, specifically Soviet Navy SSN and SSGN assets. This resulted in the development and deployment of light aircraft carriers with major anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities by European NATO navies. One of
1802-458: Is about 8 feet (2.4 m) and the maximum elevation is about 18 feet (5.5 m), within a 1-acre (0-hectare) area known as Solares Hill . The city of Key West is the southernmost city in the contiguous United States , and the island is the westernmost island connected by highway in the Florida Keys . The city boundaries include the island of Key West and several nearby islands, as well as
1908-416: Is also used as part of amphibious warfare . Aircraft based on naval ships provide support to marines and other forces performing amphibious landings. Ship-based aircraft may also be used to support amphibious forces as they move inland. Naval aircraft are used for various maritime patrol missions, such as reconnaissance, search and rescue, and maritime law enforcement. Vertical replenishment (VERTREP)
2014-510: Is approximately 95 miles (153 km) north of Cuba at their closest points, and 106 miles (171 km) north-northeast of Havana . The city of Key West is the county seat of Monroe County , which includes a majority of the Florida Keys and part of the Everglades . The total land area of the city is 5.6 square miles (14.5 km ). The population within the city limits was 26,444 at
2120-639: The 2020 census . The official city motto is "One Human Family". Key West is the southernmost city in the contiguous United States and the westernmost island connected by highway in the Florida Keys . Duval Street , its main street, is 1.1 miles (1.8 km) in length in its 14-block-long crossing from the Gulf of Mexico to the Straits of Florida and the Atlantic Ocean. Key West is the southern terminus of U.S. Route 1 – the longest north–south road in
2226-518: The Confederate States of America , Key West remained in U.S. Union hands because of the naval base. Most locals were sympathetic to the Confederacy, however, and many flew Confederate flags over their homes. However, Key West was also home to a large free black population. This population grew during the war as more enslaved black people fled from their masters and came under the relative safety of
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#17328633115782332-560: The Doolittle Raid of 1942, 16 Army medium bombers were launched from the carrier Hornet on one-way missions to bomb Japan. All were lost to fuel exhaustion after bombing their targets and the experiment was not repeated. Smaller carriers were built in large numbers to escort slow cargo convoys or supplement fast carriers. Aircraft for observation or light raids were also carried by battleships and cruisers, while blimps were used to search for attack submarines. Experience showed that there
2438-647: The Harry S. Truman Little White House , where he would spend 175 days of his presidency. In 1948, Key West suffered damage from two hurricanes within as many months, from the September 1948 Florida hurricane then the 1948 Miami hurricane . Prior to the Cuban revolution of 1959, there were regular ferry and airplane services between Key West and Havana. John F. Kennedy was to use "90 miles from Cuba" extensively in his speeches against Fidel Castro . Kennedy himself visited Key West
2544-516: The Key West Gazette , its predecessor. He later sent those copies to the Monroe County clerk for preservation, which gives us a view of life in Key West in the early days (1820–1840). In the 1830s, Key West was the richest city per capita in the United States. In 1846, the city suffered severely from the 1846 Havana hurricane . In 1852 the first Catholic Church, St. Mary's Star-Of-The-Sea,
2650-483: The PBY Catalina helped finding submarines and surface fleets. In World War II the aircraft carrier replaced the battleship as the most powerful naval offensive weapons system as battles between fleets were increasingly fought out of gun range by aircraft. The Japanese Yamato , the heaviest battleship ever built, was first turned back by light escort carrier aircraft and later sunk lacking its own air cover. During
2756-640: The Royal Navy to be used for reconnaissance. This resulted in the construction of Mayfly in 1909, the first air component of the navy to become operational, and the genesis of modern naval aviation. The first pilots for the Royal Navy were transferred from the Royal Aero Club in June 1910 along with two aircraft with which to train new pilots, and an airfield at Eastchurch became the Naval Flying School,
2862-599: The Southernmost House and the Fogarty Mansion , built by the children of William Curry—his daughter Florida and son Charles, respectively. In addition to architecture, Old Town includes the Key West Cemetery , founded in 1847, containing above-ground tombs, notable epitaphs, and a plot where some of the dead from the 1898 explosion of USS Maine are buried. The Casa Marina area takes its name from
2968-516: The United States Navy West Indies Anti- Pirate Squadron took charge of Key West, which he ruled as military dictator under martial law . The United States Navy gave Porter the mission of countering piracy and the slave trade in the Key West area. Soon after his purchase, John Simonton subdivided the island into plots and sold three undivided quarters of each plot to: Simonton spent the winter in Key West and
3074-786: The United States Navy to demonstrate that airplanes could take off from and land aboard ships at sea. One of his pilots, Eugene Ely , took off from the cruiser USS Birmingham anchored off the Virginia coast in November 1910. Two months later Ely landed aboard another cruiser, USS Pennsylvania , in San Francisco Bay , proving the concept of shipboard operations. However, the platforms erected on those vessels were temporary measures. The U.S. Navy and Glenn Curtiss experienced two firsts during January 1911. On 27 January, Curtiss flew
3180-679: The White Street Gallery District , is exclusively residential. Many of the structures in Old Town date from 1886 to 1912. The basic features that distinguish the local architecture include wood-frame construction of one- to two-and-a-half-story structures set on foundation piers about three feet (one meter) above the ground. Exterior characteristics of the buildings are peaked metal roofs, horizontal wood siding, gingerbread trim , pastel shades of paint, side-hinged louvered shutters, covered porches (or balconies, galleries, or verandas) along
3286-576: The Wright brothers and Curtiss. A camp with a primitive landing field was established on the Severn River at Greenbury Point, near Annapolis, Maryland . The vision of the aerial fleet was for scouting. Each aircraft would have a pilot and observer. The observer would use the wireless radio technology to report on enemy ships. Some thoughts were given to deliver counterattacks on hostile aircraft using "explosives or other means". Using airplanes to bomb ships
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3392-564: The ski-jump ramp as an alternative to contemporary catapult systems. As the Royal Navy retired or sold the last of its World War II-era carriers, they were replaced with smaller ships designed to operate helicopters and the V/STOVL Sea Harrier jet. The ski-jump gave the Harriers an enhanced STOVL capability, allowing them to take off with heavier payloads. In 2013, the US Navy completed
3498-569: The 2nd United States Colored Troops (USCT) arrived in Key West as replacements for the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers. Many of these men would see action in southern Florida and the 2nd USCT would become "one of the most active" black regiments in Florida. Fort Jefferson , located about 68 miles (109 km) from Key West on Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas , served after the Civil War as the prison for Samuel A. Mudd , convicted of conspiracy for setting
3604-615: The American claim on Key West, so the Florida Keys became the de facto property of the United States. After claiming the Florida Keys for the United States, Perry renamed Cayo Hueso (Key West) to Thompson's Island for Secretary of the Navy Smith Thompson , and the harbor Port Rodgers in honor of War of 1812 hero and President of the Navy Supervisors Board John Rodgers . In 1823, Commodore David Porter of
3710-845: The Casa Marina Hotel, opened in 1921, the neighborhood's most conspicuous landmark. The Reynolds Street Pier, Higgs Beach, the West Martello Tower , the White Street Pier, and Rest Beach line the waterfront. Naval aviation Naval aviation / Aeronaval is the application of military air power by navies , whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. It often involves navalised aircraft , specifically designed for naval use. Seaborne aviation encompasses similar activities not restricted to navies, including marines and coast guards , such as in U.S. naval aviators . Naval aviation units are typically projected to
3816-575: The Civil War. Another landmark built by the federal government is the Key West Lighthouse , now a museum. Two of the most notable buildings in Old Town , occupied by prominent 20th-century residents, are the Ernest Hemingway House , where the writer lived from 1931 to 1939, and the Harry S. Truman Little White House , where the president spent 175 days of his time in office. Additionally,
3922-620: The Germans surrendered. One Japanese plane was credited being shot down by the German aviator Gunther Plüschow in an Etrich Taube , using his pistol. On the Western front the first naval air raid occurred on 25 December 1914 when twelve seaplanes from HMS Engadine , Riviera and Empress ( cross-channel steamers converted into seaplane carriers) attacked the Zeppelin base at Cuxhaven . The raid
4028-498: The Gulf of Mexico to the Straits of Florida and the Atlantic Ocean. Key West is closer to Havana (about 106 miles or 171 kilometers by air or sea) than it is to Miami (130 miles or 210 kilometers by air or 165 miles or 266 kilometers by road). Key West is the usual endpoint for marathon swims from Cuba, including Diana Nyad 's 2013 swim and Susie Maroney 's 1997 swim from within a shark cage. The earliest Key West neighborhoods, on
4134-628: The Key West Customs House. In October 1909, Key West was devastated by the 1909 Florida Keys hurricane . Further damage was suffered the following year in the 1910 Cuba hurricane . Key West was relatively isolated until 1912, when it was connected to the Florida mainland via the Overseas Railway extension of Henry M. Flagler 's Florida East Coast Railway (FEC). Flagler created a landfill at Trumbo Point for his railyards. The 1919 Florida Keys hurricane caused catastrophic damage to
4240-524: The Keys for concealment. In 1766 the British governor of East Florida recommended that a post be set up on Key West to improve control of the area, but nothing came of it. During both the British and Spanish periods no nation exercised de facto control. The Bahamians apparently set up camps in the Keys that were occupied for months at a time, and there were rumors of permanent settlements in the Keys by 1806 or 1807, but
4346-524: The Keys is called the Overseas Highway . Franklin Roosevelt toured the road in 1939. During World War II , more than 14,000 ships came through the island's harbor. The population, because of an influx of soldiers, sailors, laborers, and tourists, sometimes doubled or even tripled at times during the war. Starting in 1946, US President Harry S. Truman established a working vacation home in Key West,
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4452-605: The Keys, supposedly searching for illegal immigrants attempting to enter the mainland United States. This paralyzed the Florida Keys, which rely heavily on the tourism industry. Flags, T-shirts and other merchandise representing the Conch Republic are still popular souvenirs for visitors to Key West, and the Conch Republic Independence Celebration—including parades and parties—is celebrated annually, on April 23. In 1998, Hurricane Georges damaged
4558-590: The Navy Josephus Daniels ordered a rigged test against USS Indiana in 1920 which reached the conclusion that "the entire experiment pointed to the improbability of a modern battleship being either destroyed or completely put out of action by aerial bombs." Investigation by the New-York Tribune that discovered the rigging led to Congressional resolutions compelling more honest studies . The sinking of SMS Ostfriesland involved violating
4664-437: The Navy's rules of engagement but completely vindicated Mitchell to the public. Some men, such as Captain (soon Rear Admiral) William A. Moffett , saw the publicity stunt as a means to increase funding and support for the Navy's aircraft carrier projects. Moffett was sure that he had to move decisively in order to avoid having his fleet air arm fall into the hands of a proposed combined Land/Sea Air Force which took care of all
4770-582: The Overseas Railway and killed hundreds of residents, including around 400 World War I veterans who were living in camps and working on federal road and mosquito-control projects in the Middle Keys. The FEC could not afford to restore the railroad. The U.S. government then rebuilt the rail route as an automobile highway, completed in 1938, built atop many of the footings of the railroad. It became an extension of U.S. Route 1 . The portion of U.S. 1 through
4876-405: The Union garrison there. Fort Zachary Taylor , constructed from 1845 to 1866, was an important Key West outpost during the Civil War. Construction began in 1861 on two other forts, East and West Martello Towers, which served as side armories and batteries for the larger fort. When completed, they were connected to Fort Taylor by railroad tracks for movement of munitions. Early in 1864, 900 men from
4982-401: The United States's airpower needs. (That very fate had befallen the two air services of the United Kingdom in 1918: the Royal Flying Corps had been combined with the Royal Naval Air Service to become the Royal Air Force , a condition which would remain until 1937.) Moffett supervised the development of naval air tactics throughout the '20s. The first aircraft carrier entered the U.S. fleet with
5088-400: The United States, as well as State Road A1A , the East Coast Greenway and, before 1935, the Florida East Coast Railway . Key West is a port of call for passenger cruise ships . The Key West International Airport provides airline service. Naval Air Station Key West is an important year-round training site for naval aviation due to the tropical weather, which is also the reason Key West
5194-404: The War. The first jet landing on a carrier was made by Lt Cdr Eric 'Winkle' Brown who landed on HMS Ocean in the specially modified de Havilland Vampire ( registration LZ551/G) on 3 December 1945. Following the introduction of angled flight decks , jets were regularly operating from carriers by the mid-1950s. An important development of the early 1950s was the British invention of
5300-436: The Western Front. In 1914 the first aerial torpedo was dropped in trials performed in a Short "Folder" by Lieutenant (later Air Chief Marshal Sir) Arthur Longmore , and in August 1915, a Short Type 184 piloted by Flight Commander Charles Edmonds from HMS Ben-my-Chree sank a Turkish supply ship in the Sea of Marmara with a 14-inch-diameter (360 mm), 810-pound (370 kg) torpedo. The first strike from
5406-414: The aftermath of natural disasters. Naval aircraft are vital in cases where traditional infrastructure to provide relief are destroyed or overtaxed in the wake of a disaster, such as when a region's airport is destroyed or overcrowded and the region cannot be effectively accessed by road or helicopter. The capability of ships to provide clean, fresh water which can be transported by helicopter to affected areas
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#17328633115785512-422: The aircraft tows a sled through the water but is itself at a significant distance from the water, hopefully putting itself out of harm's way. Aircraft include the MH-53E and AW101 . Aircraft operated by navies are also used in the anti-surface warfare (ASUW or ASuW) role, to attack enemy ships and other, surface combatants . This is generally conducted using air-launched anti-ship missiles . Naval aviation
5618-439: The aircraft. The Gnome -engined Short Improved S.27 "S.38", pusher seaplane piloted by Lieutenant Charles Samson become the first British aircraft to take-off from a ship while at anchor in the River Medway , on 10 January 1912. Africa then transferred her flight equipment to her sister ship Hibernia . In May 1912, with Commander Samson again flying the "S.38", the first ever instance of an aircraft to take off from
5724-406: The angled flight deck by Capt D.R.F. Campbell RN in conjunction with Lewis Boddington of the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough. The runway was canted at an angle of a few degrees from the longitudinal axis of the ship. If an aircraft missed the arrestor cables (referred to as a " bolter "), the pilot only needed to increase engine power to maximum to get airborne again, and would not hit
5830-476: The area. On December 25, 1921, Manuel Cabeza was lynched by members of the Ku Klux Klan for living with a black woman. Pan American Airlines was founded in Key West, originally to fly visitors to Havana, in 1926. The airline contracted with the United States Postal Service in 1927 to deliver mail to and from Cuba and the United States. The mail route was known as the Key West, Florida – Havana Mail Route . The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 destroyed much of
5936-419: The broken leg of John Wilkes Booth , the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln . In the 19th century, major industries included wrecking , fishing , turtling , and salt manufacturing. From 1830 to 1861, Key West was a major center of U.S. salt production, harvesting the commodity from the sea (via receding tidal pools) rather than from salt mines. After the outbreak of the Civil War, Union troops shut down
6042-401: The capacity to hold up to four wheeled aircraft. Launched on 5 September 1914, she served in the Dardanelles campaign and throughout World War I. During World War I the Royal Navy also used HMS Furious to experiment with the use of wheeled aircraft on ships. This ship was reconstructed three times between 1915 and 1925: first, while still under construction, it was modified to receive
6148-447: The city boundaries. Both Fleming Key and Sigsbee Park are part of Naval Air Station Key West and are inaccessible to the general public. In the late 1950s, many of the large salt ponds on the eastern side of the island were filled in. The new section on the eastern side is called New Town, which contains shopping centers, retail malls, residential areas, schools, ball parks , and Key West International Airport . Key West and most of
6254-417: The city from Cuba, and Key West quickly became a major producer of cigars. The Great Fire of Key West , on April 1, 1886, started at a coffee shop next to the San Carlos Institute and spread out of control, destroyed 18 cigar factories and 614 houses and government warehouses. Some factory owners chose not to rebuild and instead moved their operations to the new community of Ybor City in Tampa , leading to
6360-482: The city. In 2017, Hurricane Irma caused substantial damage with wind and flooding, killing three people. Key West is an island located at 24°33′55″N 81°46′33″W / 24.565176°N 81.775794°W / 24.565176; -81.775794 in the Straits of Florida . The island is about 4 miles (6 km) long and 1 mile (2 km) wide, with a total land area of 4.2 square miles (10.9 km ; 2,688.0 acres). The average elevation above sea level
6466-648: The conversion of the collier USS Jupiter and its recommissioning as USS Langley in 1922. Many British naval vessels carried float planes, seaplanes or amphibians for reconnaissance and spotting: two to four on battleships or battlecruisers and one on cruisers. The aircraft, a Fairey Seafox or later a Supermarine Walrus , were catapult-launched , and landed on the sea alongside for recovery by crane. Several submarine aircraft carriers were built by Japan, each carrying one floatplane, which did not prove effective in war. The French Navy built one large submarine , Surcouf , which also carried one floatplane, and
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#17328633115786572-418: The course of the war, seaborne aircraft were used in fleet actions at sea ( Midway , Bismarck ), strikes against naval units in port ( Taranto , Pearl Harbor ), support of ground forces ( Okinawa , Allied invasion of Italy ) and anti-submarine warfare (the Battle of the Atlantic ). Carrier-based aircraft were specialised as dive bombers , torpedo bombers , and fighters . Surface-based aircraft such as
6678-459: The cruiser Hermes converted into a seaplane carrier . In 1914, naval aviation was split again, and became the Royal Naval Air Service . However, shipboard naval aviation had begun in the Royal Navy, and would become a major part of fleet operations by 1917. Other early operators of seaplanes were Germany , within its Marine-Fliegerabteilung naval aviation units within the Kaiserliche Marine , and Russia . In May 1913 Germany established
6784-476: The development of the optimum design for other aircraft carriers. Argus also evaluated various types of arresting gear , general procedures needed to operate a number of aircraft in concert, and fleet tactics. The Tondern raid , a British bombing raid against the Imperial German Navy 's airship base at Tønder , Denmark was the first attack in history made by aircraft flying from a carrier flight deck, with seven Sopwith Camels launched from HMS Furious . For
6890-415: The downtown campus was named the Wolfson Campus in his honor. He was married to Frances Meyer (December 16, 1906 – May 9, 1980); they had two sons, Mitchell Wolfson Jr. and Louis Wolfson II . Wolfson died on January 28, 1983, at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami. Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida , within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of
6996-402: The expensive connotations of the term "aircraft carrier", the Invincible -class carriers were originally designated as "through deck cruisers" and were initially to operate as helicopter-only craft escort carriers. The arrival of the Sea Harrier VTOL / STOVL fast jet meant that the Invincible-class could carry fixed-wing aircraft, despite their short flight decks. The British also introduced
7102-412: The first seaplane from the water at San Diego Bay and the next day U.S. Navy Lt. Theodore G. Ellyson , a student at the nearby Curtiss School, took off in a Curtiss "grass cutter" plane to become the first naval aviator . $ 25,000 was appropriated for the Bureau of Navigation (United States Navy) to purchase three airplanes and in the spring of 1911 four additional officers were trained as pilots by
7208-481: The first catapult launching from a ship underway. The first permanent naval air station was established at Pensacola, Florida , in January 1914 with Mustin as its commanding officer. On April 24 of that year, and for a period of approximately 45 days afterward, five floatplanes and flying boats flown by ten aviators operated from Mississippi and the cruiser Birmingham off Veracruz and Tampico , Mexico, respectively, conducting reconnaissance for troops ashore in
7314-601: The first naval units solely destroyed by airplanes. During the war the German "Marineflieger" claimed the destruction of 270 enemy planes, 6 balloons, 2 airships, 1 Russian destroyer, 4 merchant ships, 3 submarines, 4 torpedo boats and 12 vehicles, for the loss of 170 German sea and land planes as well as 9 vehicles. Notable Marineflieger aces were Gotthard Sachsenberg (31 victories), Alexander Zenzes (18 victories), Friedrich Christiansen (13 victories, 1 airship and 1 submarine), Karl Meyer (8 victories), Karl Scharon (8 victories), and Hans Goerth (7 victories). The need for
7420-421: The first person to land a plane on a moving ship. He was killed five days later during another landing on Furious . HMS Argus was converted from an ocean liner and became the first example of what is now the standard pattern of aircraft carrier, with a full-length flight deck that allowed wheeled aircraft to take off and land. After commissioning , the ship was heavily involved for several years in
7526-669: The first successful catapult launch and arrested landing of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aboard an aircraft carrier. After a decade of research and planning, the US Navy has been testing the integration of UAVs with carrier-based forces since 2013, using the experimental Northrop Grumman X-47B , and is working to procure a fleet of carrier-based UAVs, referred to as the Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) system. Naval aviation forces primarily perform naval roles at sea. However, they are also used for other tasks which vary between states. Common roles for such forces include: Carrier-based naval aviation provides
7632-518: The first such facility in the world. Two hundred applications were received, and four were accepted: Lieutenant C R Samson , Lieutenant A M Longmore , Lieutenant A Gregory and Captain E L Gerrard , RMLI . The French also established a naval aviation capability in 1910 with the establishment of the Service Aeronautique and the first flight training schools. U.S. naval aviation began with pioneer aviator Glenn Curtiss who contracted with
7738-759: The fronts of the structures, and wood lattice screens covering the area elevated by the piers. Some antebellum structures survive, including the Oldest (or Cussans-Watlington) House (1829–1836) and the John Huling Geiger House (1846–1849), now preserved as the Audubon House and Tropical Gardens . Fortifications such as Fort Zachary Taylor , the East Martello Tower, and the West Martello Tower , helped ensure that Key West would remain in Union control throughout
7844-484: The hydraulic catapults which had been introduced in the 1940s. The first Optical Landing System , the Mirror Landing Aid was invented by Lieutenant Commander H. C. N. Goodhart RN. The first trials of a mirror landing sight were conducted on HMS Illustrious in 1952. The US Navy built the first aircraft carrier to be powered by nuclear reactors . USS Enterprise was powered by eight nuclear reactors and
7950-542: The island. The island was indeed considered the " Gibraltar of the West" because of its strategic location on the 90-mile (140 km)–wide deep shipping lane, the Straits of Florida , between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico . On March 25, 1822, Lt. Commander Matthew C. Perry sailed the schooner USS Shark to Key West and planted the U.S. flag, claiming the Keys as United States property. No protests were made over
8056-698: The locations are not known. Fishermen from New England started visiting the Keys after the end of the War of 1812 , and may have briefly settled on Key Vaca in 1818. In 1815, the Spanish governor of Cuba in Havana deeded the island of Key West to Juan Pablo Salas, an officer of the Royal Spanish Navy Artillery posted in Saint Augustine, Florida . After Florida was transferred to the United States in 1821, Salas
8162-411: The loss of one man, the British destroyed two German zeppelins , L.54 and L.60 and a captive balloon. Genuine aircraft carriers did not emerge beyond Britain until the early 1920s. The Japanese Hōshō (1921) was the world's first purpose-built aircraft carrier, although the initial plans and laying down for HMS Hermes (1924) had begun earlier. Both Hōshō and Hermes initially boasted
8268-418: The mainstay of the fleet. HMS Vanguard was therefore the last British battleship and her sisters were cancelled. The United States had already instigated a large construction programme (which was also cut short) but these large ships were mainly used as anti-aircraft batteries or for shore bombardment . Other actions involving naval aviation included: Jet aircraft were used on aircraft carriers after
8374-566: The most effective weapons against submarines is the ASW helicopter, several of which could be based on these light ships. These carriers are typically around 20,000 tons displacement and carry a mix of ASW helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Land-based maritime patrol aircraft are also useful in this role, since they can operate independently of aircraft carriers. Naval aircraft are used to airlift supplies, insert specialized personnel (e.g. medical staff, relief workers), and evacuate persons in distress in
8480-480: The names used remained mostly intact and are still in use today. Duval Street, the island's main street, is named after Florida's first territorial governor, William Pope Duval , who served between 1822 and 1834 as the longest-serving governor in Florida's U.S. history. William Whitehead became chief editorial writer for the Enquirer , a local newspaper, in 1834. He preserved copies of his newspaper as well as copies from
8586-589: The parked aircraft because the angled deck pointed out over the sea. The angled flight deck was first tested on HMS Triumph , by painting angled deck markings onto the centerline flight deck for touch and go landings. The modern steam-powered catapult , powered by steam from a ship's boilers or reactors, was invented by Commander C.C. Mitchell of the Royal Naval Reserve . It was widely adopted following trials on HMS Perseus between 1950 and 1952 which showed it to be more powerful and reliable than
8692-711: The residences of some historical Key West families are recognized on the National Register of Historic Places as important landmarks of history and culture, including the Porter House on Caroline Street and the Gato House on Virginia Street. Several historical residences of the Curry family remain extant, including the Benjamin Curry House, built by the brother of Florida's first millionaire, William Curry, as well as
8798-468: The rest of the Florida Keys are on the dividing line between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico . The two bodies have different currents, with the calmer and warmer Gulf of Mexico being characterized by great clumps of seagrass . The shallow passage known as Hawk Channel lies directly south of the island and is conducive to the exchange of Gulf waters to the Atlantic via tidal currents. The area where
8904-705: The runway built over the foredeck and the danger and impracticality of recovering seaplanes that alighted in the water in anything but calm weather more than offset the desirability of having airplanes aboard. In 1912, the nascent naval air detachment in the United Kingdom was amalgamated to form the Royal Flying Corps and in 1913 a seaplane base on the Isle of Grain , an airship base at Kingsnorth and eight new airfields were approved for construction. The first aircraft participation in naval manoeuvres took place in 1913 with
9010-536: The salt industry after Confederate sympathizers smuggled the product into the South. Salt production resumed at the end of the war, but the industry was destroyed by an 1876 hurricane and never recovered, in part because of new salt mines on the mainland. During the Ten Years' War (an unsuccessful Cuban war for independence in the 1860s and 1870s), many Cubans sought refuge in Key West. Several cigar factories relocated to
9116-544: The same missions as fixed-wing aircraft while operating from aircraft carriers, helicopter carriers , destroyers and frigates . Early experiments on the use of kites for naval reconnaissance took place in 1903 at Woolwich Common for the Admiralty . Samuel Franklin Cody demonstrated the capabilities of his 8-foot-long black kite and it was proposed for use as either a mechanism to hold up wires for wireless communications or as
9222-402: The section of Stock Island north of U.S. Route 1 , on the adjacent key to the east. The total land area of the city is 5.6 square miles (15 km ), with an additional 1.6 square miles (4.1 km ) of surrounding water within the city limits. Sigsbee Park —originally known as Dredgers Key—and Fleming Key , both located to the north, and Sunset Key located to the west are all included in
9328-466: The separate islands of Dredgers Key , Fleming Key , Sunset Key , and the northern part of Stock Island , it constitutes the City of Key West . The island of Key West is about 4 miles (6 kilometers) long and 1 mile (2 km) wide, with a total land area of 4.2 square miles (11 km ). Within Florida, it is 130 miles (210 km) southwest of Miami by air, about 165 miles (266 km) by road. Key West
9434-516: The summer in Washington, where he lobbied hard for the development of the island and to establish a naval base on the island, both to take advantage of the island's strategic location and to bring law and order to the town. He died in 1854. The names of the four "founding fathers" of modern Key West were given to main arteries of the island when it was first platted in 1829 by William Adee Whitehead , John Whitehead's younger brother. That first plat and
9540-471: The two bodies merge between Key West and Cuba is called the Straits of Florida. The warmest ocean waters anywhere on the United States mainland are found in the Florida Keys in winter, with sea surface temperatures averaging in the 75–77 °F (24–25 °C) range in December through February. Duval Street is the main street in Key West and is 1.1 miles (1.8 km) in length in its 14-block-long crossing from
9646-425: The two most distinctive features of a modern aircraft carrier: a full-length flight deck and a starboard-side control tower island . Both continued to be adjusted in the light of further experimentation and experience, however: Hōshō even opted to remove its island entirely in favor of a less obstructed flight deck and improved pilot visibility. Instead, Japanese carriers opted to control their flight operations from
9752-455: The wake of the Tampico Affair . In January 1912, the British battleship HMS Africa took part in aircraft experiments at Sheerness . She was fitted for flying off aircraft with a 100-foot (30 m) downward-sloping runway which was installed on her foredeck, running over her forward 12-inch (305 mm) gun turret from her forebridge to her bow and equipped with rails to guide
9858-525: The western part of the island, are broadly known as Old Town . The Key West Historic District includes the major tourist destinations of the island, including Mallory Square , Duval Street, the Truman Annex , and Fort Zachary Taylor . Old Town is where the classic bungalows and guest mansions are found. Bahama Village , southwest of Whitehead Street, features houses, churches, and sites related to its Afro-Bahamian history. The Meadows , lying northeast of
9964-469: Was a need for widespread use of aircraft which could not be met quickly enough by building new fleet aircraft carriers. This was particularly true in the North Atlantic , where convoys were highly vulnerable to U-boat attack. The British authorities used unorthodox, temporary, but effective means of giving air protection such as CAM ships and merchant aircraft carriers , merchant ships modified to carry
10070-450: Was able to gain clear title to the island. Simonton had wide-ranging business interests in Mobile, Alabama . He bought the island because a friend, John Whitehead, had drawn his attention to the opportunities presented by the island's strategic location. John Whitehead had been stranded in Key West after a shipwreck in 1819 and he had been impressed by the potential offered by the deep harbor of
10176-556: Was also not effective in war. World War II saw the emergence of naval aviation as the decisive element in the war at sea. The principal users were Japan, United States (both with Pacific interests to protect) and Britain. Germany, the Soviet Union, France and Italy had a lesser involvement. Soviet Naval Aviation was mostly organised as land-based coastal defense force (apart from some scout floatplanes it consisted almost exclusively of land-based types also used by its air arms). During
10282-605: Was built. The year 1864 became a landmark for the church in South Florida when five Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary arrived from Montreal, Canada, and established the first Catholic school in South Florida. At the time it was called Convent of Mary Immaculate. The school is still operating today and is now known as Mary Immaculate Star of the Sea School. During the American Civil War , while Florida seceded and joined
10388-533: Was chosen as the site of President Harry S. Truman 's Winter White House . The central business district is located along Duval Street and includes much of the northwestern corner of the island. At various times before the 19th century, people who were related or subject to the Calusa and the Tequesta inhabited Key West. The last Native American residents of Key West were Calusa refugees who were taken to Cuba when Florida
10494-736: Was not a complete success, owing to sub-optimal weather conditions, including fog and low cloud, but the raid was able to conclusively demonstrate the feasibility of air-to-land strikes from a naval platform. Two German airships were destroyed at the Tøndern base on July 19, 1918, by seven Sopwith Camels launched from the carrier HMS Furious . In August 1914 Germany operated 20 planes and one Zeppelin, another 15 planes were confiscated. They operated from bases in Germany and Flanders (Belgium). On 19 August 1918 several British torpedo boats were sunk by 10 German planes near Heligoland. These are considered as
10600-471: Was seen as largely impractical at the time. CAPT Washington Irving Chambers felt it was much easier to defend against airplanes than mines or torpedoes. The wireless radio was cumbersome (greater than 50 pounds), but the technology was improving. Experiments were underway for the first ICS (pilot to observer comms) using headsets, as well as connecting the observer to the radio. The navy tested both telephones and voice tubes for ICS. As of August 1911, Italy
10706-446: Was so eager to sell the island that he sold it twice – first for a sloop valued at $ 575 to a General John Geddes , a former governor of South Carolina , and then to a U.S. businessman John W. Simonton, during a meeting in a Havana café on January 19, 1822, for the equivalent of $ 2,000 in pesos in 1821. Geddes tried in vain to secure his rights to the property before Simonton who, with the aid of some influential friends in Washington,
10812-590: Was the only other navy known to be adapting hydroplanes for naval use. The group expanded with the addition of six aviators in 1912 and five in 1913, from both the Navy and Marine Corps , and conducted maneuvers with the Fleet from the battleship USS Mississippi , designated as the Navy's aviation ship. Meanwhile, Captain Henry C. Mustin successfully tested the concept of the catapult launch in August 1912, and in 1915 made
10918-495: Was the second surface warship (after USS Long Beach ) to be powered in this way. The post-war years also saw the development of the helicopter , with a variety of useful roles and mission capability aboard aircraft carriers and other naval ships. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the United Kingdom and the United States converted some older carriers into Commando Carriers or Landing Platform Helicopters (LPH); seagoing helicopter airfields like HMS Bulwark . To mitigate
11024-574: Was the westernmost Key with a reliable supply of water. Between 1763, when Great Britain took control of Florida from Spain, and 1821, when the United States took possession of Florida from Spain, there were few or no permanent inhabitants anywhere in the Florida Keys. Cubans and Bahamians regularly visited the Keys, the Cubans primarily to fish, while the Bahamians fished, caught turtles, cut hardwood timber, and salvaged wrecks. Smugglers and privateers also used
11130-405: Was transferred from Spain to Great Britain in 1763. Cayo Hueso ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkaʝo ˈweso] ) is the original Spanish name for the island of Key West. It literally means "bone cay", cay referring to a low island or reef. It is said that the island was littered with the remains (bones) of prior native inhabitants, who used the isle as a communal graveyard. This island
11236-619: Was widely commented upon in the press, both Greek and international. At the outbreak of war the Royal Naval Air Service had 93 aircraft, six airships , two balloons and 727 personnel, making it larger than the Royal Flying Corps. The main roles of the RNAS were fleet reconnaissance, patrolling coasts for enemy ships and submarines, attacking enemy coastal territory and defending Britain from enemy air-raids, along with deployment along
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