By William “Bill” Davenport, Lt (jg) USN Ret., Richmond VA

 THE GIANT FLYING BOAT 

It’s who we are and where we have gone
Flying the Coronado hither and yon

As a young boy my friends called me “Poat”
At 23 I will command this giant flying boat 

Down the ramp at Alameda we do depart
For far off Manila our flight is to start 

I feel sorry for the men who pull off the gear
That extremely cold water gives them no reason for cheer

 While taxiing, the navigator trolled for fish
Fresh fish to eat is a delightful dish

 Four powerful engines with their mighty roar
Brought excitement, and salt spray as we leave the shore 

The take off was smooth in San Francisco Bay
Landing in Honolulu is a long 16 hours away 

We would settle down for the long over sea flight
Being thankful for the stars to guide us at night 

Our flight engineer watched his “how goes it” curve
Making sure that we had gasoline in reserve 

Radio signals sent out with a dot and dash song
Informed home base how we were getting along 

Four hours of intense flying and two to rest
Then back in the cockpit to do our best 

Clear skies and a full moon made the conditions just right
To spot Honolulu, a beautiful sight 

Flying over the landing area the moon is so bright
The color of the water, could be seen that night 

The landing was made into a very light breeze
The Coronado touched down with the greatest of ease 

Tired and weary we welcomed the bed
Knowing that our flight to Manila was just ahead 

With a plane load of mail from home to the boys
We were welcomed in the Islands as we tied to the buoys 

From Manila to Saipan as the sun was setting
I saw the churning ocean and the weather threatening 

We flew into a typhoon that very stormy night
We were covered with St. Elmo’s fire that was very bright 

Frustration and fear are quite a mix
In the eye of the storm the navigator got a star fix 

Turbulence, rain and lightning is our plight
We find that we are 90 miles to the right 

Holding the same heading the wind is our friend
We are back on course at the typhoon’s end 

The Coronado is quite comfortable getting all wet
She says “no matter the weather I will get you there yet” 

On arrival at Saipan we were greeted
With many problems that were not needed 

Cross wind and torrential rain from the night sky
I got us down safely on the second try 

Using the landing lights at night will impair
The only thing you get is confusion and glare 

All night landings are made on instruments with care
The windshield is black, no mistakes to spare 

The flight back to California was uneventful, but yet
Blanketing the complete area the fog had set 

The windshield is white this foggy day
On instruments we land in San Francisco Bay 

The co-pilot says with a great big smile
“You have been on the water for over a mile"

We throw out an anchor so as not to drift
We can taxi in as the fog will lift 

For a job well done of the crew I am proud
I give them a cheer both grateful and loud.