So just because they knew each other in USNA. - Wrestling Team Flew the Trans Atlantic together. NC-4. - Byrd was an alternate Curtiss pilot on that mission, we know where he ended up instead. - P.V.H. Weems captained one of the destroyers - Mitscher flew one of the Curtiss Airboats All had Celestial Navigation in common most likely and a keen interest in flying. - Early adopters of newest navigation technology. There might be a possibility that Marc took lessons at one of Weems schools. Mitscher along with Byrd certainly would need Celestial Navigation to do realtime navigation. Especially with the world record attempt to break a distance record from San Franciso to Hawaii.
Thank you so much @Seiji for all the time and effort made to share this fascinating information on the Forum.
Hi Jones, it really is for the hope that others enjoy the history as much as I do that I post these items. So each year, I have been getting closer and closer to finding that piece of information that will be convincing that the watch is Marc Mitschers. This year, I got even closer I think. So remember during the Senate hearings of 1932 who was Marc Mitscher's boss? It was Admiral Moffett. Considered the father of Naval Aviation. Below, it seems he procured the avigational books from Weems for BuNav. So it would not surprise me if Mitscher knew about Weems navigation innovations as early as 1926. Remember the watch was built in 1937. Plenty of time for Mitscher to know about Weems and Celestial Navigation. He is working for the Navy's most advanced department responsible for researching Avigation and pushing for Navy Pilots... This is the first copy of the P.V.H. Weems book on Celestial Navigation. Marc Mitscher is doing a lot of things is San Diego right around the time of Moffett getting Weems Celestial Navigation books and watches. So it could have happened either way.
So we have seen many Weems watches for the USAAC. There is no doubt that they existed for the Army, but what about the Navy? There is no doubt that the Navy was evaluating them. 1931, the same years that Mitscher and Moffett are going to the Senate and Navy Appropriations board as well as Weems School to get Avigation books and gear.
Longines shared with me that the Annapolis Dial was made by Longines. It's in the Archives. So, I am not supposed to share this, but since all but the words Naval Academy are redacted, I think it is still keeping in the spirit of things. The hidden text basically describes it as a dial with a coat of arms for the USNA.
Below is possibly proof Mitscher was trained by P.V.H. Weems in the earliest form of Celestial Navigation. One year later, US Navy would buy 100 books from Weems. Remember, it take more than a year to print a book. Writing, drafting, photography, editing, finding publisher, printing, and distribution is involved after all the theory is tested. It certainly was about that time P.V.H. Weems developed the course.
I thought it would be good to cross-link these threads. Some great watch Navigation info to share:- 3 Minute Marks on Pilot’s Chronographs: (Partially) Debunking Myths and (Some) Dead Reckoning | Page 8 | Omega Forums
Some other interesting facts. Mitscher was an evaluator of advancements in war plane design while he worked for the BuAero and BuNav. There are many examples in his files of this type of trip. Part of his other duties was to evaluate Avigation instruments. So it is highly likely he evaluated navigation watches. So if he didn't know Celestial Navigation, how could he evaluate the watches for usefulness? He is the head of BuNav at this point.
Reporting to Duty for Aero Tactical School. Pensacola is the "Annapolis of the Sea". Here is where the Navy educated the Navy Pilots in how to fly in the early days. This is a photo album I bought with photos of the NAS including a rare photo of NC-4 from the first successful Trans Atlantic Flight.
And yes those are Army, but at that time the Army had the larger budget for Aviation so was not uncommon for them to have the advantages. Note here is an example of how the Navy was the poor step child.
I did mention that Admiral Byrd was going to be part of the TransAtlantic Flight... Surprising was that Mitscher was almost part of the Arctic Expedition, the one Longines uses all the time to advertise the Celestial Navigation Weems watches. This was almost a different photo.
You have a preponderance of evidence that these two men were in the same places at the same time. With more research you can likely uncover the nature of their working relationship. What you will likely not be able to do is prove that your Weems watch was owned by Mitscher. Owning one of his books books is pretty cool in its own right.
Yes, noted in the beginning, this story is not finished. I am still looking for the very hard evidence. What I hope I have shown is that Airforce Staff Sargent Tony most likely did get the book and the watch at the same time in a pilots map case. I see no merit in giving me a valuable book months later for free. Or spending time telling me stories of his military career after the watch is already sold to me and in my possession. Weems, Byrd, and Mitscher shared a common interest in Avigation. They were early pioneers in aviation. They shared common missions together. There was several opportunities for Mitscher to get trained in Celestial Navigation. It was part of his duties with BuNav. He was heavily involved in evaluation of planes, training, and equipment. There was a need for him to learn this and as a pilot of the PBY Catalinas that flew to Hawaii as well as the Wing Commander at San Diego NAS on North Island where all the Celestial Navigation training and early trials were going on, it would be hard to believe he didn't have one of his own Weems watches at some time. He was obviously involved with Jimmy Doolittle and the Tokyo Raiders. He flew frequently to Ohio Wright Patterson AFB to supervise the construction of the plans as well as fly to Norfolk Virginia for the construction of the USS Hornet CV-8 that was planned from the beginning to be the platform for the B25B Mitchells for the Tokyo mission. The crew was trained in Celestial Navigation. So would it be surprising if Mitscher lost a Weems watch on a B25 bomber training airfield near Wright Patterson Ohio? Lockbourne AFB Ohio was the largest bomber training center of the period for that region. Note: I am fully aware that Lockbourne was not the training sight for where the Doolittle Raiders learned how to get the Mitchells off the aircraft carrier, that was a completely different secret airfield Eglin Ohio as noted on my diagrams (and the Raiders celebrated their anniversary at Dayton Ohio) It's all plausible, and the Annapolis Weems watches across all year(s), there were only a handful made. I believe only in 1937 based off of 5 examples. I estimate that about 10 exist today.
By the way, if you are interested in who trained the Doolittle Raiders in Celestial Navigation. It was Pan Am. Would it be possible for the captain of the USS Hornet with months of planning and preparations for the Tokyo Raider's mission to not know how the Doolittle pilots would navigate from the Hornet and land in China. The 17th Bombardment Groups is the Doolittle Raiders. Pan Am was teaching the Weems Method.
This is one museum I have not visited yet. The information from Marc Mitscher is not digitized yet so requires special access and an appointment.