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{{Infobox military award
|name=NC-4 Medal
|image=US American NC-4 Medal (1).jpg
|image_size=115px
|caption='''[[Obverse and reverse|Obverse]]'''
|presenter=the [[President of the United States]]<br/> in the Name of the [[70th United States Congress]] 
|type=Commemorative medal
|eligibility=Members of the crew of [[NC-4]]
|awarded_for=Extraordinary achievement in making the first successful transatlantic flight
|campaign=
|status=
|description=One Time Award
|clasps=
|established=February 9, 1929
|firstawarded=
|lastawarded=
|total_awarded=7
|total_awarded_posthumously=
|total_recipients=
|individual= 
|higher=[[Peary Polar Expedition Medal]]<ref name=32CFR/>
|same=
|lower=[[Byrd Antarctic Expedition Medal]]<ref name=32CFR/>
|related=
|image2=[[File:NC-4 Medal ribbon bar.png|100px|border]]
|caption2=
}}

The '''NC-4 Medal''' is a [[Awards and decorations of the United States military|military decoration]] that was authorized by the [[United States Congress]] in 1929 to commemorate the 1919 trans-Atlantic crossing by the members of the [[NC-4]] mission.  Originally awarded as a non-wearable table medal, in 1935 a wearable version of the medal was subsequently authorized.  A commemorative medal, the NC-4 Medal was a one-time award, and does not currently appear on U.S. Navy award precedence charts.

==Background==
{{main|Curtiss NC-4}}
In 1919, the [[United States Navy]] decided to plan a mission to complete the first trans-Atlantic crossing by aircraft.  This mission would demonstrate the capabilities of the [[Curtiss NC|Navy Curtis]] [[seaplane]].  The mission began with three identical aircraft, NC-1, NC-3, and NC-4 departing from [[Naval Air Station Rockaway]] on May 8, 1919.  On May 15 the aircraft arrived at [[Trepassey]], [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]], having made intermediate stops along the way.<ref name=navalaviation>{{cite book|last=Grossnick|first=Roy A.|title=United States naval aviation : 1910 - 1995|year=1997|publisher=Naval Historical Center, Dep. of the Navy|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=9780160491245|edition=[4. ed.]|page=40}}</ref>  There they met their "base ship" the {{USS|Aroostook|CM-3}}, recently converted from [[minelayer]] to [[seaplane tender]].

After repairs and refitting, the NC's took off for the [[Azores]] on 16 May.  During this longest leg of the journey, the planes were guided by a picket of twenty-two U.S. Navy ships spaced approximately 50 miles apart.  The ships, brightly illuminated, kept the aircraft on course through the night.

After flying all night, NC-4 was the sole aircraft to arrive in the Azores.  After an elapsed flying time of 15 hours, 18 minutes, NC-4 arrived at the town of [[Horta (Azores)|Horta]] on [[Faial Island]] in the Azores on May 17, 1919.  The crew had flown about 1,200 miles (1,920 km).  During the flight bad weather had forced the NC-1 and NC-3 to land in the open sea, with the NC-4 being the only aircraft to successfully complete the flight.<ref name=navalaviation/>

==Medal authorization==
Following the 1928 [[Congressional Gold Medal]] awarded to [[Charles Lindbergh]] for the first solo trans-Atlantic flight, [[United States Representative|Representative]] [[James Russell Leech]] of Pennsylvania sought to recognize the NC-4 crew. In 1929, he introduced legislation to honoring the accomplishment of the NC-4 crew, for the first trans-Atlantic flight.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the crew of the first transatlantic flight|url=http://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1901-1950/A-Congressional-Gold-Medal-awarded-to-the-crew-of-the-first-transatlantic-flight/|publisher=Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives|accessdate=11 February 2013}}</ref> 

The United States Congress passed [[Act of Congress|Public Law]] [[s:United States Statutes at Large/Volume 45/70th Congress/2nd Session/Chapter 167|70-714]] on February 9, 1929.  This created the legal authorization to award medals to the members of the NC-4 crew. The law read:
<blockquote>''Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled'', That the President be, and is hereby, authorized to award, in the name of Congress, gold medals of appropriate design to Commander John H. Towers for conceiving, organizing, and commanding the first trans-Atlantic flight; to Lieutenant Commander [[Albert C. Read]], United States Navy, commanding officer NC-4; to Lieutenant [[Elmer F. Stone]], United States Coast Guard, pilot; to former Lieutenant [[Walter Hinton]], United States Navy, pilot; to Lieutenant [[Herbert C. Rodd]], United States Navy, radio operator; to former Lieutenant James L. Breese, United States Naval Reserve Force, engineer; and to former Machinist's Mate Eugene Rhodes, United States Navy, engineer, for their extraordinary achievement in making the first successful trans-Atlantic flight, in the United States naval flying boat NC-4, in May, 1919.<ref>{{cite wikisource |United States Statutes at Large/Volume 45/70th Congress/2nd Session/Chapter 167 |United States Statutes at Large, Volume 45, 70th Congress}}</ref></blockquote>  

The original medal was presented as a non-wearable, [[Medal|table medal]]. This medal was presented to Lieutenant Commander Read, and the other five members of the NC-4 crew.  A medal was also awarded to Commander Towers, commander of NC-3, which did not complete the flight.  While he may have served as NC-3's commander, he was in command of the mission as commander of Seaplane Division One.<ref name=Emering>{{cite book|last=Emering|first=Edward J.|title=US Navy and Marine Corps campaign and commemorative medals|year=1998|publisher=Schiffer Publ.|location=Atglen, PA|isbn=9780764303869|page=58}}</ref><ref name=navalaviation/>

===Wearable medal authorization===
On April 29, 1935, Congress passed Public Law 74-43 ({{USC|10|6255}}) which allowed personnel of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to wear miniature versions of medals not previously intended for wear. This meant that awards like the NC-4 Medal could now be worn, at the discretion of the Secretary of the Navy, on the military uniform, borne by an appropriate suspension ribbon or worn as a [[service ribbon]] in less formal occasions.

==Appearance==
The [[obverse and reverse|obverse]] of the medal bears the stylized image of a [[seagull]], flying above ocean waves, surrounded by the words ''FIRST TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT UNITED STATES NAVY MAY 1919'' in relief along the outer edges of the medal.  On the reverse, in the center of the medal surrounded by a circle is the inscription ''NC-4'', with ''NEWFOUNDLAND'' above it and ''PORTUGAL'' below.  In the lower half of the medal, in two arcs, is the inscription ''PRESENTED · BY · THE · PRESIDENT · OF · THE · UNITED · STATES · IN · THE · NAME · OF · CONGRESS.''  In the corresponding position in the top half of the medal, the names of the recipients: ''J.H. TOWERS · A.C. READ · E.F. STONE · W. HINTON · H.C. RODD · J.L. BREESE · E. RHODES.''<ref name=Emering/>

It is very rare that a Congressional Gold Medal be made for wear on clothing.

The NC-4 Medal appeared in older U.S. Navy precedence charts after the [[Peary Polar Expedition Medal]] and before the [[Byrd Antarctic Expedition Medal]].<ref name=32CFR>{{cite book|title=The Code of Federal Regulations of the United States of America Title 32 Parts 700 to 799|year=1967|publisher=United States Government|location=Washington, D.C.|page=551|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z9A6AAAAIAAJ&dq=%22NC-4%22+medal+code+of+federal+regulations&pg=PA551}}</ref>  The awardee who later was appointed to Vice Admiral, John Towers, was photographed several times as Rear Admiral and Vice Admiral wearing the NC-4 Medal and ribbon ahead of all his other awards.<ref>{{cite web|title=New Chief of Naval Aeronautics takes oath. Washington, D.C., June 1. The newly appointed Chief of Bureau of Aeronautics, U.S. Navy, Capt. John H. Towers, right, being administered the oath of office today by John B. May, Chief Clerk of the Navy Department. The promotion automatically carries with it the rank of Rear Admiral for the new chief, Capt. Towers was one of the pilots of the NC 4 on the massed flight across the Atlantic in 1919|url=https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/hec2009013475/|publisher=Library of Congress|accessdate=26 February 2016}}</ref> Following the various retirements, deaths, and release from military service of the original recipients, the NC-4 Medal became obsolete and does not appear on any current military award precedence charts.<ref>{{cite web|title=Awards Order of Precedence |url=https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/References/US-Navy-Uniforms/Uniform-Regulations/Awards-Order-Precedence/|publisher=Navy Personnel Command |accessdate=3 March 2022}}</ref>

==Recipients==
The original NC-4 Medal was presented by President [[Herbert Hoover]] in May, 1930.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=aMetzGkCrI0C&dq=%22NC-4%22+medal+President+hoover&pg=PA7 U.S. Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Aviation, Volume I, 1916-1942 Chronology] page 7. By Wayne H. Heiser: Dihedral Press, McHenry, IL, 2006</ref>  The recipients were:
* [[Commander]] [[John Henry Towers|John H. Towers]], [[United States Navy|USN]]
* [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Albert Cushing Read|Albert C. Read]], USN
* [[Lieutenant]] [[Elmer Fowler Stone|Elmer F. Stone]], [[United States Coast Guard|USCG]]
* Lieutenant [[Walter Hinton]], USN
* [[Ensign (rank)|Ensign]] [[Herbert C. Rodd]], USN 
* Lieutenant James L. Breese Jr., [[United States Navy Reserve|USNR]]
* [[Chief Petty Officer|Chief Machinist's Mate]] Eugene S. Rhoads,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/Naval%20Aviation%20News/1960/pdf/jul69.pdf |title=A Time for Reminiscing: NC Crew Members, Designers Guests Celebrate Golden Anniversary of First Trans-Atlantic Flight |first1=Izetta Winter |last1=Robb |first2=James |last2=Johnston |date=July 1969 |magazine=Naval Aviation News |accessdate=22 February 2019}}</ref> USN

The last name of Eugene Rhoads was misspelled as Rhodes on both the award citation and the medal.

==See also==
*[[Transatlantic flight of Alcock and Brown]], June 1919, first non-stop crossing
*[[List of Congressional Gold Medal recipients]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://collections.naval.aviation.museum/emuwebdoncoms/pages/doncoms/Display.php?irn=16050075&QueryPage=%2Femuwebdoncoms%2Fpages%2Fdoncoms%2FQuery.php Photograph] of Chief Eugene Rhoads and Rear Admiral A.C. Read wearing the NC-4 Medal ribbon bar. National Naval Aviation Museum
*[http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/attractions/aircraft-exhibits/item/?item=nc4_memorabilia NC-4 Memorabilia Exhibit] National Naval Aviation Museum

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[[Category:1929 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Awards and decorations of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Awards established in 1929]]
[[Category:Transatlantic flight]]