Incredible illustrations and photographs help document the amazing aircraft that take off from ships or land on water. Exciting text describes their use in military action and rescue, as well as for scientific research and commercial purposes.

Most often, when Joint Operations are conducted by a larger service, individual Armed Service Historians tell the story of events ignoring, sometimes even trivialising, participation of the other Armed Services. Sometimes, Navy historians inferred Navy credit for a naval event conducted by a Coast Guard individual or the Coast Guard by documenting the event but ignoring Coast Guard presence. Documentation of history resulting from both similar and diverse contributions and authorities from a different sea-service is lost by this historian approach. For example, Navy historian Roy A. Grossnick, in his June 2001 book United States Naval Aviation, 1910-1995 only mentions Coast Guard participation in early Naval Aviation and the World War once when “The secretary of Navy was advised LT E.F. Stone, USCG was ordered to NAS Pensacola for aviation training.” As this book documents, Coast Guard individuals and the Coast Guard service gave many contributions to the World War and to development and growth of Naval Aviation during that period.

Float Planes And Flying Boats: The Coast Guard And Early Naval Aviation is a single comprehensive volume telling the history of early Naval Aviation; the Navy, the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard. A unified history of all naval aviators, it describes interrelationship and mutual support. In years leading to 1920, the Marine Corps and Coast Guard did not own aircraft. The three sea service’s aviators flew Navy aircraft on Navy missions from Navy ships and Navy Air Stations, commanded by Navy and Coast Guard aviators. The bond between them was born. It was a unique time.

The book is documented with 427 endnotes, and features 281 vintage aviation photographic images and a nautical chart of historical note embedded within its text. This balance of photographs and endnote documentation provides both visual and written history that will come alive for the reader.

Most often, when Joint Operations are conducted by a larger service, individual Armed Service Historians tell the story of events ignoring, sometimes even trivialising, participation of the other Armed Services. Sometimes, Navy historians inferred Navy credit for a naval event conducted by a Coast Guard individual or the Coast Guard by documenting the event but ignoring Coast Guard presence. Documentation of history resulting from both similar and diverse contributions and authorities from a different sea-service is lost by this historian approach. For example, Navy historian Roy A. Grossnick, in his June 2001 book United States Naval Aviation, 1910-1995 only mentions Coast Guard participation in early Naval Aviation and the World War once when “The secretary of Navy was advised LT E.F. Stone, USCG was ordered to NAS Pensacola for aviation training.” As this book documents, Coast Guard individuals and the Coast Guard service gave many contributions to the World War and to development and growth of Naval Aviation during that period.

Float Planes And Flying Boats: The Coast Guard And Early Naval Aviation is a single comprehensive volume telling the history of early Naval Aviation; the Navy, the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard. A unified history of all naval aviators, it describes interrelationship and mutual support. In years leading to 1920, the Marine Corps and Coast Guard did not own aircraft. The three sea service’s aviators flew Navy aircraft on Navy missions from Navy ships and Navy Air Stations, commanded by Navy and Coast Guard aviators. The bond between them was born. It was a unique time.

The book is documented with 427 endnotes, and features 281 vintage aviation photographic images and a nautical chart of historical note embedded within its text. This balance of photographs and endnote documentation provides both visual and written history that will come alive for the reader.

Float Planes and Flying Boats is the first and only written history describing the Coast Guard's contribution to early Naval Aviation's development. There is a Naval Aviator bond between Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps aviators that was initiated when the three service aviation communities joined in a major Joint Operation from 1914 to 1938 to develop and grow Naval Aviation. That bond drives each service to cooperate and support each other. For example, Coast Guard and Marine Corps aviators receive flight training at the Navy Training Command in Pensacola, and the Navy loaned the Coast Guard many of their first aircraft and gave land and facilities that became early Coast Guard air stations. The Coast Guard contributed to Navy activities that established Navy war-fighting capabilities, and provided engineering design and tests for seaplanes and aircraft carrier powder catapults and arresting gear. The only difference on the Naval Aviator Roster is USN, USCG, and USMC after their names. For example, Lieutenant Stone was Naval Aviator number 38, and 20 years later was also assigned Coast Guard Aviator number 1.