Mermoz com7/26/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() The 12,460 gt vessel was rather modern and understated when compared with some of her French contemporaries. The ship also had 6138 cubic meters of holds and tween deck cargo space as well as 617 cubic meters of refrigerated cargo space. 196 crew served a mix of French vacationers, local interport West Africans, and military personnel. JEAN MERMOZ was named for the well-known French aviator and was built at the now legendary Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard, to carry 144 first class, 140 second class, 110 third class, 24 fourth class and 446 steerage passengers. He quickly became one of the most important figures of Argentinean commercial aviation.She was built in 1957 as the JEAN MERMOZ for Compagnie de Navigation Fraissinet et Cyprien Fabre (often referred to as Fabre Line) for service from Marseilles to West Africa via Casablanca, Dakar, Conakry, Monrovia, Abidjan, Tema, Lome, Cotonou, Lagos, Duala, Libreville, Port Gentil, and Pointe Noire. The same year, he arrived in Argentina, where he flew many dangerous flights for a new air company that later become Aerolíneas Argentinas. In 1933, Mermoz was appointed General Inspector by Air France. With the induction of the Potez 25 biplane that had a much higher ceiling than the Latécoère 25, Mermoz and his companions opened a scheduled route between Buenos Aires and Santiago. They succeeded otherwise it would have been certain death. They strapped themselves in and Mermoz just rolled off the mountain hoping to gain enough flying speed before hitting the ground. Mermoz cleared a rough path to the edge of the precipice and they removed whatever they could from the aircraft. Though the small machine suffered only mild damage and was still airworthy, there wasn’t enough take-off run available on the plateau. He rode an updraft that carried the plane through a high mountain pass, but then a downdraft slammed the aircraft onto a plateau at 12,000 feet. Taking a mechanic with him, Mermoz set out in a Latécoère 25 monoplane. Mermoz also undertook to shorten the Argentina-Chile mail route where pilots had to make a 1,600 km detour to skirt the towering Andes. He, his two companions, and the mailbags were rescued, but their plane sank during an attempt to tow it. In 1929, he became the first pilot to fly from Paris to the Pacific Ocean, finally landing in Santiago, Chile. But after he showed it could be done, mail delivery was no longer restricted to daylight-only operations. It was a rugged route, unmarked by any kind of beacon. He also made the first South American night flight from Natal (Brazil) to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. He made the first air crossing of some 3,000 km over the South Atlantic Ocean, from Dakar to Natal, in a commercial seaplane. In 1928, he switched to the South American route and became Aéropostale’s Chief Pilot. Mermoz was lucky five other pilots were killed by their captors. He was captured by nomadic Moors and held prisoner until a ransom was paid, a common practice and one of the many hazards of the job. On one occasion he had engine trouble over the Mauritanian desert and had to make an emergency landing. In 1926, Mermoz was assigned to ferry the mail on the Casablanca to Dakar route. The first Latécoère airmail routes connected Toulouse to Barcelona, Casablanca, and Dakar. Then he joined Lignes Aeriennes Latécoère and was fired with the goal of its founder and aircraft designer, Pierre Latécoère, to create an airmail line linking Europe with Africa and South America. For some months he was unable to find employment with any airline, and had to be content with odd jobs. In 1924, he returned to France and was demobilised. His encounter with harsh desert conditions, especially during a forced landing, stood him in good stead through life. In 1922, he left for Syria where he flew 600 hours in 18 months. He was especially revered in Argentina because he put that country firmly on the international aviation map, despite enormous odds.Īt the age of 19, Mermoz signed up with the French Air Force, but obtained his pilot’s licence only on his third attempt. Born on December 9, 1901, at Aubenton, Aisne, he was considered a hero by many in his own country as well as in South America. The US press called him “France’s Lindbergh”. He was a French cultural icon and Commander of the Legion of Honour. Mermoz was one of the most celebrated pilots of his time, handsome and dashing, making a career out of adventure. The daredevil pilot Jean Mermoz emerged the winner. In 1992, a poll was conducted to determine the greatest aviator of France. ![]()
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