Herbert Charles Rodd

Herbert Charles Rodd (4 September 1894 – 15 June 1932) was an American naval aviator. He served as the radio officer on the first successful transatlantic flight by the Curtiss NC-4 in May 1919 and later helped set additional world seaplane records for flight payload, duration and speed.

Rodd was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on 4 September 1894. He joined the United States Navy on 9 April 1917 as an enlisted seaman but was granted a provisional ensign's commission on 20 August 1918. As a member of the NC-4 crew, he was awarded the Navy Cross and later received a Congressional Gold Medal in 1929.

In 1925, Connell was the pilot on Commander John Rodgers's 1925 attempt to fly from California to Hawaii in a Naval Aircraft Factory PN-9 flying boat.

On 15–16 August 1927, Lieutenants Rodd and Byron James Connell (12 August 1894 – 30 January 1972 ) flew a Naval Aircraft Factory PN-10 flying boat for 20 hours 45 minutes 40 seconds on a triangular course until their fuel tanks ran dry. Their flight with Aviation Machinist's Mate Comar Vincent and a cargo of of sand covered . He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Legacy The former Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Rodd Field near Corpus Christi, Texas, was named in honor of Rodd. It operated from 7 June 1941 through the late 1950s. Texas State Highway 357 in Corpus Christi still is named Rodd Field Road.