Site of the China Clipper Flight Departure

Of the three flying boats Martin built for this route, none survived the war, and neither did the two men who led this flight. The Hawaii Clipper vanished in 1938 and the Philippine Clipper flew into a California mountain in 1943. Edwin Musick, in command on this 1935 departure, died when the Samoan Clipper exploded in 1938; his navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared with Amelia Earhart in 1937. The China Clipper itself moved to the Atlantic and broke apart landing at Port of Spain, Trinidad, in January 1945, with 23 people aboard.

What the plaque says

Pan Am China Clipper Pan American World Airways fabled China Clipper (Martin M/130 Flying Boat) left Alameda Marina on November 22, 1935. Under the command of Captain Edwin C. Musick, the flight would reach Manila via Honolulu, Midway, Wake, and Guam. The inauguration of ocean airmail service and commercial airflight across the Pacific was a significant event for both California and the world. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 968 Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with Pan American Airlines and Alameda Naval Air Station, November 20, 1985.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Muir Beach Overlook — 16 mi
  A cliff edge on Highway 1, and the concrete dugouts where two-man crews watched the sea after Pearl Harbor.
• Muir Woods National Monument — 16 mi
  A redwood canyon saved from a reservoir by a gift, and named for a man who had been there once.

More markers nearby

• Alameda Terminal of the First Transcontinental Railroad — steps away
• USS Hornet — 1.0 mi
• Coast Guard Lightship WLV 605 - Relief (decommissioned) — 1.4 mi
• Croll Building — 1.8 mi