Martin (not Glenn, James) twin-hull oceanplane, help needed

[Skybolt]

Circa 1942, James V. Martin (not Glenn...) proposed first to the British Admiralty and later, through Churchill, to the US, a giant twin-hull, gull-wing cargo seaplane, the "Martin Twin-Hull Oceanplane". This has been described at times as a forerunner of the HK-1, but really it's purpose was different: be a flying landing ship to conquer by air the Pacific atolls. Now, Airpower Magazine in MArch 1975 ran a story ("The Other Martin", by, who else, Walt Boyne) on this project. Does anybody out there own a copy ot that issue, and be so kind and scan and post any picture/drafts of the plane here? :-* The Martin design apparently influenced Hughes in designing the HK-1, since a lot of work went in deciding if the Gerkules would have been a twin- or a single-hull plane.

 

[Skybolt]

This is the beast from the patent....

 

[smurf]

Nothing in the article except the picture and a note that Churchill was interested

 

[Tophe]

The Patent does not feature the same wing shape as the article art. The explanation is a late variable geometry about the dihedral. Not yet in the Patent filed in 1937? I am just wondering about dates, as the Flight source seemed to mention 1952 (as based on 1951 statistics).

 

[smurf]

Can you quote patent number and date and ref to Flight article please?
Generally illustrations in patents, which are necessarily produced very early before anything else is published, are not designs to be built but pictures to make clear the patentable features. I'm interested to know what these might be. What, apart from sheer size, was novel about this plane in 1942? The twin hulls?
Walt Boyne's article is mostly about Martin and his Kitten design. The oceanplane gets a half-page oicture but otherwise hardly a mention.

 

[Skybolt]

What, apart from sheer size, was novel about this plane in 1942? The twin hulls?

Twin-hulls patentable in 1942 (or even 1937) seem improbable to me.. Everyone stayng in Chicago in 1933 would have seen plenty of twin-hulls flying around... ;D
This is the other draft in the patent. In the brief description there is no hints to specific "patentable" features in this design.

 

[Tophe]

Can you quote patent number and date and ref to Flight article please?

The Patent source I found on the Web was written "Design 114,122" but according to the Patent encyclopaedia http://gb.espacenet.com/ the Patents GB114122 and US114122 are different...
The Flight issue was 2nd Jan. 1953.

 

[smurf]

I think this is a registered design. I can't see it getting a patent - prior art; prior publication; and it's not merely an application number. US I expect, though Martin seems to have introduced it via UK and Churchill.
(Using Google to look for Martin's patent (no joy) I found a much more recent patent for a twin[hulled seaplane, but the propulsion arrangements may be its novel fearure.

Twin-hull seaplane Document Type and Number: United States Patent 5273238 Link to this Page: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5273238.html Abstract: A twin-hull seaplane comprising two hulls spaced apart by a suitable distance, a cabin provided on the hulls integrally therewith, a front wing and a rear wing provided on the cabin and having a length not greater than the width of assembly of the two hulls or foldable to a length not greater than the width, aero-propulsion engined mounted on the front wing or the cabin, and a rudder attached to the rear wing. Each of the hulls is provided with hydro-propulsion means at a rear portion thereof.

 

[Skybolt]

The Patent source I found on the Web was written "Design 114,122" b

This is the one my drafts come from. The patent is about an ornamental design for a seaplane, i.e. registered design.

 

[Tophe]

Using Google to look for Martin's patent (no joy) I found a much more recent patent for a twin-hulled seaplane United States Patent 5273238

There are views of it at http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=US5273238&F=0 then ask Mosaics and it is surprising: both twin-hull and Burnelli-like, with a very tiny wing...
Thanks for this addition, this other subject, linked to Martin (? Sato Susumu in Japan according to espacenet) and to Twin-Hull...

 

[Skybolt]

It's me that have to thank you all for your contributions to the research! Thanks friends!
BTW, the japanese patent seems related to some sort of sea-skimmer.

 

[hesham]

The Martin Oceanplane patent;


http://www.freepatentsonline.com/2231524.pdf

 

[hesham]

The same designer or not ?,I can't see well.

 

[Schneiderman]

Yes, same illustration as in post #5