Catapultmail: Mail sent by an aeroplane, which is launced from a ship,
while the ship is still at sea.
The french was the first to use catapultmail. They launced there first
in 1928 from "I'LE de FRANCE",
but it was the german, who understood the posibilities in using catapultmail and they
stopped in 1935.
In 1936 they used zeppelins until the "HINDENBURG" burned in 1937.
On july the 12'th 1929 the germans announced their first catapultmail
flight to New York. It toke place
on july the 22'nd. from "S/S BREMEN", while the ship was about 500 km from
shore. On the return
trip, there was also a catapultflight from "S/S BREMEN" to Bremen.
On these first two catapultflights every piece of mail got a serial number.
Higest number known to me - "S/S BREMEN" - New York: 8390.
Higest number known to me - "S/S BREMEN" - Bremen: 18662.
If you know a higher number, please E-mail me.
On the next trip of "S/S BREMEN" on the august the 14'th, the
germans had a feederflight on august the 15'th from
Köln the Cherbourg, which made it possible to sent mail, that mised the ship in Bremen,
to Cherbourg and get it
on the ship before leaving. There was not feederflights to all trips, please see Flightsplanes for futher
informations.