Two vintage photographs relating to the pioneering Italy-Australia-Italy flight of the Marchese Francesco de Pinedo, taken at Dampier Beach, Broome, in very early June 1925
The aircraft used was a Savoia-Marchetti S.55 ('a double-hulled flying boat produced in Italy, beginning in 1924. Shortly after its introduction, it began setting records for speed, payload, altitude and range', according to Wikipedia). The first image, a snapshot (66 × 111 mm), is a close-up view of the aircraft, 'Gennariello', in the sea off Broome. The second one is a panorama (88 × 294 mm), captioned on the verso, in part, 'Dampier Creek, Broome'; it may have been taken from the seaplane, and depicts Pinedo in a pith helmet, together with (possibly) his mechanic and numerous others, on the beach with a lugger in the background. Both photographs are in fine condition, presented behind recent window mounts. De Pinedo and his mechanic Ernesto Campanelli left Rome on 7 April 1925; by the time they arrived back at their starting point on 7 November, they had 'covered about 35,000 miles (56,000 km) in 370 hours of flight time in 80 stages over the course of 202 days, and a 1925 issue of the magazine "Flight" described their journey as "the most extensive aerial tour on record"' (Wikipedia). Broome was their first landfall in Australia, followed by 'Carnarvon, Perth, Bunbury, Albany, Israelite Bay, and Adelaide ... before reaching Melbourne, where they arrived on 10 June and spent 36 days. On 16 July, Pinedo and Campanelli flew on to Sydney, where they spent another three weeks. Resuming their flight on 6 August, they visited Brisbane, Rockhampton, Townsville, Innisfail, Cooktown, and Thursday Island' before heading (eventually) for Tokyo and Rome.
Item #114875
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