John Cyril Porte
(1884 - 1919)
John Cyril Porte was born on 26 February 1884 in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland, the son of Reverend John Robert Porte and Henrietta Porte (née Scott), the family moving to England in 1890. Porte joined the Royal Navy in 1898 age 14, passing through HMS Britannia before he was posted as a midshipman on the training brig HMS Pilot in late September 1902. He served on HMS Royal Oak before he was promoted to lieutenant in 1905. Porte transferred to the Royal Navy Submarine Service in 1906 receiving his training on HMS Thames before HMS Forth and duties on submarines, his first command was HMS B3, beginning 1 January 1908. He served under Murray Sueter, a pioneer of submarines, airships and aeroplanes who encouraged Porte to join that branch of the service.
During 1908 Porte designed a glider in collaboration with Lieutenant W. B. Pirie, while both officers were attached to the submarine depot at Haslar. In 1910 he joined HMS Mercury for duties on a Holland-class submarine, taking over HMS C38 on 31 March 1910. It was during his service as a submariner that Porte contracted tuberculosis, being as unfit 25 October 1911 with the rank of Lieutenant, RN.
Porte learnt to fly by the end of 1910 using a Santos-Dumont Demoiselle that he built in his spare time. He was also assigned to HMS President in London for a flying course, and gained his flying certificate (No. 548) with the Aero Club de France 28 July 1911, flying a Deperdussin monoplane at Reims. Six days prior, Porte took part in the Daily Mail Circuit of Britain from Brooklands with the first British built 60 h.p. Anzani powered Deperdussin monoplane, but suffered an unfortunate accident shortly after takeoff. He proved to be a gifted and natural pilot.
The British Deperdussin Aeroplane Synd. Ltd., was formed in mid-1911 by Porte and D.L. Santoni as a subsidiary of General Aircraft Contractors, to produce aircraft in England designed by the French Société Provisoire des Aéroplanes Deperdussin, and In April 1912, a new public company, the British Deperdussin Aeroplane Co. Ltd, was formed to take over the assets of the Syndicate, with Porte as joint managing director, technical director and test pilot. Porte invested nearly all his money in the venture. He flew Deperdussin aircraft in the Military Aeroplane Trials at Larkhill and air races at Hendon Aerodrome, where he became a popular figure with the weekend crowds. About November 1912 Porte was appointed director of British Anzani and manager of the Deperdussin Flying School at Hendon.
Porte tested the British Deperdussin Seagull float plane successfully at Osea Island about June 1913, even though around this time he was recovering from a serious operation to his jaw. Unfortunately, on 24 July, the company was placed in the hands of a receiver and Porte lost all his investments. Following this, he was employed by White and Thompson as a designer and test pilot.
About 1911 Porte met American aircraft designer Glenn Curtiss and proposed a partnership to produce an aircraft to compete in the Daily Mail prize for the first transatlantic crossing. In 1912 Curtiss produced the two-seat Flying Fish that was classified as a flying boat because the hull sat in the water; it featured an innovative notch or "step" in the hull that Porte recommended for breaking clear of the water on takeoff.
Pursuing his interest in flying boats, over October 1913 Porte met with Curtiss and Eric Gordon England at George Volk's Seaplane Base on Brighton sea front, where the Curtiss flying boat was demonstrated, and by January 1914 Porte was engaged in building improved Curtiss flying boats for White and Thompson with a flying school to support the enterprise.
Porte and Curtiss then worked together on a design at Hammondsport, New York, US, between February and August 1914, commissioned and funded by American businessman Rodman Wanamaker for a prototype flying boat with which they intended to cross the North Atlantic Ocean and win a $50,000 cash prize put up by the Daily Mail, supported by Lord Northcliffe. Porte was to fly and navigate the aircraft with co-pilot and engineer George Hallett. In order to reduce risk, the route selected was much longer than a direct flight, and planned to start 20 July from St. John's, Newfoundland to the Azores, and on to Plymouth, stopping en-route at Vigo in northern Spain. However, the commencement of WWI put an end to Wanamaker's plan.
Two days after returning to England, Porte was recommissioned in the Royal Naval Air Service as Lt. Commander and on 13 August 1914 was posted as Squadron Commander in charge of pilot training at Hendon Aerodrome. At that time, Captain Murray Sueter, Director of the Admiralty Air Department, was looking for a suitable aircraft to combat the German U-boat and Zeppelin forces in the North Sea, and by March 1915 Porte convinced Sueter to purchase Curtiss H-4 flying boats, a military version of their earlier twin 100 h.p. America flying boat design. Once the project was under way, Porte assisted with the assembly and testing of the America flying boats at RNAS Felixstowe, and was officially posted to there in September 1915 as commander of the Experimental Flying Wing, where he would frequently fly on offensive patrols to gather what was required of the aircraft. His first design implemented at Felixstowe was the Porte Baby, at the time the largest flying boat built and flown in the United Kingdom.
Porte modified a Curtiss H-4 with Hispano-Suiza engines and a new hull, renamed the Felixstowe F.1. He then modified the hull of the larger Curtiss H-12 flying boat, creating the Felixstowe F.2. Under Porte's supervision the Naval and Seaplane Experimental Station continued to enlarge and improve the design of the Felixstowe aircraft independently of Curtiss, through the F.3 and the F.5; Porte's last design to be built was the 123 ft-span five-engined Felixstowe Fury triplane, the largest seaplane in the world and largest British aircraft at the time.
Acutely aware of the flying boat's limitations, Porte pioneered the use of a small towing lighter with a planing hull to increase their effective range. The lighter was designed to be "trimmed down" with water ballast to enable the flying boat to taxi up on to the deck. Once the flying boat was in place, it was picked up by a destroyer and towed to the release area at 30 kts. The aircraft was then recovered.
During Porte's tenure at Felixstowe, due to the reorganisation of the different aerial services, he received various naval, RNAS and Royal Air Force ranks, and was known variously as lieutenant commander, wing commander and lieutenant colonel. He was pensioned with the rank of colonel. Porte was also President of the RNAS Felixstowe Sports Committee.
On 25 July 1917, while he was engaged in his large flying boat design, Porte, along with William Augustus Casson, Lyman J. Seeley and other persons were indicted in London's Bow Street Magistrates' Court on charges of profiteering under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906. Following questions in the Houses of Parliament a Committee of Inquiry was appointed by Sir Edward Carson, then First Lord of the Admiralty, chaired by barrister and member of parliament John George Butcher. Casson and Porte were examined before the committee during the early months of 1917, however there was apparently no exchange of correspondence between the committee, Curtiss’ publicity manager Seely or Glen Curtiss.
During his time at Hammondsport before the war, Porte arranged with Seely, then Curtiss sales manager, to receive as an agent, 20–25% commission on all Curtiss flying boats that he sold after the projected trans-Atlantic flight. At the time of his hasty return from the United States in August 1914, Porte's connections with the Curtiss company had not been fully and legally dissolved; Porte continued to receive monies secretly through Casson as a commission agent between August 1914 and 24 July 1917, when he was in the position of ordering aircraft on behalf of the Navy and was accused of receiving £48,000 in this manner. On 19 November 1917 Casson admitted guilt but, on return of the money, the Attorney General entered a plea of nolle prosequi against Porte in light of his failing health and important war service. Dropping the charges was seen by The Crown as a way of removing any stigma from Porte's name and reputation as a public servant, however the authorities refused any payment for his inventions.
The nervous strain of the proceedings combined with the onerous commitments at Felixstowe had an adverse effect on Porte's already poor state of health He was taken ill toward the end of the second hearing and remained for a period at the Russell Hotel in the advanced stages of chronic pulmonary tuberculosis; proceedings continued in his absence until the final hearing at the Old Bailey and, following its conclusion, Porte returned to Felixstowe where he was nursed to recovery by his wife.
In November 1917 Porte was recommended for the Distinguished Service Order, but this was refused at the highest level: "In view of the special circumstances of this officer's case the First Lord is not prepared to consider any decoration for past services". He was however, promoted to Captain, RN and put in charge of all operational squadrons at RNAS Felixstowe in addition to the Experimental Wing. His attention restored, Porte returned to work on the Felixstowe Fury with the assistance of his Chief Technical Officer, Squadron Commander J. D. Rennie, later chief designer of Blackburn Aircraft Company.
Porte was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1918 Birthday Honours, and elected a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in July 1918 for his design work.
Demobilised from the RAF, and still very sick, Porte joined the Gosport Aircraft Company in August 1919 as chief designer; it was hoped that there would be progressive developments as he agreed to use his recent patents that were very forward looking, one incorporating a ski or hydrofoil. It was also hoped the company would convert the many war surplus 'F' type flying boats for civil use. Before his death Porte produced a series of flying boat designs for commercial purposes, offering considerable improvements and modification of the proven types developed during the war including the G9, a trans-ocean passenger and cargo version of the Felixstowe Fury, however partly through lack of Government interest and adequate finance, none of the new designs were realised.
Worn out with overwork and worry, his illness taking its toll over his body, Lieutenant Colonel John Cyril Porte, CMG, FRAeS died suddenly in Brighton, East Sussex, of pulmonary tuberculosis on 22 October 1919. Posthumously he was recognised for an award from the Royal Commission for Awards to Inventors in relation to flying boats and his widow received United States Navy Distinguished Service Medal in respect of information passed to the US Government.