M
ARTIN
JRM M
ARS
F
LYING
B
OAT
C
OMMERCIAL
P
ROJECTS
OF
1944
Jared A. Zichek
A
MERICAN
A
EROSPACE
A
RCHIVE
1
The American Aerospace Archive is published periodically by Jared A. Zichek (6021 La Jolla Hermosa Ave, La Jolla, California 92037) and is printed and distributed by MagCloud (www.jaredzichek.magcloud.com). American Aerospace Archive Number 1.01 (ISSN 1943-9636) is copyright 2008 by Jared A. Zichek. All rights reserved. All featured text and images are copyright 2008 their respective copyright holders. Reproduction of any material in part or in whole without its creator's permission is strictly forbidden. The Ameri-can Aerospace Archive accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photos, art or other materials. Submissions are considered on an invitational basis only. Email your comments and suggestions to editor@aeroarchivepress.com and visit our website at www.aeroarchivepress.com.
ABOVE:
Title page o the lavish 1944marketing brochure or the commer-cialized Martin JRM Mars Flying Boat. The original document was printed inan oversized, landscape ormat and hasbeen adapted to t the smaller con-nes o this publication. The brochurewas ound in the National Archives, RG72, and all images and inormation pre-sented herein originate rom it.
COVER:
Artist's impression o the com-mercial Martin Mars Transport in pseu-do-Pan Am markings.
oered superior economy, saety anddependability. Hal o the Mars' grossweight was disposable load. It oeredgreat capacity or cargo and greatercomort or passengers than any otherexisting airplane. Te rst Martin Marshad already set many world records; thecommercial version was capable o ex-ceeding them.
General Description
Te Mars ransport possessed greatload carrying capability, tremendoussize, and economy o operation. Itsnormal gross weight was 165,000 lbs.Te two-deck hull alone—exclusive o the wing—contained 15,600 cubic eetwithin its 120 oot length. ranslatedinto terms o transport, the Mars had ad-equate space to carry the enormous loado 25,500 lbs o cargo and 105 passengersor a distance o 1,500 statute miles or9,050 lbs o cargo and 60 passengers ora distance o 3,500 miles.Te Mars eatured a semi-mono-coque constructed hull. Four mainwater-tight bulkheads, closely spacedormer rames and stringers providedthe strength or the Mars' load-carryingability. All sheet material in the wing andhull was 24 S or SR alclad aluminumalloy. Stringers were either o ormed al-clad sheet or extruded 24 S material.Te Mars was a high-wing type o ying boat. Te wing was o the time-proven, two-spar type with stressed skincover. Both spars were o the tensioneld type, with no cut-outs except whereaccess holes were provided or passage o the crew. Both top and bottom coverswere o the at sheet-stringer type. Teupper cover was unique in that the covergauge and string spacing were adjustedso that no wrinkles appeared in the skinat ull design load. Te nose skin wasalso designed to be non-wrinkling at 1.5times the ight actor.
I
n 1944, the Martin Mars was the larg-est and longest-range production y-ing boat in the world. Initially con-ceived in 1938 as a patrol bomber, thetype was subsequently converted to thetransport role. Te marketing brochurereproduced over the ollowing pagespresents several interior designs or acommercial version—all-passenger,all-cargo, and passenger-cargo arrange-ments. Martin claimed that "competentauthorities" recognized these arrange-ments as "outstanding contributions tomodern transportation."By 1944, the Martin Mars prototypehad been built, tested, and largely prov-en. It was in over-ocean service withthe US Navy, carrying war materiel andtroops. wenty more were being rushedto completion or the Naval Air rans-port Service—then one o the two largestairlines in the world, the other being PanAm, the main target o Martin's market-ing eorts. (Tis order was later reducedto 5 at the end o the war).Te Mars ransport was the climaxo years o Martin's development andexperience in the design and buildingo ying boats; the aircra oered "newand practical horizons" to those whowere "planning the air lines o peace."Martin claimed that the ying boat2
Additional payload space was pro- vided in the cargo bays built into thewings. Tese bays were readily acces-sible by the use o ingenious elevatorswhich hoisted cargo into the wings.Te vastness o the Mars wasmatched by its rugged strength. In stren-uous tests and ull load dives the Marshad withstood strains o upwards o hal a million pounds on its wing. Te hullbottom had resisted equally heavy loadsand impacts in landing in high seas. Instructure as well as in design, the MartinMars ransport incorporated the mostadvanced developments in aviation ex-perience.Unortunately or Martin, airlineswere not convinced by the company'smarketing prowess, preerring theeconomy and practicality o land-basedairliners over large ying boats in thepostwar era. Furthermore, the concepto the "ying hotel" would be supersededby less luxurious high volume passengerservice targeted at the middle class. TeJRM Mars would go on to serve the Navy admirably in the transport role until1956, with only one being lost in an acci-dent. In 1959, Flying ankers, Inc. pur-chased the our remaining surplus yingboats and employed them in the waterbomber role to control orest res. As o 2008, two survive in this role with Coul-son Flying ankers in British Columbia.A man could walk erect within thesix-oot thick center portion o the wing,which spanned an impressive 200 . Mi-nor adjustments to engine and accesso-ries could be made in ight. Power wassupplied by our engines—each develop-ing 3,000 horsepower. Te total 12,000horsepower was more than three timesthat o a giant two-car diesel-electric lo-comotive.wo complete decks extended al-most the ull length o the hull. Tey provided exible and economic useo the space or disposal o either pas-sengers or cargo. On the upper deck,orward o the ront wing spar, was theight deck—nerve center o the ship.Tis ight deck, 30 x 12 was com-parable to the bridge o a large suraceship, and provided accommodations ordesks, instrument panels, comortablechairs and everything necessary or theefcient operation o the ship and thecomort o the ight crew.Te remainder o the upper deck,and the entire lower deck were availableor transport requirements—either pas-senger, or cargo, or both. ypical interi-or arrangements are pictured on the ol-lowing pages. Variations were possible,according to the need. Te lower deck was specially stressed or heavy, concen-trated loads. Te upper deck had abun-dant space or lower density cargo.Tus, while it never became a luxuriouscommercial ying boat like the prewarBoeing 314, the Martin Mars ultimately ound success in a more critical role thatits makers never anticipated.
Sources:
Te Martin Mars ransport Airplane
, Baltimore:Te Glenn L. Martin Company, 1944
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Retouched (and possibly staged) photo showing the terric load-carryingcapability o the Martin Mars, in this case the twin tail XPB2M-1R. Initiallyconceived in 1938 as a "fying dreadnought" or ocean patrol, it was subse-quently converted to a transport when its original role was deemed obsolete.
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