Commuter service, departing off the surface of Lake Mohawk promptly at 0815, take-off run of 2000 feet in 18 seconds. Service to the New York City area by way of Jersey City. Return flight at 1645, arriving just offshore the Boardwalk Promenade. Maximum 20 Passengers.

For your consideration: a carefully restored advertising piece from the golden age of seaplanes. This restoration is press-printed on 11.25″ x 17″ thick (.35mm) pearlescent paper. Water stains, tears, surface imperfections, and inking errors have been corrected for this 2019 limited release.

The story…

Edwin R. Closs, an important personality in the Lake Mohawk Reservation development (Sparta, New Jersey, United States), helped set the aesthetic tone of the Reservation. In addition, he tried a few complementary ventures during his most active period with the Arthur D. Crane company. One idea was a commuter and vacation seaplane providing service off the surface of the newly-constructed Lake Mohawk.

Selecting one of the more unique workhorses of the day, a Savoia-Marchetti model S.55P, Closs modified it for maximum commuter capacity and had it inspected and certified for commuter service. Unfortunately, while anchored ~1,000 feet off the Boardwalk, the plane caught fire and sank to the bottom of the Lake.

During the 1990s, an expedition funded by the Italian government was undertaken to locate the wreck within the waters of Lake Mohawk. If located, it would have been restored and served as one of the few examples of an extremely rare “push-pull” seaplane model produced by the storied Savoia-Marchetti firm. Unfortunately, the expedition leaders were looking in the wrong place…