Godfrey Chevalier

Lieutenant Commander Godfrey DeCourcelles Chevalier was a pioneering aviator of theUnited States Navy of World War I and the early 1920s. Born i n Providence, Rhode Island, Chevalier grew up in Medford and was a standout athlete at Medford High School. On Oct. 1, 1910, Midshipman Chevalier performed the first of what would be several heroic feats, rescuing some 20 sailors tossed from an overturned barge in New York’s
Hudson River. Two years later, Chevalier was with the first detachment to land inFrance on the USS Neptune. He became the commanding officer of the US Naval Air Station at Dunkirk, France, in 1917-18 and was awarded the French Legion of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross for his extraordinary meritorious service. In 1922, Lieutenant Commander Chevalier made aviation history, becoming the first U.S. Naval aviator to land an airplane on a moving ship, the USS Langley. Tragically,
Chevalier’s life was cut short less than a month after his historic flight, when he died from injuries suffered in a plane crash in Virginia. Chevalier Auditorium was dedicated to his memory on March 7, 1940, which would have been his 51st birthday. start editing your content and make sure to add all the relevant details you want to share with site visitors.