Transocean Air Lines, Refugees, and Aviatrix Ruth Nichols 1949

Transocean Air Lines was formed in 1946 following WWII by United Airlines Capt. Orvis M. Nelson and a group of pilots. Captain Nelson had flown with the U.S. Army Air Transport Command during the war and his experiences led to plans for development of an unscheduled airline that would operate charter services particularly in the Pacific region.

Originally formed as Orvis Nelson Air Transport Company (ONAT) and incorporated Transocean Air lines Inc. on June 1, 1946. Operating out of Oakland and adopting the acronym TALOA-from its telegraphic cable address, Transocean Air Lines Oakland. Two Douglas C-54A Skymasters, the military variant of the Douglas DC-4, were acquired from the U.S. Army Air Corps. First flights were originated under a subcontract with United Airlines operating military flights between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Transocean continued to grow and expand its operations, including diversifying into contract aircraft maintenance. In 1947 Transocean Air Lines received a contract to move 7,000 English emigrants to the Provence of Ontario, Canada. That was followed by a contract with the International Refugee Organization (IRO), a temporary specialized agency of the United Nations, established in 1946 with 26 member states for the care and the repatriation or resettlement of Europeans made homeless by WWII. The U.S. provided about 40% of the IRO annual $150 million budget. In 1949 Europe was rebuilding after the war and many refugees were trying to re-build their lives. The IRO recognizing that genuine refugees and displaced persons constitute an urgent problem signed a contract with Transocean Air Lines to fly 25,000 persons displaced by WWII to South America and Australia, this required daily flights from Munich and Rome.

The International Refugee Organization chartered a Transocean Douglas DC-4 to transport a group of Italian emigrants to Caracas, Venezuela. There were 47 Italian emigrants on board plus two Transocean employees. The crew consisted of nine and all were Americans, with the exception of an Italian stewardess, the ninth crew member listed was Ruth Nichols, famous American aviatrix, serving as a stewardess although she had no flight duties. She joined the flight in Rome at the last minute returning from a worldwide tour promoting the International Children’s Emergency Fund.

In 1946 the International Children’s Emergency Fund (ICEF) was created by the United Nations Relief Rehabilitation Administration to help children affected by WWII. The ICEF . . .